The Chosen One: Chad Eveslage Wins Third Bracelet in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship
Table Of Contents
One year ago, American poker pro Chad Eveslage won his first WSOP gold bracelet, and he is now a three-time champion to start the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas with a bang. Out of a field of 130 entries in Event #10: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship, he came out on top of a short-lived heads-up duel with Dutch Boyd to draw even with his final opponent as far as the number of bracelets are concerned.
Since April 2021, Eveslage earned six titles in major live poker tournaments, including two seven-figure scores. Within the last four days, he has won two WSOP gold bracelets (first in Event #5: $1,500 Dealer's Choice for $131,879) and further cemented his status as one of the hottest-running players on the circuit and within the mixed games scene. The top two finishers shared the biggest portion of the $1,209,000 prize pool as Eveslage collected a payday of $311,428, whereas Boyd earned a consolation prize of $192,479.
The Indiana native was in high spirits after the back-to-back Dealer's Choice victories and joked that his improbable run could be a sign of the world coming to an end.
��The singularity is coming, and this is probably the last World Series," he laughed in a winner's interview with PokerNews. "Not probably, but 10% this is the last World Series to ever happen. You know, gotta make the most of it while it��s here ... Nice to get a win, nice to get some of this before we all merge with machines.��
A total of 13 players returned for the final day including nine WSOP bracelet winners and at the end, it was Eveslage who had all the chips as he ended the tournament in style with a straight flush in Big O. Zack Freeman finished in third place, Dustin Dirksen, Ari Engel and Marco Johnson all reached the official final table as well. Last year's runner-up Mike Gorodinsky had to settle for seventh place when he was ousted by eventual runner-up Boyd.
Final Table Result Event #10: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship
Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in USD) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Chad Eveslage | United States | $311,428 |
2 | Dutch Boyd | United States | $192,479 |
3 | Zack Freeman | United States | $139,048 |
4 | Dustin Dirksen | United States | $101,709 |
5 | Ari Engel | United States | $75,341 |
6 | Marco Johnson | United States | $56,528 |
The Dealer's Choice
As improbable as it was, Eveslage's second Dealer's Choice victory almost seemed inevitable on Day 3 as every hand seemed to go Eveslage's way and several of his opponents commented that he was the best player in poker right now. That includes fourth-place finisher Dirksen, who texted his 11-year-old to say he was playing against a truly special opponent.
��Is Chad the best Badeucey player in the world?�� asked Craig Chait from the rail on Day 3 as the final two tables played out.
��USP �� You��re an ultra-super-pro,�� Mike Thorpe later told Eveslage during the final table.
As humble a poker player as he is elite, the cheery and soft-spoken 31-year-old called it "very unlikely" that he is the best poker player in the world.
"Definitely not at no-limit Hold��em, but probably in heads-up Badeucey," he acknowledged. "Probably not full ring. But I don��t know."
The tournament gave Eveslage an opportunity to absorb knowledge from greats like Poker Hall of Famer John Hennigan (9th - $33,087), who Eveslage asked at one point on Day 2 about what it was like playing with old school poker legend Chip Reese.
��Playing with Hennigan was fun," said Eveslage. "He��s a character. I��ve never played with somebody like him. He��s a complete alien, but in like the best way ever.��
It also gave Eveslage a chance to play with 2022 runner-up Gorodinsky as the two engaged in playful banter throughout Day 3. "Me and Gordo have played a lot online, but we haven��t played much live.��
The Dealer's Choice Championship is a special event with a fabled history that includes Adam Friedman winning it consecutive years in 2018, 2019 and 2021 (Friedman fell on Day 1 this year and back in 2022). May Eveslage be following in the fellow midwesterner's footsteps?
��If there��s another World Series next year, if the singularity doesn��t get us, I suppose that I will try to win (again)," Eveslage said. "And I think I��ve got an edge on Adam. He might have his own little opinion.��
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Day 3 Action
Only 13 players returned for Day 3 and there were several short-stack doubles before James Obst fell in 13th place ahead of the two-table redraw.
After the elimination of Scott Bohlman, three-time bracelet winner Paul Volpe hit the rail at the hands of Eveslage when he called down with pocket aces as Eveslage had flopped a sneaky set of threes.
Eveslage continued to trend upward, and he got some help from the rail as his friends held up a massive yellow poster reading "Play Like a Chadpion" with a blown-up photo of his 2021 bracelet win.
The only player having a better day than Eveslage at this point was Dirksen, who held a sizable chip lead up to a pivotal no-limit hold'em hand during seven-handed play. In a three-bet pot, Dirksen moved all in with a flopped flush draw, and Eveslage called with an overpair before a brick runout earned him the double.
The chatty and light-hearted Dirksen stayed afloat ahead of the eliminations of two-time bracelet winners Gorodinsky (7th - $42,965), Johnson (6th - $56,528), and Engel (5th - $75,341) before falling in fourth after another no-limit hold'em confrontation with the eventual champion.
Eveslage entered heads-up play with a big lead against Boyd, whose place in poker history dates back to the iconic 2003 WSOP Main Event when he made a failed bluff against eventual champion Chris Moneymaker.
The imbalanced heads-up confrontation only lasted a few hands and ended when Boyd chose to play Big O. The two got it in on the flop with Boyd having the best of it before the turn gave Eveslage a straight flush, and the river confirmed a scoop and a third bracelet for the Dealer's Chosen One.
This wraps up PokerNews coverage of a memorable and historic Dealer's Choice Championship here at the 2023 WSOP. Be sure to check out the live reporting portal for coverage of other bracelet events.
In this Series
- 1 Peter Thai Wins First Bracelet of the 2023 WSOP: Event #1: $500 Casino Employees ($75,535)
- 2 Alexandre Vuilleumier Captures 2023 WSOP Event #2: $25K High Roller Title
- 3 Cody "1eggadaymike" Bell Wins WSOP Bracelet and $87,665 in the Triple Treys Summer Tip Off
- 4 Michael Moncek Wins Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha for $534,499
- 5 Chad Eveslage Steamrolls to Second WSOP Bracelet in Event #5: $1,500 Dealer's Choice (6-Handed) ($131,879)
- 6 Ronnie Day Reigns Supreme in Event #4: Tournament of Champions ($200,000)
- 7 Vadim Shlez Takes Down Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold��em For $146,835
- 8 Chanracy Khun Wins Event #8: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship
- 9 Nick Schulman Wins Event #9: Seven Card Stud For Fourth WSOP Bracelet ($110,800)
- 10 Ian "IanMa" Matakis Wins Online Event #2: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Bankroll Builder for $120,686
- 11 Ryan "dna2rna" Hughes Wins Third Bracelet, Defeats Shaun "fortnite" Deeb in Online Battle
- 12 Tyler Brown Crowned Champion of Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions ($1,000,000)
- 13 Kenneth O��Donnell Wins Event #11: $600 No-Limit Hold��em Deepstack For $351,098
- 14 The Chosen One: Chad Eveslage Wins Third Bracelet in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship
- 15 Estes Nabs Second WSOP MI Online Bracelet; Kershaw Victorious in First PA Event
- 16 Joseph Altomonte Returns to Poker With a Bang; Rakes in $217,102 and a WSOP Bracelet
- 17 Jeremy Eyer Defeats Felipe Ramos in Gruelling Heads Up Duel for $5K Freezeout Title ($649,550)
- 18 Danny "jackdaniels1" Wong Finally Bags WSOP Bracelet After 13 Hour Day
- 19 Isaac Haxton Removes Name from "Best Without a Bracelet" List w/ $25K High Roller Win
- 20 Brian Yoon Wins 5th WSOP Bracelet in $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
- 21 Brazil Out in Force for Reis' First Bracelet in $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em
- 22 Three Isn't a Crowd for Jim Collopy Who Wins His Third WSOP Bracelet
- 23 Valentino Konakchiev Denies Andres Korn a Second Bracelet in $2.5K NLHE Freezeout
- 24 Michael Rodrigues Becomes First Badugi Champion in Event #20: $1,500 Badugi
- 25 Stephen Nahm Toasts To His Victory in Event #21: $1k Pot-Limit Omaha
- 26 Fifth Bracelet for Josh Arieh in Event #22: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship for $316,226
- 27 Leon Sturm Bests Bill Klein in Event #23: $50,000 High Roller ($1,546,024)
- 28 Two Big Bets and a Chair - David ��ODB�� Baker Fights Back from the Felt to Win His Third Bracelet
- 29 Jason Simon Becomes WSOP's First Gladiator of Poker for $499,852
- 30 Renji Mao��s Deepstack Aggression Earns Him First WSOP Bracelet ($402,588)
- 31 Belyalovsky Defeats 2020 WSOP Online Domestic Main Event Champion Hebert
- 32 12 Year Drought Ends: Ben Lamb Runs "Hotter Than the Sun" to Win 2nd WSOP Gold Bracelet
- 33 Six is Sweet For Shaun Deeb in Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix
- 34 Jans Arends Tops Star-Studded Final Table to Win $100K High Roller for $2,576,729
- 35 Benjamin Ector Busts Seven Straight to Win Event #28: $1,500 NLH Freezeout ($406,403)
- 36 Houston Firefighter Scott Dulaney Extinguishes the Opposition in Event #31 of 2023 WSOP
- 37 Cash Game Specialist Mark Ioli Wins First WSOP Bracelet for $558,266
- 38 John Monnette Joins Five-Timers Club With $1,500 Triple Draw WSOP Title
- 39 Sean Troha Wins 2nd WSOP Bracelet; Takes Down Event #34: $1,500 PLO for $298,192
- 40 ��It��s Gonna Be Tough for You�� Says Jerry Wong on Way to Winning 1st WSOP Bracelet
- 41 Chris Klodnicki Returns to WSOP, Wins $10,000 NLH Secret Bounty for 2nd Career Bracelet
- 42 Ryutaro Suzuki Becomes Japan's Mixed-Game Master in Event #36: $3,000 Nine Game Mix
- 43 Yuan Li Adds Name to List of 2023 WSOP Bracelet Winners after $2K NLHE Triumph ($524,777)
- 44 Benny Glaser Joins Five-Timers Club with Win in Event #38: $10K 2-7 Triple Draw Championship
- 45 Morgan Magee & Josh Dempsey Lay Claim to WSOP Online Bracelets in MI & PA
- 46 "suited_h13" Last One Standing in WSOP Online Event #6: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo ($134,527)
- 47 Chris Brewer Wins $250k Super High Roller and First Bracelet ($5,293,556)
- 48 Joe "jimjam01" Serock Wins 2023 WSOP Online Event #7: $500 PLO 6-Max ($93,911)
- 49 "I've Got It!" Qiang Xu Wins First Bracelet in $800 Deepstack ($339,033)
- 50 Scott Abrams Becomes Inaugural Big O Champion for $315,203
- 51 Braxton Dunaway Wins Monster Stack for $1,162,681; Now Headed to Son��s College World Series
- 52 Jeremy ��ChipChecka�� Ausmus Claims Sixth Bracelet in Online Event #8: $3,200 No-Limit Hold��em
- 53 Jay Lockett Turns $500 into $262,526 and a Bracelet at the 2023 WSOP
- 54 Braxton Dunaway Wins Monster Stack for $1,162,681; Now Headed to Son��s College World Series
- 55 William Leffingwell Brings A Bracelet Home to Houston a Week After His Friend Did the Same!
- 56 Pengfei Wang Plays First Tournament Ever; Wins $270,700 in Event #49: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty
- 57 Brian Rast Wins $50,000 Poker Players Championship For the Third Time ($1,324,747)
- 58 Yang Zhang Captures 2023 WSOP $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Title ($717,879)
- 59 Yuri Dzivielevski Wins Third Bracelet and $207,678 in Event #47: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
- 60 Poker Player Proposes to Girlfriend After Winning WSOP Bracelet & $1,309,232
- 61 Team Savakinas Reign Supreme in WSOP Tag Team Event ($190,662)
- 62 Nick Pupillo Wins First Bracelet In $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw for $181,978
- 63 Justin Vaysman & Rudy Gavaldon Win WSOP Online Bracelets in Pennsylvania & Michigan
- 64 Ryan "GoFeltaFish2" Eriquezzo Multitasks His Way to His Third WSOP Bracelet
- 65 Lonnie Hallett Defeats Billy Baxter Heads-Up to Win 2023 WSOP Seniors Championship ($765,731)
- 66 Mike Gorodinsky Blazes Down the Home Stretch to Win $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship ($422,747)
- 67 Marcin Horecki Denies Mike Matusow as he Captures Poland's First-Ever Live WSOP Bracelet
- 68 Retired Fireman Steven Genovese Climbs a Different Type of Ladder to Take Home a WSOP Bracelet!
- 69 Jason Daly Steamrolls Final Table of Event #58: $3,000 Limit Hold'em to Win First WSOP Bracelet
- 70 Millionaire Maker Winner Pavel Plesuv Becomes Moldova's First WSOP Champion ($1,201,564)
- 71 Ka Kwan Lau Finds Redemption in $25K PLO High Roller ($2,294,756)
- 72 WSOP Online Pennsylvania & Michigan: Christopher Nunez & David Ferus Find Mystery Bounty Success
- 73 Calm, Collected, and Deadly: Robert Schulz Becomes a WSOP Champion
- 74 Jason Mercier Defeats Mike Watson to Capture Sixth WSOP Bracelet
- 75 Brazil��s Gabriel Schroeder Bad Beats Andy Black on Way to Super Turbo Bounty Bracelet ($228,632)
- 76 Austria's Klaus Ilk Wins 2023 WSOP Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors for $371,603
- 77 "Can't Stop Kopp!" William Kopp Wins Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better ($259,549)
- 78 David Simon Emerges Victorious in Battle of Davids to Win Maiden Bracelet in $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha ($410,659)
- 79 Ryan Miller Wins Maiden Bracelet in Event #63: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship ($344,677)
- 80 David Guay Celebrates on Canada Day with WSOP Gold ($271,032)
- 81 Weiran Pu Captures His First Bracelet in Event #65: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em ($938,244)
- 82 Phil Hellmuth Wins Record-Extending 17th World Series of Poker Bracelet
- 83 Brewer Beats Baker and Livingston in 2-7 Single Draw Championship for Second Bracelet of the Summer
- 84 Jesse Lonis Steamrolls to Victory for Second Bracelet in Event #71: $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
- 85 An Unstoppable Tamar Abraham Wins Record-Breaking Ladies Event for $192,167
- 86 Tom ��lultaxpayers�� Hall Emerges Victorious to Claim Maiden WSOP Bracelet ($176,920)
- 87 Moshe Refaelowitz Fulfils a Promise to His Wife; Wins Event #70: $400 Colossus
- 88 Bradley Gafford Rallies Back to Win the Mini Main Event ($549,555)
- 89 Hassan Kamel Speeds to Victory in Event #75: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship ($598,613)
- 90 Sam Soverel Wins World Series of Poker Bracelet in Live/Online Hybrid Tournament
- 91 Zachary Grech & Blaze Gaspari Pick Up NV/NJ WSOP Online Bracelets
- 92 Thomas Skaggs Adds a WSOP Bracelet to His Circuit Ring in Event #76: $1,500 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha
- 93 Shawn Daniels Wins Event #77: $777 Lucky 7's for $777,777
- 94 Josh Arieh Steam Rolls Final Table For Sixth Bracelet in Event #80: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. High Roller
- 95 VAMOS!! Samuel Bernabeu Wins First Bracelet in Event #79:$2,500 No-Limit Holdem
- 96 Thai Ha Wins First Bracelet in 2023 WSOP Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck ($111,170)
- 97 Brazilian Vitor Dzivielevski Wins NV/NJ WSOP Online Event #16 Bracelet ($185,316)
- 98 Alex Kulev Wins $50K High Roller for $2,087,073; Moves Atop Bulgarian All-Time Money List
- 99 Tom Marchese Wins First Gold Bracelet in WSOP Online Event #17: $1,000 Online Championship
- 100 Matthew Parry Wins 2023 WSOP Event #82: $3,000 PLO 6-Handed ($480,122)
- 101 Prominent Poker Coach Faraz Jaka Leads By Example and Wins First Bracelet in Event #85: $1,500 Shootout
- 102 Diego Does It! Ventura Earns First Live Bracelet for Peru in $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
- 103 Oh Canada! Bradley Smith Wins Maiden Bracelet and $221,733 in Mixed Omaha/Stud Hi-Lo
- 104 Beginner's Luck? Pierre Shum Wins a WSOP Bracelet in His First Ever Tournament
- 105 Dong Meng Holds Off "Westside" Wesley to Win 2023 WSOP Event #89: $1,000 Flip & Go
- 106 Alexandre Reard Wins Second Bracelet in Prestigious $10K 6-Handed Championship ($1,057,663)
- 107 Kang Hyun Lee Takes the Event #92: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout Bracelet Home to Canada!
- 108 Two Bracelets in Five Events; Ryan Miller Victorious in Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
- 109 Summer Saved! Nielsen Takes Home Short Deck Bracelet and $270,160 in Second Cash of 2023 WSOP!
- 110 14 Years in the Making: Alex Keating Wins His Maiden Bracelet at the 2023 WSOP
- 111 Paul Berger Didn't Plan to Play Event #95: Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em But He is Now Its Champion