Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team
Day 3 Completed
2021 World Series of Poker
Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team
Day: 3
Event Info
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Mike Ruter and Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter are the latest World Series of Poker bracelet winners after taking down Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team on Tuesday, Nov. 2 for a total score of $113,366. Dighlawi defeated Tomer Wolf, one-half of Team Wolf along with David Landell, during a back-and-forth heads-up match that lasted over three hours.
Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team Final Table Results
| Place | Players | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Ruter - Samy Dighlawi | $113,366 |
| 2 | Tomer Wolf - David Landell | $70,074 |
| 3 | Amanda Botfeld - David Botfeld | $49,512 |
| 4 | Michael Newman - Robert Ormont | $35,542 |
| 5 | Alfie Adam - Vidur Sethi | $25,928 |
| 6 | Benjamin Miner - Dmitriy Uskach | $19,226 |
| 7 | Holly Babbitt - Michael Babbitt | $14,494 |
| 8 | Zachary Erdwurm - Steven Jones | $11,114 |
| 9 | Scott Johnston - Bob Fisher | $8,670 |
| 10 | Mike Lutz - Matt Krebs | $6,882 |
The unique tag-team tournament generated a total prize pool of $590,490 and attracted 641 teams, only ten of which made it to the unofficial final table on Day 3. Team Lutz, made up of Mike Lutz and Matt Krebs, was the first out of the day after jamming a short stack with pocket nines and running into the pocket kings of Team Wolf.
Next out after that was Team Johnston, made up of Scott Johnston and Bob Fisher, who fell to the father-daughter duo of Amanda Botfeld and David Botfeld. Team Botfeld continued to run in up at the final table and ended up finishing in third when Amanda Botfeld's flopped pair got outdrawn by the turned flush of Dighlawi.
Teams Ruter and Wolf entered heads-up play about even in chips but Wolf took a lead in the first hour by winning a series of small and medium-sized pots.
“He just kept smashing every board," Dighlawi said in an interview with PokerNews. "Every single board he had a piece of it. Every c-bet I make, he calls, or floats, and hits the turn. For like literally an hour and a half straight.”
But Dighlawi acknowledged his opponent wasn't the only one who got lucky and said there were hands where “I got it in bad," including a crucial hand where Ruter was all-in and at risk with king-eight suited against ace-king and went runner-runner to hit a flush to stay alive.
Dighlawi doubled twice more and eventually took the chip lead from his opponent. Wolf was down to just under 900,000 to the 12 million of Dighlawi when the former player shoved with seven-six and the latter player called with queen-seven. The board ran out in favor of Dighlawi and he ran to hug his tag-team partner in celebration.
Ruter only played a few hands at the final table but he made them count. In the first hand after sitting down, Ruter won a massive pot and eliminated Team Adam when he flopped trip kings while holding ace-king.
“He comes in, and first f***ing hand he comes in and just takes a player out and gets a monster pot," Dighlawi recalled.
Did Dighlawi have faith in his partner in such a big spot? “Oh, of course. We have faith in each other.”
Ruter and Dighlawi, who met in Temecula, California and have been friends for over a decade, told PokerNews that the six-figure score is the largest live tournament cash for either of them. Though this was not their first tag-team event. The duo also played in 2019's tournament but didn't have the same success.
“We lasted about two minutes," said Dighlawi.
"It was an hour and two minutes,” Ruter corrected.
But it was the 2019 loss that propelled Team Ruter to take down the tournament this year.
“The funny thing is (that) last year, after we busted, we said ‘We’re coming back next year.’ And we did," Dighlawi said.
Team Wolf's Tomer Wolf, of Israel, was looking to earn another tag-team title for the country after Israel's Team Geiger took down Event #57: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em in 2019 for $168,395. For the runner-up finish, Wolf and Landell received a total cash prize of $70,074.
That wraps up the PokerNews live reporting team's coverage of Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team. Be sure to check out the team's coverage of other WSOP events in the meantime.
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Tomer Wolf of Team Wolf counted out his chips while sitting on the button and decided to shove. Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter asked for a count and the dealer confirmed Wolf had 890,000 in front of him.
Dighlawi took a bit more time: "Okay, let's gamble!" before making the call.
Tomer Wolf: 
Samy Dighlawi: 
"YES!" Dighlawi exclaimed and his rail cheered too when they saw the cards flipped over.
The flop came 
for Wolf to pick up the gutshot to a straight but it kept Dighlawi ahead.
The turn was the 
for Dighlawi to hit top pair but he wasn't out of the woods yet.
The river completed the board with the 
for the crowd to go wild, Mike Ruter ran to Dighlawi and celebrated loudly as they had just both won their first bracelet plus the $113,366 prize that comes with it.
Wolf and his team mate David Landell finished as the runner-ups for $70,074.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
12,820,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 31
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
Level 30
: 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Picking up the action on a board reading 
, Tomer Wolf of Team Wolf bet 200,000 and Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter check-raised to 400,000. Wolf called.
Dighlawi bet 1,000,000 on the 
river and Wolf took his time before calling. Dighlawi slammed down 
for two pair and his opponent mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,420,000
3,020,000
|
3,020,000 |
|
|
1,400,000
-3,020,000
|
-3,020,000 |
Level 30
: 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter limped in on the button and Tomer Wolf of Team Wolf raised to 400,000. Dighlawi responded with a limp-jam of 4,120,000.
"Count?" Wolf asked the dealer, to the confusion of both rails, who rushed near the table thinking there had been a call. After the confusion had been cleared up, Wolf did make the call.
Samy Dighlawi: 
Tomer Wolf: 
Dighlawi had his opponent in bad shape and maintained the best hand to double up after the board ran out 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,400,000
2,680,000
|
2,680,000 |
|
|
4,420,000
-2,680,000
|
-2,680,000 |
Level 30
: 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter limped in on the button and Tomer Wolf of Team Wolf shoved with the bigger stack for Dighlawi to snap-call for the 2,280,000 he had behind.
Samy Dighlawi: 
Tomer Wolf: 
The board ran out 
for Dighlawi to hold with the higher pocket pair to double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,100,000
-3,440,000
|
-3,440,000 |
|
|
5,720,000
3,440,000
|
3,440,000 |
Level 30
: 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Tomer Wolf of Team Wolf has increased the chip lead against his opponent by winning a series of small and medium-sized pots.
Wolf said he would start going all-in every hand to get through the match quicker, but that only lasted one hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,540,000
1,110,000
|
1,110,000 |
|
|
2,280,000
-1,110,000
|
-1,110,000 |
Level 30
: 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter limped in on the button and Tomer Wolf of Team Wolf raised to 560,000 for Dighlawi to call.
The flop came , Wolf check-raised the 200,000 bet of Dighlawi to 850,000 and was called.
The turn was the and Wolf shoved with the bigger stack. Dighlawi looked at his own stack, counted it, contemplated for a bit, and then folded but flashed the 
for top pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,430,000 | |
|
|
3,390,000 |
Level 30
: 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Tomer Wolf of Team Wolf limped in on the button and called when Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter raised to 425,000.
Dighlawi led out with a bet of 225,000 on the flop of 
and Wolf called, and called again when facing a bet of 280,000 on the turn.
Dighlawi fired a bet of 405,000 on the river and Wolf took a minute before calling.
"Ace-high," Dighlawi said.
"Yes!" Wolf yelled before tabling 
to win the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,020,000
1,700,000
|
1,700,000 |
|
|
3,800,000
-1,700,000
|
-1,700,000 |