Summer in Las Vegas is moving forward, and with it, the Navy ‘s hopes remain lit in the halls of the Paris & Horseshoe and, in today’s case, in those of the Aria .
This week, several prominent figures in Spanish poker have once again demonstrated that they haven’t crossed the pond for tourism.
Jon Ander Vallinas, one step away from the bracelet in Event #29 $2,500 NLH
The main protagonist was Jon Ander Vallinas , who finished in a spectacular fifth place in Event #29: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em of the World Series.
The Jaca player was just short of winning his first armband and what would have been his second for Spain this year after the one won by Antonio Galiana .
In a tournament with 1,493 players , Vallinas was ultra-competitive until the very end, leading the remaining 17. He didn’t lead the final table, but held firm, finishing fifth and pocketing $127,841.
The title went to American Mark Darner , who took home the bracelet and a hefty check for $496,826 . He was followed by David McGowan ($331,163) and Germany’s Christopher Putz ($238,204).
Lander Lijó, six-figure prize in Event #32: $50,000 NLH
There was also Spanish prominence in Event #32: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em , where Lander Lijó showed that he can compete head-to-head against anyone in the most exclusive events on the planet.
The Basque player achieved a creditable 15th place finish that allowed him to collect $107,514 , but he was left out of a final table that he was practically staking out.
The tournament was a parade of stars, with players such as Sean Winter , Brian Rast , Alexandre Reard and Martin Kabrhel among the winners, all of them with six-figure results.
The FT will be played today with real sharks such as Sergey Lebedev, Benjamin Tollerene, Viktor Blom “Isildur1”, Aliaksei Boika, Andrew Lichtenerger and Jason Koon , who leads the final table with 91bbs, more than double his closest rival, who has 42bbs.
The winner is guaranteed a prize of no less than $1,968,927 , and the ten survivors are guaranteed $130,082 .
Fernando García, one step away from the final table in Event #34: $1,500 NLH
Event #34: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em also had a Spanish flavor. Fernando García was the one waving the red and yellow flag in the event , finishing in 12th place for $14,219 .
The Spaniard maintained his hopes of making the final table throughout the tournament and came very close to achieving it in an event with 2,217 players . In the end, it fell through, and he had to settle for watching the FT from the sidelines, where he could see John Racener take the bracelet.
The American celebrated his third career bracelet and the $247,595 he took home after defeating a fierce Zionim ($164,964) in a heads-up match. He also left us with a curious story: a few weeks ago, he became a father for the third time and promised his wife that it would be worth it if he played in the WSOP this year.
Well, yes, it was worth it. In addition to the financial reward, which is no small feat, there’s also the emotional aspect, as he earned his third bracelet, which, as he himself said, he will give to his third child.
Xinwen Zhang ($120,457) completed the podium and was the last player to earn six figures.
Although Fernando failed to make the FT, his performance was another example of the growing momentum of the armada at these WSOP .
Lucía Navarro was a FT bubble winner in the $1,100 Aria Poker Classic.
Outside the WSOP venue, there were also Spaniards who kept us waiting for their results.
That’s the case for Lucía Navarro . The 888Poker ambassador ran deep in the Aria Poker Classic ‘s $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em, reaching the final 10 players. She ultimately failed to advance to the FT and fell in 10th place for $6,250 .
The event had 368 entrants and a prize pool of $355,120 . The victory went to Lyudmil Ivanov ($74,400), who defeated Daniel McGinnis ($52,203) in a head-to-head. Third place went to Yohan Rascar ($33,566), who completed the podium.
Another Spaniard, Francisco Pérez , was also close to the FT, but ended up falling in 21st position and took home $3,622 .