Dominik Nitsche Wins Event #21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Less than a month removed from a win in the 2014 World Series of Poker Circuit National Championship, Dominik Nitsche won his third WSOP gold bracelet, taking down Event 21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em today.
The day began with 16 players and things moved rather quickly with David Lucchesi, Louis Campbell, Mickey Petersen, Dan Alspach, Eric Shanks, and Erwann Pecheux all busting before they moved 10-handed. Lance Harris then bubbled the official final table and Thayer Rasmussen took a hefty lead nine-handed with Nitsche third in chips.
Englishman David Burt soon ran his short stack and 
into Jeff Gross’ aces to say goodbye ninth before Billy Horan took a nasty beat to bust eighth, running pocket aces into Dave D’Alesandro’s own aces and cringing as D’Alesandro four-flushed.
D’Alesandro also busted Eric Milas seventh when his tens held against 
, again making a flush on the river.
Bob Bounahra then started to make a move, grabbing the chip lead without showdown. But it was Nitsche who busted Jeff Gross next, sending Gross home sixth when his queens held against big slick.
Five-handed play took a good couple of levels and the chips were traded around the table before Rasmussen became Nitsche’s next victim, getting in with 
against Nitsche’s 
and failing to improve. Zach Gruneberg also fell to the run-good powers of Nitsche, shoving and grimacing as Nitsche called with 
and got there yet again.
Nitsche would finally lose a hand three-handed, calling with 
after Bounahra moved in with 
and D’Alesandro re-shoved with 
. That hand bounced Bounahra and gave D’Alesandro the heads-up chip lead, but nothing would stop Nitsche tonight.
Through a 92-hand heads up battle, no matter how many times D’Alesandro ground away at Nitsche and had him all in for his tournament life, he managed to double up and stay alive.
Nitsche got almost even getting it in with 
against D’Alesandro’s and holding.
Then suddenly in the 286th hand, Nitsche took control, getting it all in with 
against D’Alesandro’s 
and finding a way to make a heart flush on the river. Crippled, D’Alesandro finally fell when he got it in with queen-high against Nitsche’s king-high and was outdrawn again.
With that, Nitsche took home $335,659 and a WSOP gold bracelet, mercifully ending Event #21.