Ivan Luca Takes Down Event #30 to Become Argentina's First Bracelet
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Event #30: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em started on Sunday with 2,150 players. Three days and 31 levels were not enough, however, as Argentina's Ivan Luca and the Czech Republic's Artur Rudziankov were still left standing in the battle for the bracelet.
They returned to the felt on Wednesday as a Day 4 was needed for a winner to emerge. The Argentinian began with about a 2.6:1 chip lead, but it quickly evaporated when Rudziankov doubled up on the 12th hand of the day. Luca, though, battled back to reclaim a sizable chip lead. Rudziankov made a final stand with 
, but was trailing Luca's 
. The board ran out 
, giving both players aces and jacks. Luca's ten kicker played, clinching the victory.
"I took it very steady, one step at a time,” Luca told the WSOP afterward through a translator. “I built my bankroll. This was the first year I had enough money and confidence to take a shot at the WSOP.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Luca | Argentina | $353,391 |
| 2 | Artur Rudziankov | Prague, Czech Republic | $219,976 |
| 3 | Travis Case | Los Angeles, CA | $152,907 |
| 4 | Pierre Horaud | Pointe-A-Pitre, France | $110,123 |
| 5 | Bruce Angeski | Sacramento, CA | $80,485 |
| 6 | David Chase | Alameda, CA | $59,538 |
| 7 | Viliyan Petleshkov | Bulgaria | $44,622 |
| 8 | Kai Yang | Plano, TX | $33,868 |
| 9 | Omri Sabach | Tel Aviv, Israel | $26,008 |