It is quite amazing how Simone Andrian ascended to the top of the 2024 WSOPE Main Event. Starting Day 4 with barely 13 large blinds, Andrian swiftly turned his circumstances around and made a run of some quite remarkable moves to lead. With 33,500,000 chips heading into the final table more than twice his closest rivals, Andrian is in perfect position to earn his second WSOP gold bracelet and the top prize of €1,300,000.
WSOPE Main Event: Early Achievement and Constant Ascent:
Andrian first created waves in 2021 when he took home his first WSOP bracelet from a €1,650 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max event. His live tournament earnings back then amounted to less than €10,000. His first significant poker success came from winning that event at King’s Resort, Rozvadov, which brought €158,610. Andrian has amassed more than $1,300,000 in live tournament profits since then.
Three years later, he finds himself in yet another career-defining event. Andrian said, “For sure, I’ve been lucky in many spots—you have to be.” His love of the game, desire to learn, and constant growth help him to explain his success. “I just enjoy the game,” he said, stressing that the thrill of playing poker comes above financial concerns.
WSOPE Main Event: The Final List
The last six players of the WSOPE Main Event have assured a minimum of €217,000 in prize money. Andrian leads clearly; other noteworthy players are Mariusz Golinski from Poland with 13,525,000 and Urmo Velvelt from Estonia, second in chips with 15,600,000.
With barely 3,675,000 chips, Andrian’s compatriot Enrico Camosci is at the bottom of the chip counts. Andrian talked favorably of Camosci, citing his impact on his game despite his low stack. Andrian remarked, “I think he’s the best poker player we have in Italy,” attributing his success to his fellow national.
Final Day Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Urmo Velvelt | Estonia | 15,600,000 | 78 |
| 2 | Ran Ilani | Israel | 6,425,000 | 32 |
| 3 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 33,500,000 | 168 |
| 4 | Enrico Camosci | Italy | 3,675,000 | 18 |
| 5 | David Hochheim | Germany | 4,525,000 | 23 |
| 6 | Mariusz Golinski | Poland | 13,525,000 | 68 |
Day 4 Action: Turnaround For Andrian
Day 4 began with 47 players still from a 768 original pitch. Oliver Schönhals was transferred on the train; therefore, the first elimination happened swiftly. Later on, several others, including Birger Ohl, Gerald Eisele, and David Dongwoo Ko, also disappeared. Andrian lost no time tripling his stack early on as his ace-queen held up against Yaroslav Ohulchanskyi’s ace-ten. Shortly thereafter, he doubled once more, this time with pocket aces against the ace-king of Frederik Thiemer.
Other noteworthy eliminations as the day went on included Monika Zukowicz, the only woman standing, whose aspirations of winning the Main Event were crushed when Ran Ilani rumbled a flush to beat her pocket aces. Shaun Deeb, a poker expert, was in difficulties at the same time. He ran across Golinski’s top pair and was eliminated after a strong comeback the day before.
Andrian’s momentum kept on as he kicked Alberti Sanaia. A five on the river handed Andrian a set, hence Sanaia’s ace-king couldn’t hold against Andrian’s pocket fives. Not long afterward, Andrian sent Matei Lupascu packing with pocket kings against Lupascu’s ace-king, therefore increasing his stack to almost 10 million chips.
WSOPE Main Event: Principal Shifts And Eliminations
Many well-known players hit the rail during the day. Start-of-day chip leader Rachid El Yaacoubi lost a vital hand against Andrian, therefore squandering his momentum and ending in 19th position. Vladas Tamasauskas, who had placed fourth in this race two years before, also disappeared somewhat conspicuously. Running across Ilani’s pocket jacks, he was eliminated in 17th place.
The most dramatic event occurred when Pawel Wojciechowski made a costly error interpreting the play and called with pocket aces instead of raising. This let Golinski, with queen-five suited, travel and kill Wojciechowski just shy of the last table. Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Anson Tsang likewise missed the final table as Velvelt’s acequeenent cracked his pocket queens. Tsang just had one out when an ace struck the flop, but the case queen never showed up.
The Avenue To The Final Table
Andrian kept dominating as the pitch shone. He had a strong chip lead at the final table, about twice as many chips as Velvelt, his closest rival. When Fabian Gumz’s king-queen suit ran into Ilani’s pocket aces at the final table, it was among the first eliminations. Luka Bojovic came fast after Gumz; his ace-nine was unable to withstand Andrian’s ace-jack.
Robin Berggren fell victim to Andrian’s supremacy at the last elimination of the night. Berggren pushed with king-queen appropriately, but Andrian’s ace-queen held strong, sending Berggren to the rail barely before the last day.
The Last Prod Towards The Title
Returning on October 9 to play down a winner, the six surviving players The action should be strong with blinds set at 100,000/200,000 and a 200,000 large blind ante. Fans will have an opportunity to see the crowned 2024 WSOPE Main Event champion on the King’s Resort YouTube channel via a delayed streaming of the final table.
Andrian is poised to win another WSOPE Main Event bracelet to his collection and confirm his position among the poker elite as he sits at the top of the list. Still in the mix, though, seasoned experts like Velvet, Camosci, and Ilani will complicate the path to success.
