2024 WSOP: Martin Alcaide Is The New COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold’em Champion

Martin Alcaide managed to beat one of the biggest fields ever in World Series of Poker in Event #70: $400 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold’em, securing the top prize of $501,250. This accessible and one of the most popular tournaments of the year drew an enormous field of 19,337 entries and boasted a prize pool of $5,940,883. The final table, marked by shallow stacks and intense action, culminated in a showdown between Alcaide and Singapore’s Yujian Eugen Zhou.

“I feel so relieved mostly, I was scared of losing, which is not a good mindset. I focused on the hands to alleviate the tension, and right now, I’m more relieved than happy, but that will change.” said Alcaide in his post-win interview with PokerNews.

Event #70: $400 Colossus Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Payout
1	Martin Alcaide	Bulgaria	$501,250
2	Yujian Eugen Zhou	Singapore	$325,640
3	Brooks Floyd	USA	$247,030
4	Joel Vanetten	USA	$188,510
5	Ricky Andino	USA	$144,700
6	Bohdan Slyvinskyi	Bulgaria	$111,740
7	Caleb Powell	USA	$86,800
8	Trevor Brown	USA	$67,840
9	Nicholas Richards	USA	$53,354
10	Joshua Welch	USA	$42,200

Alcaide credits his victory to his experience in massive online fields, particularly on GGPoker. “I owe this win to GG,” he acknowledged, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the platform.

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Day 3 Highlights

Day 3 kicked off with fast-paced eliminations, including notable names like Ari Engel (68th – $8,100), Day 1a chipleader Dohang Na (66th – $8,100), and Greg Raymer (56th – $9,740). The controversial Men Nguyen was knocked out by Lisa Tan, earning applause from the remaining players. The pivotal moment came when Matt Glantz was eliminated in 19th place by Alcaide’s 8♠8♦, with an eight on the turn giving Alcaide the lead.

“I opened, two players called, and he pushed 16 blinds,” Alcaide recounted. “He knows he has to squeeze there, but I hit the eight. That hand eliminated the best player left and made me the chip leader.”

Final Table

At the final table, Alcaide and Brooks Floyd were leading, with Trevor Brown and Ricky Andino tied for third. Twenty-three-year-old Brown, a fan favorite, had a heartwarming story of arriving in Vegas with just $1,000, hoping to pay off his dad’s house. After doubling up with A♠K♦ against Bohdan Slyvinskyi’s A♠Q♠, Brown eventually exited in eighth place, earning $67,840.

Slyvinskyi managed several doubles before bowing out in sixth place against Joel Vanetten’s A♠K♥. Yujian Eugen Zhou then surged into the chip lead, tripling up with J♦10♠ against Floyd’s A♠K♥. Zhou’s J♦10♠ struck again, hitting a gutshot straight against Alcaide’s A♠A♣, leaving Alcaide with just a few big blinds.

However, Alcaide clawed his way back, doubling through and eliminating Ricky Andino in fifth place. He continued to dominate, while Zhou knocked out Vanetten and Floyd, setting up the final duel.

With even stacks, Alcaide quickly took control, forcing a crucial fold from Zhou with a three-bet jam on the river. Gradually, he chipped away at Zhou’s stack, gaining a 3:1 advantage. In the final hand, Alcaide’s 7♠7♣ bested Zhou’s 5♠5♣, securing the victory and sparking a jubilant celebration with his supporters.