Day 3 of World Series of Poker Event #1: $1,000 Mystery Millions has ended and it didn’t just crown a champion, it crowned three new millionaires. Michael Wilklow emerged as the event’s official winner, defeating a record-breaking field of 19,654 players that generated a $17,295,520 prize pool, to claim his first WSOP bracelet and a cool $1,000,000 at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
“I’ve never felt more focused than today. In the past, when I’ve played the Main Event, I remember feeling very tired on Day 3; today was different,” said Wilklow after the win.
Mystery Bounty has always been one of the most attended events at the WSOP, as the format is super popular among tournament poker communities. In this format built for drama, Wiklow wasn’t the only one to become a millionaire. Two other players, Tyler Montoya and Thomas Zanot, each drew one of the event’s elusive $1,000,000 mystery bounties, instantly transforming a $1,000 buy-in into a seven-figure score.
Montoya made headlines not only for his pull but for his unforgettable quote: “If you’re a stripper at a strip club, you should be working tonight.“
The second $1 million bounty was also drawn on day 2 when Zanot came to the stage and showed once again why he is the best prize winner in the world, as he won a $6.4 million progressive jackpot in 2023.
Event #1: $1,000 Mystery Millions Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Michael Wilklow | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 2 |  Michael Acevedo | Costa Rica | $563,350 |
| 3 | Daniel Strelitz | United States | $429,950 |
| 4 |  Yu Hsiang Huang | Taiwan | $329,940 |
| 5 | Elliott Kampen | United States | $254,590 |
| 6 |  Wesley Fei | China | $197,550 |
| 7 | Linda Ngo | United States | $154,140 |
| 8 | Jeffrey Hong | United States | $120,950 |
| 9 | Michael Marks | United States | $95,551 |
The Final Table
Coming onto the final table with ten players in the game for the gold and $1 million, we got our first elimination when Artem Riabov snap-called in BB a BTN shove from Daniel Strelitz. Riabov was ahead with Q♣10♠ against 8♣9♠, but the board 3♣9♥2♦6♣4♣ had other plans, giving Sterlitz the top pair on the flop which was enough to send Riabov home in tenth place for $75,740.
It didn’t take much time till we got the second elimination of the final table when Yu Hsiang Huang opened from EP, Michael Marks shoved from MP, Elliott Kampen cold 4-bet shoved from BB, and Huang folded.
Michael Marks was at risk as his K♣Q♣ was dominated by Kampen’s A♣K♥, and to make things worse for Marks, he flopped trips on K♠5♣K♦, hoping to catch one of three remaining queens, but the turn 10♠ and the river 2♠ were not enough, ending Marks’s road in ninth place for $95,551.
The third elimination at the final table came after Jeffrey Hong was forced all-in with less than the ante remaining. Daniel Strelitz opened from EP, Michael Acevedo 3-bet, and Strelitz shoved to make Acevedo fold instantly. Hong wasn’t looking good with his 8♣3♥ against Sterlitz’s A♦K♠, and the board J♠J♥9♠5♣2♣ wasn’t of much help either, as he was out in eighth place for $120,950.
The following two eliminations came in the same hand when Wesley Fei shoved from EP, Michael Acevedo called in the SB, and Linda Ngo also called in BB.
Fei and Ngo were at risk of elimination as Acevedo covered both of them. Ngo had A♠Q♠ vs Fei’s A♣K♣ vs Acevedo’s 10♦10♣, and the board came 6♥4♦J♥2♦J♣ and Acevedo was the winner of the hand, sending Ngo in seventh place ($154,140) and Fei in sixth place ($197,550) to the rail.
Michael Wilklow opened from EP, Michael Acevedo 3-bet from CO, and Elliott Kampen shoved just to get called by Acevedo, who had A♦Q♠ against Kampen’s 10♥10♣. Kampen was ahead until the queen on the river on K♣4♣7♦5♥Q♥ eliminated him in fifth place for $254,590.
Michael Wilklow opened from the BTN, and Yu Hsiang Huang then went all in from SB, just to get called by Wilklow, who had A♦J♠ against Huang’s 5♠5♣, and the board ran 6♦A♥10♥4♥8♠ and eliminated Huang in fourth place for $329,940.
With only three players remaining, the action got faster and more intense before Daniel Strelitz was shoved from SB and got called by Michael Wilklow in BB.
Sterlitz was in a bad spot where his A♠ was dominated by Wilkow’s A♣6♣, and he was looking into the face of elimination. The dealer put down 3♦5♥6♥8♦K♦, which marked the end of three-way poker, and started the heads-up battle. Sterlitz was eliminated in third place for $429,950.
The Heads-Up
There was no lost time, as the game continued right away after Daniel Strelitz was eliminated, with Wilklow slightly ahead in chips. The rest of the game looked like a one-way street, and Wilkow just dominated and closed the deal in 30 minutes when he limped Q♦J♥ from the BTN, Acevedo raised with A♠K♠, and Wilkow called.
The flop came Q♠Q♣A♣, and it was trouble time for Acevedo, but surprisingly, both players checked, and the turn was J♣. Acevedo led the turn, and Wilkow called. The river came 10♦, which was a nightmare card for Acevedo, who checked and then faced an all-in from Wilkow, who had a full house from the turn and decided to cash in on it.
Acevedo was in a tough spot and went into a three-minute tank before he made a call to realize he was eliminated in second place for $563,350.
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* Hands courtesy of pokernews.com
