Atlantic City, New Jersey (March 20, 2017) – A repeat, Main Event Champion has been crowned at the Harrah’s Atlantic City Circuit stop. Abraham Korotki
seized his second World Series of Poker gold ring on Monday. He fought
through 341 entrants and three days of tournament poker to win Event #9:
$1,675 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event.
“This was a good tournament. It was fun and a lot of nice people in it, so I enjoyed it,” said Korotki.
The accomplishment marked Korotki’s second Main Event triumph at
Harrah’s Atlantic City, an astounding feat to say the least. His first
conquest was completed in 2006 when things were a bit different than
they are now, a detail Korotki touched on when asked to compare the two
cases.
“Well, the first one was a decade ago. I would say over the decade…
Players have gotten better,” Korotki noted. “And it is very difficult to
win a tournament, let alone multiple tournaments.”
Korotki’s debut, gold-ring win was worth $433,008,
a massive payday stemming from the fact the buy-in was $9,700 back
then. Even with the large difference in entry-fees, his most recent cash
prize came out to a handsome sum of $117,645.
Although Korotki was among the top-five stacks going into the second
day of the tournament, it was no easy road to the finish. The Delaware
resident found himself at risk against Thomas Ippolito, midway through Day 2. After surviving the hand, Korotki went on a rampage, scoring multiple knockouts, eventually bagging up with the chip lead.
“And then today [Day 3], I lost a huge hand. I misread the opponent,” said Korotki. “But I was fortunate to flop a couple straights.”
Nine players, the official final table, were present to start Day 3
of the Main Event. Korotki made a misstep early, but turned it around
later on with some luck going his way.
“As I say, there’s no one that has ever won a tournament that didn’t have some luck with them,” Korotki stated.
When it got down to three players, it was Korotki, Alex Rocha, and
Edward Duncan facing off. To everyone’s amazement the three players
realized that they were all placed at the same table during Day 1A. The
odds of them being the final three were, some would say, astronomical.
In the end, it was two-time gold ring recipient, Alex Rocha, and Korotki heads up for first place. Korotki made quick work of his opponent and claimed the title.
There was a supporter for Korotki, watching from the rail throughout
the Main Event. It was his lovely wife, an immeasurable counterpart, and
charm, that has been by his side for many years.
“The second she
came in yesterday, I won some big hands. She was with me a decade ago.
We walked these halls. We used to circle all around, during our breaks,
and just talk,” Korotki reminisced. “So, yes, she brought me the luck.”