WSOP.com - $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship

On Monday night, the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 Main Event domestic tournament – which played its first two days on WSOP.com – saw the final eight players of a 705-player field gather at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to play down to a winner.

Even before play began, three-time bracelet winner Upeshka De Silva was deemed ineligible to proceed with participation after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 (published rules stated that any player who tested positive would be disqualified and receive ninth-place money of $98,813).

The other eight players battled it out for a $1,553,256 top prize and the opportunity to compete for an additional $1 million and the gold bracelet in a heads-up showdown against Damian Salas, the winner of the GGPoker international portion of the WSOP.

After approximately four hours of play, Louisiana's Joseph Hebert, who began the final table as a big chip leader, came out on top to win the tournament for $1,553,256, the trophy, and a heads-up shot at the bracelet and another seven-figure score.

Not too shabby for a man who got in via a $300 satellite on WSOP.com.

"I was just really confident," Hebert said. "I was excited to play and it was just a battle. It wasn't easy, I tell ya that much. The guys played great. It was just a battle the whole way through."

2020 WSOP Main Event WSOP.com Final Table Results

He's Doing It #ForLinda

The 38-year-old Hebert, who had $667,664 in lifetime earnings prior to the win according to The Hendon Mob, had been vocal that he was playing the tournament for his mother, Linda, who died over the summer following a pulmonary embolism.

He explained: "I texted her, 'Man, one day I hope I can win a bracelet. It's something I always dreamed of and I just don't know how many more chances I'm going to have to do that.' She texted me back and said, 'I keep hoping and praying that what will be, will be. Things will work out.' That was our last text, she passed away three days later."

An emotional Hebert came to tears after the final card hit the felt.

"I really felt like I was dreaming," he said. "And I thought about my mom, and I know that she was here and this was for her. She would be so excited to see it, so I'm just so happy I got it for her."

Final Table Action

Hebert didn't come out firing too hard despite his big lead, and he admitted he had an adjustment period to getting back to live poker, particularly when the first stages of this tournament had been played online.

"I'm really not that great in front of cameras," he said. "It was really tough to actually get into the environment and play. It took me awhile to get used to the chips, the lights, the players, everything. It was an experience I'll remember forever."

Action got underway at the 75,000/150,000/150,000 blind level and it only took six hands for the first player to fall. First, the short-stacked Harrison Dobin doubled up with queens against the tens of Gershon Distenfeld. The very next hand, the latter three-bet jammed with king-ten suited only to see the initial raiser, Ron Jenkins, call with queens of his own. The ladies held once again and that was all she wrote for Distenfeld, who planned to donate the $125,885 he received for eighth place to charity.

It took 55 more hands until the next elimination. That is when Shawn Stroke, who began the final table second in chips but never got anything going, got his short stack in with pocket threes against both queens and ace-king. The ladies of Jenkins held and Stroke was ousted in seventh place for $163,786.

Dobin, who had the ace-king in the above hand, was left short and bowed out just two hands later after Hebert had raised the small blind. Dobin three-bet what little he had left holding five-three and failed to get there against Hebert, who called with king-deuce.

Not long after, Wisconsin's Tony Yuan exited in fifth place after jamming his short stack from the small blind with ace-ten only to have Hebert wake up with two red fours in the big. The small pocket pair held and Yuan had to settle for $286,963 in prize money.

New Jersey's Ryan Hagerty was the next to fall running ace-eight into the ace-jack of Jenkins, and six hands later his good friend Michael Cannon followed him out the door when he three-bet jammed king-queen smack dab into Hebert's aces.

Hebert took a 2-to-1 chip lead into heads-up play against Jenkins, but despite the deep stacks, it took just one hand for Hebert to close it out. It happened after Hebert four-bet jammed with ace-queen only to have Jenkins call off with pocket queens. An ace spiked on the flop and Jenkins exited in second place, albeit as a poker millionaire himself thanks to the $1,002,340 in prize money that awaited him.

"The gentleman had been raising a lot and three-betting a lot, so I went with it," Hebert explained. "It was definitely my mom [that brought the ace]. Hashtag for Linda. I know it was."

Heads-Up Match With Salas to take Place Jan. 3

Hebert will now rest for a few days before going heads-up against Salas for the bracelet and an additional $1 million prize. He's already earned quite a windfall for a part-time waiter, but he said even the potential for more than $2.5 million in winnings won't be enough to peel him away from the restaurant completely.

"I'll definitely go back and tell my customers hi because I love that place," he said. "I've been there for 20 years off and on, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I do wanna give a shoutout to the restaurant, The Galley Seafood in Metairie, Louisiana."

Hebert said he's aware of the reported delay in the match with Salas, originally scheduled for Dec. 30. In the mean time, his fiance and son are in town, so he can at least enjoy the victory with them.

PokerNews will bring updates from Hebert vs. Salas on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 5 p.m. PST, when the overall champion of the 2020 WSOP Main Event is crowned.

The final two players are taking a 15-minute break while the table is set up for heads-up play.

Hand #92: Joseph Hebert received a walk in the big blind.

Hand #93: Hebert raised to 850,000 from the small blind and Michael Cannon folded from the big.

Hand #94: Hebert limped the button and Cannon called from the small blind. Ron Jenkins checked his option and it was three-way action to the     flop. Two checks saw Hebert bet 400,000 and only Jenkins called. On the   turn, Jenkins checked and then folded when Hebert bet 700,000.

Hand #95: Cannon raised to 600,000 from the button and Hebert moved all in from the big blind. Cannon folded.

Hand #96: Jenkins raised to 700,000 from the button and Cannon called from the big blind to see a     flop. Cannon checked and then folded when Jenkins bet 900,000.

Hand #84: Ryan Hagerty moved all in for 3.4 million from the small blind and Joseph Hebert folded the big.

Hand #85: Hebert limped the small blind and Michael Cannon checked his option from the bring about a     flop. Hebert checked, Cannon bet 300,000, and Hebert check-raised to 1 million. Cannon folded.

Hand #86: Hebert raised to 700,000 from the button and swiped the blinds and antes.

Hand #87: Cannon raised to 600,000 from the button and Ron Jenkins called from the small blind. On the     flop, both players checked and the dealer burned and turned the  . Jenkins checked, Cannon bet 1.3 million, and Jenkins folded.

Hand #88: Hebert received a walk in the big blind.

Hand #89: Hebert raised the small blind to 850,000 and Cannon defended the big to see a     flop. Both players checked to see the   turn and again Hebert checked. This time Cannon bet 700,000 and that did the trick as Hebert folded.

Hand #90: Cannon limped the small blind and Jenkins exercised his option with a raise to 800,000. Cannon called, the flop fell    , and Cannon check-folded to a bet of 1 million.

Joseph Hebert	18,900,000	400,000
Ron Jenkins	10,700,000	-400,000
Michael Cannon	7,300,000	1,500,000
Ryan Hagerty	3,300,000	-1,500,000

Hand #69: Joseph Hebert raised to 550,000 on the button and took it down.

Hand #70: Hebert raised to 550,000 and Ron Jenkins made it 1,630,000 in the small blind. That convinced Hebert to give it up.

Hand #71: Hebert raised to 500,000 and Tony Yuan defended the big blind, leaving just a few blinds behind.

Yuan jammed them in on the     flop and Hebert called.

Yuan:   
Hebert:   

The   turn left Yuan still in need on the river, but he nailed the   to double.

Joseph Hebert	17,900,000	-1,100,000
Ron Jenkins	9,200,000	500,000
Michael Cannon	6,600,000	-100,000
Ryan Hagerty	3,700,000	-600,000
Tony Yuan	2,800,000	1,300,000

Hand #63: Joseph Hebert raised to 500,000 on the button. Harrison Dobin put in his 750,000 from the big blind and Hebert called.

Hebert:   
Dobin:   

The board ran      , leaving Dobin without a sweat to the river.

Joseph Hebert	15,600,000	1,100,000
Harrison Dobin	0	-1,000,000

Hand #61: Shawn Stroke moved all in for 975,000 UTG+1 and Harrison Dobin three-bet jammed for 4.2 million next to act. Ron Jenkins then called off for 3.28 million from the cutoff and the rest of the players folded.

Ron Jenkins:   
Shawn Stroke:   
Harrison Dobin:   

Jenkins woke up with two ladies and his hand held after the board ran out a clean      .

Jenkins eliminated Stroke in seventh place while also doubling through Dobin, who was left with just four bigs.

Ron Jenkins	8,200,000	4,900,000
Harrison Dobin	1,000,000	-3,300,000
Shawn Stroke	0	-975,000

Hand #48: Ryan Hagerty moved all in for 4.8 million from the cutoff and took down the blinds and antes.

Hand #49: Harrison Dobin raised to 500,000 under the gun and won the pot.

Hand #50: Tony Yuan raised to 500,000 and won the pot.

Hand #51: Joseph Hebert raised to 525,000 from the hijack and Ron Jenkins moved all in from the big blind for 2.5 million. Hebert gave it a little thought and then released.

Hand #52: Hagerty received a walk in the big blind.

Hand #53: Shawn Stroke moved all in for 1.43 million from the hijack and Tony Yuan called from the big blind,

Shawn Stroke:   
Tony Yuan:   

Both players had the same hand and chopped the pot after the board ran out      .

Joseph Hebert	13,700,000	-1,100,000
Michael Cannon	7,300,000	-600,000
Ryan Hagerty	6,100,000	1,300,000
Harrison Dobin	4,900,000	-1,000,000
Tony Yuan	3,400,000	500,000
Ron Jenkins	3,300,000	500,000
Shawn Stroke	1,600,000	-500,000