Dario Sammartino Wins First Bracelet in Event #61: $2,500 Stud 8/Omaha 8 for $222,703

One of the most popular split pot game tournaments of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw a total of 507 players come out to play. Event #61: $2,500 Stud/Omaha Eight or Better saw a bigger field than last year’s turnout of 460, and only 77 players saw a piece of the $1,128,075 prize pool. The beginning of the day saw 21 players with eyes set on the bracelet and the first-place prize of $222,703, but by the end of the day, there was only one.

For many years, the list of greatest players without a bracelet has featured the name Dario Sammartino. The Italian pro has climbed to the top of the all-time money list in Italy with an impressive $16 million in lifetime earnings and many WSOP final table appearances in various formats. At the start of the day, he was on this list, but now, at its close, he can proudly cross his name off as he took home his first WSOP bracelet and a first-place prize of $222,703.

“Oh, I feel so good,” Sammartino said with a gracious smile across his face, “and finally, after 12 years, I am so happy. It was a very tough field.” This marks Dario’s 24th appearance at a WSOP final table and his third time getting heads up for a bracelet. Third time’s the charm as his match with Jon Kyte lasted just under ninety minutes.

“This field was amazing,” Sammartino said about the highly skilled field of mixed game players and bracelet winners. “I played online all year and many mixed games with some of the best players. I learned from the best by playing with the best. Last year, I started to study and improve, and now I’m a bit better.” Sammartino was planning on playing a full WSOP schedule before this victory, and nothing has changed on that front. “I will try to play everything, but my main priority is the 10k 2-7 No-Limit. After that will be the main event.”

Sammartino’s rail was filled with friends and family. The first place he walked after winning the bracelet was to his rail, to be embraced by those closest to him. “I think love is everything in life. It is very important for me. I have the love of my friends and the love of my family; without them, I am nothing. So thank you to my family, to my friends, to my girlfriend, and my son.”

Official Final Table Results

Day 3 Action

The players came back to quick action as early play saw multiple casualties in the early levels of the day. Brian Schwartz (21st-$8,369), Christopher Battenfield (20th – $8,369), Joshua Ray (19th – $8,369), Ryan Schoonbaert (18th – $8,369), and David Margolis (17th – $8,369) all fell before the final two tables.

The final two tables saw the pace of eliminations slow down. Still, the shortest stacks never seemed safe as bracelet winner Nick Kost (16th – $8,369), Jared Talarico (15th-$10,208), Troy Murdough (14th – $10,208),Dai Ishibashi (13th – $10,208), Patrice Boudet (12th – $10,208), and Jacob Nepom (11th – $12,713), all fell in the next batch of eliminations.

The final player to go before the final table was Columbian player Jose Ferro. His pair of eights could not run down the eights and threes of Federico Ottenio and Ferro collected $12,713 for his deep run.

Final Table Action

Paul Zappulla flirted with the chip lead many times with two tables left, but multiple pots prior to the final table had gone poorly. He eventually played a pot in Omaha Hi-Lo where he flopped top pair and a gutter against Jeff Madsen, who flopped a king-high straight. Zappulla got in final chips in on the turn and was unable to make his straight, giving Madsen the pot and leaving Zappulla to finish the table in ninth place, good for $16,159.

Securing a ladder due to that bustout was Scott Blackman, who began the final table as the shortest stack. His good fortune would end shortly after as he was chopped up in a stud hand between Joey Couden with a six-low and David Williams with aces and kings. Both were enough to beat Blackman’s pair of nines, and he collected $20,954 for his finish.

Madsen fell to the very short stack but managed to scoop a massive triple-up through Williams and Kyte to put himself into contention for the chip lead. Another pot saw Madsen put himself into the lead as he made aces up against Couden, leaving him with just a few chips. The bracelet winner got in his last chips with wired jacks against Dario Sammartino, who made aces on sixth with a low. No improvement came on seventh street, and Couden ended his run in seventh place for $27,709.

Shortly after, it was Matt Vengrin departing in sixth place. After losing a couple of big pots to Jon Kyte, he was down to just a couple of big bets, and he also found himself all in against Sammartino. He moved in his last chip on fifth street with wired fives against Sammartino’s low draw, which turned into aces up on seventh street. Vengrin sweat the last card in the hopes to make three fives, but it was no good and he collected $37,354 for his efforts.

Kyte took over the lead in the final table, acquiring over half of the chips in play with five players left. Though he managed to land a couple of sizable dents into Kyte’s stack, Ottenio ended up drifting down the counts and became the shortest stack. He was eventually all in for his last chips in Omaha up against Williams and Kyte. Ottenio ended up with just a pair of kings up against two flushes, with Williams holding the nut flush to more than double in the hand, while Ottenio was eliminated in fifth place for $51,135.

After that elimination, Madsen was the next player on the chopping block, holding just two big bets. He got his last chips in Stud in a pot between himself, Kyte, and Sammartino. The side pot got big and Kyte’s pair of queens were good to scoop the whole thing. He put himself back into the chip lead while the four-time bracelet winner was eliminated in fourth place for $71,810.

The three-handed match began with Kyte holding sixty percent of the chips and Sammartino and Williams sitting neck and neck in second and third place, respectively. That changed when a massive pot saw Kyte take a huge bite out of Williams’ stack, leaving him short. Williams doubled shortly after that, but his final hand came in Omaha in a pot against Sammartino. Sammartino had flopped top set against Williams’ open-ended straight and flush draw. The board bricked out seeing Sammartino come into heads up with only a slight deficit, and the WSOP bracelet winner was eliminated in third place for $102,355.

The heads-up match initially saw Kyte push himself further into the lead, but then Sammartino found some momentum in a sizable Omaha pot, where Sammartino flopped a set that turned into a full house. After that, Sammartino went into the lead and never let up with the pressure. Kyte tried to climb back, but the final big confrontation saw Kyte’s Broadway be second best against Sammartino’s flush. The final hand saw his last chips be put in from Stud, and his pair of kings ended up second-best against Sammartino’s straight. Sammartino won the tournament, while Kyte finished in second place for $148,462.

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