Louisiana player wins first WSOP bracelet

Baton Rouge resident Corrie Wunstel saw off 978 rivals to emerge victorious for the first time at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), winning the $1,500 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event.

Wunstel defeated Illinoisan and former World Poker Tour champion Kevin Saul, also playing for his first WSOP bracelet, in heads-up play on Friday 19 June.

This came after several hours of cautious play at the final table, which claimed Marvic Colvin, Bryce Fox, Makrus Cara, Kevin Allen, Ke Chao Ni and Peter Levine.

Heads-up play was forced to take place on an unscheduled fourth day of play, and saw Wunstel come from behind with several smartly played hands to claim a prize of $267,435.

Runner-up Saul earned $165,147 for his second-place finish.

Speaking to WSOP reporters, Wunstel said: Â"I became a Christian a few months ago. This victory is all for him and his glory.

Â"This victory means nothing to me without him and his blessing.Â"

His best previous WSOP finish was 20th in the 2015 $5,000 No-Limit HoldÂ'em event.

A total of 117 other players, including Max Pescatori and Noah Schwartz, cashed from a prize pool of over $1.3m.

Fellow poker professional Brian Hastings became the first player to win two WSOP bracelets in 2015 the day after WunstelÂ's triumph, taking down the $1,500 10-Game Mix.

Tom Lewis