Chanracy Khun defeats Doug Polk to win WSOP Heads-Up Championship
Chanracy Khun Wins Event #8: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship for First WSOP Gold Bracelet and $507,020
Source: pokernews.com
Chanracy Khun has topped the 64-player field in Event #8: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship for his first ever WSOP gold bracelet and the $507,020 first-place prize that goes along with it. Khun earned his victory fair and square after facing off against one of the greatest heads-up players, Doug Polk, in the finals.
Chanracy Khun doesn’t play too many tournaments every year at the World Series of Poker. One staple is the WSOP Main Event, which he plays every year and cashes at an astounding clip; he reached the money in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022.
“I really want to play the heads up because there’s more action and it’s like a chess game, whereas other games, it’s, it’s a bit more, I wouldn’t say less challenging, but maybe a little bit less action,” Khun said.
When asked how he felt after capturing his first WSOP title and largest career poker victory, Khun was merely at a loss for words. “I feel really good. I’m relieved. And it’s tough to find any words, but it’s a mix of emotions. But at the end of the day, I’m really, really glad it’s over.” Chan admitted that he made some mistakes in the latter portions of the match due to the pressure of the situation and the loud rail, but still managed to prevail. “It feels amazing,” said Khun. “It’s hard to find words. Right now, it’s just so many emotions. It’s three days that you don’t sleep that well, and you’re excited. So maybe tomorrow, I’ll know more how I feel. Right now, I just really feel relief.”
“I wanted to win this bracelet more than the money because it’s such a prestigious tournament,” said Khun. “You’re playing against the best players in the world and I was just lucky enough to be able to beat them. For sure I’m probably not as skilled as most of the pros, but sometimes you get luckier than other people.”
It was a surreal moment for the Canadian by defeating one of the best there is to play this format, but he can now call himself a heads-up champion which many others cannot. “When you play heads up, you’re always going to play a different strategy against different opponents. I knew he was really, really good, so I just try to do my best. And so yeah, I was just luckier than him today. So any other day, the match would have been different. And yeah, today was my lucky day.”
Polk definitely came into the match as the odds-on favorite. However, the heads-up specialist and YouTube entertainer will have to wait another day to claim another WSOP gold bracelet and that might not come until next year when this event rolls around again. Polk has often claimed that he has “retired” from professional poker.
The 54th annual WSOP returns to the Las Vegas Strip at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from May 30 to July 18, 2023, offering more tables, more variety and the largest slate of bracelet events ever scheduled in its rich history.
