Youself Saleh Wins World Series Of Poker Circuit New Orleans Main Event

The World Series of Poker Circuit New Orleans main event had all sorts of drama in its main event.

Yousef Saleh grabbed the ring and redemption from six years earlier when he finished seventh in the same event. Additionally, a complete cold deck ended the tournament, sealing Saleh’s victory.

Saleh netted $27,581 for his first final table finish in the $1,700 main event. However, his victory over the 510-entry field on Tuesday was good for $149,268.

The score was the largest of Saleh’s career and bumped his career earnings north of $500,000.

“It is so awesome to come back and just get it all,” Saleh told reporters after the win. “It was a hard job. I was down a lot after taking three bad beats earlier in the tournament, and I didn’t think I was going to recover. But I was never all in, and I think this proves you can win a tournament without flipping.”

This was the first WSOP Circuit stop in New Orleans since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though it was six years since Saleh’s 2019 New Orleans main event final table, he actually made back-to-back final tables in the tournament.

Full House Seals Saleh’s Victory

The final table started with Saleh in the middle of the pack. He was behind the chip leaders, but wasn’t one of the short stacks.

Despite failing to score any knockouts early, Saleh steadily chipped up and eventually moved into the lead. A period of slow play saw his stack fall to the bottom, but he climbed back to the top to the later stages.

Saleh’s roller coaster ride culminated with a heads-up match against Kane Keller. Saleh started the match with a 3:2 chip advantage and kept it long enough for the tournament-completing cooler.

All the money got into the middle on the river with the board reading K♣8♣6♥9♣8♠. Keller tabled 10♦7♠, good for a 10-high straight, but Saleh scooped the pot and the victory with his K♦8♦.

Saleh’s rivered full house secured his largest payday ever.

Final table results:

Photo courtesy of WSOP