Chris Klodnicki Takes Home $733,317 and His Second Bracelet After Leading in the 2023 WSOP Secret Bounty Event

Chris Klodnicki signed up for the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Secret Bounty event, hoping to be the last player at the table. The New Jersey player entertained poker fans when he led the 568-entry field to win his second gold bracelet and $733,317.

He told PokerGO journalists after the tournament that it was shallow and it lacked “real poker.” Yet, Klodnicki’s victory thrilled him as he had been super short for a while.

Reports show that the poker pro has almost $11.3 million in lifetime poker earnings. He bagged his first bracelet in 2017 when he won $428,423 in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event. Thus, Klodnicki has over $7.1 million cash in various WSOP bracelet tournaments.

His latest win earned him 2,100 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points, and it was his first POY-qualified score this year. Still, it improved his position in the 2023 POY competition to 57th place. Moreover, he increased his total PokerGO Tour (PGT) points to 733 and rose to the 14th position in the points competition.

The event featured 568 players who made $10,000 in buy-ins. Some of its bounty winners included Tyler Cornell and Ali Shahni.

What Did the Top Players Win?

1. Chris Klodnicki-$733,317; 2,100 POY points and 733 PGT points
2. Aram Oganyan-$453,226;1,750 POY points and 453 PGT points
3. Barak Wisbrod-$323,181;1,400 POY points and 323 PGT points
4. Jeremy Ausmus-$233,690;1,050 POY points and 234 PGT points
5. Tracy Nguyen-$171,389;875 POY points and 171 PGT points
6. Angel Guillen-$127,515;700 POY points and 128 PGT points
7. Daniel Rezaei-$96,265;525 POY points and 96 PGT points
8. Eric Yanovsky-$73,756;350 POY points and 74 PGT points

The Final Day’s Battle of the Blinds

Only three players advanced to Day 3, and Klodnicki had the largest stack followed closely by Jeremy Ausmus. The former used pocket kings to face pocket aces but lost some of his chips and the stack lead.

Ausmus busted Eric Yanovsky in the eighth position after getting two knockouts and getting the chip lead. Yet, he ended Daniel Rezaei’s run in the seventh position. Barak Wisbrod and Ausmus got a pot after making a three-way all-in move, busting Angel Guillen in sixth place with $127,515.

Chips got in preflop as Klodnicki used A-K to face Ausmus’ pocket queens that dominated in the first four community cards. Yet, the ASpade Suit prompted Klodnicki to double up and get the chip lead as Ausmus dropped his position.

Tracey Nguyen got busted in fifth place after Klodnicki’s pocket tens beat her A-Q. Ausmus followed her in fourth place after Klodnicki’s pocket aces defeated his K-2.

Still, Klodnicki’s king high gave him an upper hand, and he sent Wisbrod packing in third place. His elimination set up heads-up action between Aram Oganyan and Klodnicki. But, Klodnicki ended Wisbrod’s run as a runner-up after beating him in the final hand.

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