- Matthias Eibinger and Michael Watson made history as the first WSOP players ever allowed to openly split prize money before competing for a bracelet.
- The deal only applies to high-stakes Triton events, creating different rules for elite players versus everyday tournament players just months after two players were banned for an unauthorized agreement.
- Eibinger won his first WSOP bracelet and $1,570,640 by hitting a flush on the river as a 32.5 percent underdog in the final hand.
ATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Something wild just happened in poker history. Matthias Eibinger and Michael Watson became the first players ever allowed to openly make a deal and split the prize money at a World Series of Poker event before playing for the bracelet.
During the $75,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament at WSOP Paradise, the transaction went through, upending 55 years of set guidelines. After agreeing to split the money according to their chip stacks, the Austrian pro Eibinger took home $1,570,640 while Watson took home $1,459,360.
In light of recent WSOP moves, the development feels especially startling. A few months prior, the group allegedly banned Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll from Caesars properties and took away their Millionaire Maker bracelets due to claims of an illegal transaction.
Suddenly, transactions are allowed, but only for Triton events with their six-figure buy-ins and elite fields. The contradiction says a lot about who gets to create the rules that govern modern poker.
The WSOP has not clarified if this precedent goes beyond Triton agreements, despite the fact that states with poker legislation are still changing.
A Dominant Path to Victory
Despite having no PLO experience, Eibinger won his fifth Triton title and first WSOP bracelet. He later joked that, in contrast to his typical hold'em tournaments, he felt no pressure at the final table.
The 93-entry field included the kind of international skill that characterizes high roller poker and produced a $6,974,996 prize pool. After beginning the final table as the chip leader, Stephen Chidwick finally dropped to fifth place for $526,500, closing the gap with Bryn Kenney at the top of the all-time money list.
Watson spiked a king to crack his queens, and Dylan Weisman left in third place for $809,000. After the deal, the actual heads-up battle lasted only three hands.
Watson flopped top two pair but Eibinger, holding a wrap straight draw and flush draw, bet the pot on the turn and called Watson's all-in shove as a 32.5 percent underdog.
Eibinger's flush was completed by the river eight, which also gave him the bracelet and solidified a change in policy that is still, at best, unclear. Everyday tournament grinders are left wondering if they will ever have the same flexibility as high rollers when life-altering money is at stake, even as poker bonuses continue to draw new players to the game.