Shaun Deeb was denied a seventh WSOP bracelet late in Rozvadov as Event #9 of the 2024 World Series of Poker Europe ended in disappointment for the poker legend. Instead, it was Amir Mozaffarian who finally won his WSOP bracelet, just days after finishing runner-up in the €5,000 Pot Limit Omaha bracelet event.
Krieger Busts but Cashes Like a King
With a massive 515 entries, the ninth event of this year’s WSOPE schedule saw $533,550 in the prizepool and just 78 places paid. Some big names made a profit without edging into the business end of the event, with bracelet winner and Czech anti-hero Martin Kabrhel (70th for $1,500) as well as pioneering Indian poker player Ankit Ahuja (51st for $1,580) falling short of those big money places.
Winning bounties was also the order of the day and it was Philipp Krieger who bagged biggest in that regard. Although he was eventually busted by Shaun Deeb, the German player won bounties worth €900, €45,000 and €3,000 to add to his tournament cash of €1,435, totalling an almost $50,000 payday!
Closer to the final table, American player and Day 1 chip leader Ramana Epparla busted for $1,840 in 33rd place, while bracelet winners Gabi Livshitz (23rd) and Fabio Peluso (22nd) both won $2,410 as they busted with three tables remaining. Fellow WSOP title winner Tobias Peters cashed for $2,875 in 15th place as play got closer to the final eight and when Ondrej Goetz busted in ninth for $4,435, the last table of the tournament could begin.
ZZ Doesn’t End Up Tops
The chip leader when the final table began was the Romanian player Viorel Gavrila. Ukrainian player Yehor Shumeiko was second lowest in chips and eventually busted for $5,700. All-in with 
, he lost out to the 
of Amir Mozaffarian after the German fell behind to a queen on the flop but then regained the lead in the hand with a king dropping on the turn. No help on the river meant no survival for Shumeiko and the field was cut to seven.
Out in seventh was the American pro John Armbrust for $7,550. Armbrust called off his stack with 
on a flop of 
but two pair was well behind Gavrila’s hand of 
which had flopped the low straight. No seven or eight on turn or river sent Armbrust from the action as six remained in the hunt for gold.
Czech player Zdenek Zizka busted next, cashing for $10,200 in sixth place when one pocket pair fell to another. All-in for his last eight big blinds with 
, Zizka was called by the Italian player Lorenzo Arduini with 
and was unable to make up the ground. No snowman came across the 
board and Zizka was on the outside looking in as five remained in the hunt for bracelet glory.
Deeb Denied as River Bluff Scuppers Hopes
“I had a huge chip lead but the job is never done because Shaun Deeb is a really, really good player.”
Five became four when Arduini’s plummet from in-form player changed to fall guy. All-in with 
, he couldn’t win against the 
of German player Paco Kaplan. A flop of 
had looked promising in the window only to slam the door shut with Kaplan making a set. A on the turn was followed by an insignificant on the river, sending Arduini home with a result worth $14,150.
Shaun Deeb started the final four in command of the action but a big fold in a hand that saw Mozaffarian take the lead damaged Deeb in more ways than one. On a board of 
, Mozaffarian’s big river bet saw Deeb lay down his hand. The German put the needle in, showing 
for a huge bluff. Soon, Deeb was on the rail for $20,050 when his run of losses to Mozaffarian left him on nine big blinds which went into the middle with as Mozaffarian’s 
dominated Deeb to defeat.
Three-handed, Gavrila lost out for $40,500 when his 
was run out of town by Mozaffarian’s 
and that sent play heads-up. The all-German final duel saw Paco Kaplan facing a 4:1 deficit and the eventual runner-up was soon just that. Calling all-in for his last 12 big blinds with 
, Kaplan was behind Mozaffarian’s 
and stayed there through the 
board to end the event.
Mozaffarian, who had come so close just a few days earlier, finally had his WSOP bracelet and told PokerNews it felt ‘wonderful’ and ‘amazing’ to finally claim gold.
“Having a bracelet is one of the most desired things you can get as a poker player,” he said. “I was really riding the rollercoaster today. My stack was up and down so much and then I was winning a lot of flips, so I thought oh, maybe there is something possible today. I had a huge chip lead but the job is never done, never because Shaun Deeb is a really, really good player and is very dangerous. Nothing is safe when you have a chip lead.”
While Mozaffarian eventually got there, Deeb himself will have to wait again for a chance to claim his seventh WSOP bracelet.
| WSOP Europe €1,100 Event #9 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results: | |||
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Amir Mozaffarian | Germany | $76,100 |
| 2nd | Paco Kaplan | Germany | $54,600 |
| 3rd | Viorel Gavrila | Romania | $40,500 |
| 4th | Shaun Deeb | United States | $20,050 |
| 5th | Lorenzo Arduini | Italy | $14,150 |
| 6th | Zdenek Zizka | Czech Republic | $10,200 |
| 7th | John Armbrust | United States | $7,550 |
| 8th | Yehor Shumeiko | Ukraine | $5,700 |
