Isaac Haxton secured victory in the Super High Roller Bowl VIII, conquering a field of 20 contenders in the $300,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em competition, earning a substantial $2,760,000. He became only the third player to achieve multiple SHRB titles, previously triumphing in the same event in 2018, raking in nearly $3.7 million. These two wins in this high-stakes event constitute the most lucrative successes in his illustrious career.
“It’s an incredible feeling. The competition was exceptionally tough. Starting with half the chips certainly helped, and I continued to have a good run,” Haxton shared with PokerGO’s Natalie Bode after his victory. “I feel fantastic, and I’m thrilled to have won this tournament. It’s one of my favorites.”
Isaac Haxton’s total recorded tournament earnings now exceed $44.7 million, placing him tenth on the all-time poker money list. The 38-year-old poker pro Isaac Haxton is compiling an astonishing record in 2023. He has reached 20 final tables, amassing over $12.5 million in winnings from these finishes alone, surpassing all other players on the circuit, including the 2023 World Series of Poker main event champion, Daniel Weinman. During this remarkable run, Isaac Haxton has secured seven titles, constituting almost 44 percent of his lifetime total of 16. Among these victories was his first WSOP bracelet, earned as the champion of the $25,000 buy-in eight-max event.
His most recent triumph garnered him 360 Card Player Player of the Year points, elevating his total to 8,132. Consequently, he currently stands in third place in the 2023 POY race standings presented by Global Poker. Haxton also earned 550 PokerGO Tour points, bringing his total to 2,297, placing him just three points behind Weinman in the PGT season-long standings.
The tournament attracted a substantial field, creating a prize pool of $6,000,000 that was distributed among the top four finishers. It took two full days of intense competition at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas to narrow down the initial 20 entries to the final six.
This led to a tense money bubble situation, with two players departing empty-handed on Day 3. However, the bubble burst swiftly, with the first two eliminations occurring within an hour of the start of play.
In the first elimination, Bryn Kenney, the all-time money leader in poker, pushed his remaining chips into the pot preflop with 3Diamond Suit from the cutoff, only to be defeated by Stephen Chidwick’s AClub SuitKHeart Suit from the big blind. Kenney initially held the lead through the flop and turn, but a king on the river ended his tournament run in sixth place.
Chris Brewer, who, like Haxton, had a spectacular year in high roller events in 2023, amassing nearly $11.2 million in POY earnings with 22 final table appearances and five titles, could not extend his incredible streak in this event. His pocket aces were cracked by Andrew Lichtenberger’s K-10 suited. Brewer three-bet from the small blind with ADiamond SuitAHeart Suit after Lichtenberger raised with KSpade Suit10Spade Suit from the button. Lichtenberger four-bet jammed, and Brewer called off his stack. The board delivered a flush for Lichtenberger, ending Brewer’s tournament.
Interestingly, Brewer had experienced a similar fate on the bubble in a previous SHRB event in 2021, losing with A-Q to Justin Bonomo’s 10-4 suited, which was pushed from the button against the two short stacks in the blinds.
As four-handed play began, Jason Koon and Chidwick were virtually tied in chip counts, with Chidwick holding a slight advantage. Koon would ultimately be the first to exit. His final hand saw him raise from the cutoff with KSpade SuitKClub Suit, only to be outdrawn by Lichtenberger, who held JClub Suit10Spade Suit. The board favored Lichtenberger with a gutshot straight draw, and he eventually made a jack-high straight, resulting in Koon’s elimination in fourth place.
Koon’s career tournament earnings now exceed $51.4 million, ranking him fourth on the all-time poker money list. His efforts also earned him 180 POY points, placing him eighth on the POY leaderboard heading into the final quarter of the year.
Following Koon’s departure, Lichtenberger also thwarted Chidwick’s aspirations for his first SHRB title. In this pivotal hand, Lichtenberger raised from the button with QDiamond Suit8Club Suit, and Chidwick defended his big blind with QSpade Suit6Heart Suit. Both players achieved top pair on the QHeart Suit7Diamond Suit3Diamond Suit flop. After a pair of checks, Lichtenberger secured queens and eights when the 8Diamond Suit fell on the turn. Chidwick bet, Lichtenberger called, and the 5Spade Suit on the river prompted Chidwick to bet again. Lichtenberger moved all-in, and after careful consideration, Chidwick called off his stack with top pair. However, Lichtenberger showed him the bad news, and Chidwick had to settle for a third-place finish, earning $960,000.
Chidwick’s career earnings now surpass $54 million, ranking him third on the all-time earnings leaderboard. His performance in this event added 240 POY points to his total, placing him second in the standings with 8,259 points. He has won five titles this year, with 22 final-table finishes and nearly $8.1 million in POY earnings, solidifying his position as a prominent figure in the poker world.
It took less than 90 minutes to reduce the field from six players to two, setting the stage for an extended heads-up battle lasting over four hours, filled with significant swings in momentum. Lichtenberger initially held a considerable chip lead, but Isaac Haxton mounted a comeback, eventually establishing a lead of more than 5:1. However, Lichtenberger fought back, winning a substantial pot with pocket aces to regain the lead. Isaac Haxton quickly recovered, securing numerous small and medium pots to regain control.
With the pressure on, Lichtenberger made a heroic call for his tournament life with second pair on a perilous board. Isaac Haxton could only show an ace-high hand, resulting in a nearly even match once more.
The decisive hand of the heads-up battle occurred with blinds at 25,000-50,000 and a big blind ante of 50,000. Isaac Haxton raised to 175,000 on the button with ASpade Suit7Spade Suit from a stack of 2,840,000. Lichtenberger, starting the hand with 3,160,000, three-bet to 500,000 from the big blind, holding KDiamond SuitKClub Suit. Isaac Haxton called, and the flop revealed 3Spade Suit3Diamond Suit2Spade Suit. Lichtenberger’s 550,000 continuation bet was met with an all-in move from Haxton for 2,340,000. Lichtenberger quickly called with his overpair, setting up a high-stakes showdown for the majority of the chips in.
