The Legendary Origins
More than 40 years ago, at the 1982 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Jack “Treetop” Straus lost a pot that left him with a solitary chip in his stack, which he found hidden under a napkin. As he hadn’t declared himself all-in, Straus was allowed to continue with his single chip and famously went on to become the 1982 WSOP Main Event champion; the phrase chip and a chair was born.
Christoph Vogelsang’s Challenge
Fast forward to the weekend just gone, and German ace Christoph Vogelsang wrote a chip and a chair story of his own. Vogelsang was one of 120 entrants in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed event, part of the Triton Super High Roller Series in Monte-Carlo. Although Vogelsang has over $28 million in live cashes, only two victories adorn his resume: a $25,000 NLHE event at Aria for $261,376 in July 2017 and his famous $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl win, worth $6,000,000, in May 2017.
Vogelsang’s Controversial Style
There is no doubt about Vogelsang’s ability, although his methodical approach to poker is not always well-received by his fellow players of the poker community as a whole; neither is his love of completely covering his face with clothing. The 38-year-old German has a tendency to “go into the tank” for what seems to some as massively overthinking trivial spots, so much so that seasoned pro Scott Seiver called Vogelsang’s approach unethical and akin to angle shooting after the Germany spent an age in his decision-making during his heads-up battle with Dan Smith at the 2022 World Series of Poker. Love or loathe Vogelsang’s style, it obviously works.
The Epic Turnaround
During Day 2 of this event, before the money bubble burst, Vogelsang’s victory drought looked set to continue because he found himself armed with only a single big blind. Being micro-stacked is bad enough, but it is an even more perilous position when you’re duking it out with some of the world’s best tournament players.
Not only did Vogelsang survive until the bubble popped, he became a poker champion for the first time in six years and walked away with $2,644,000 for his efforts.
Final Table Results
$100,000 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed Final Table Results:
- Christoph Vogelsang (Germany) – $2,644,000*
- Nacho Barbero (Argentina) – $2,198,000*
- Danny Tang (Hong Kong) – $1,296,000
- Punnat Punsri (Thailand) – $1,068,000
- Benjamin Heath (United Kingdom) – $858,000
- Daniel Dvoress (Canada) – $672,000
- Jonathan Jaffe (United States) – $504,000
- Phil Ivey (United States) – $372,000
- Francisco Benitez (Uruguay) – $288,000 (*reflects a heads-up deal)
The Climactic Moments
The all-important bubble burst on the first encounter during the hand-for-hand phase. Lewis Spencer jammed with ace-ten, and Thai star Punnat Punsri looked him up with king-queen. A queen on the river spelled curtains for Spencer, and the surviving 20 players captured a $156,000 min-cash. Dan Smith was the first player to bust.
The Final Showdown
Heads-up was set soon after when Tang’s ace-king was demolished by Barbero’s dominated ace-seven. Barbero held a 47 big blind to 33 big blind advantage over Vogelsang, and the pair struck a deal that saw Barbero clinch $2,198,000, Vogelsang $2,144,000, leaving $500,000 and the trophy for the eventual champion.
Vogelsang’s Victory
A topsy-turvy one-on-one encounter saw both players enjoy the status of chip leader, but Vogelsang eventually came out on top in the early hours of Monday morning. The final hand saw Barbero’s queen-eight of diamonds go to war with Vogelsang’s king-ten. A queen on the flop looked to have won the pot for Barbero, but it was his German opponent who had all the luck this time around, with the king of diamonds awarding Vogelsang the pot and the title of champion.
What’s Next
Next up for the high roller series is the final day of the $30,000 NLH 7-Handed event. Thirty-four of the 145 starters remain, and Bulgaria’s Dimitar Danchev is the man to catch, although only one big blind separates Danchev from Ole Schemion in second place.