Image Credit: WSOP / Hayley Hochstetler

By Michael Reeve

final table

Kamloops poker pro’s final table debut nets him $1.3 million

Jul 22, 2022 | 4:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — After a whirlwind week in Las Vegas, Nevada, competing at the world series of poker no-limit hold’em event, Kamloops’ Aaron Duczak has returned home with a seven figure prize. The pro poker player and tree faller, finished in 7th place out of the more than 8,000 entrants.

Aaron Duczak is no stranger to the world of professional poker. Throughout his career he had finished in the money 40 times, earning more than $400,000, but never before had he reached the final table of a world series of poker event.

“I just tried to keep a level head, remain focused, not let a lot of any of the outside distractions get to me. Obviously a lot of pressure involved but I’m pretty good a disassociating myself from all that,” said Duczak.

He had a healthy chip stack through the seven-day event, entering the top 50 players on day four, before reaching 4th spot entering the final table of 10. The final stretch to top 10 lasted 16-hours with event organizer originally planning to cut down to nine before the final table.

“I seen all the other guys, they were getting ornery and they started to make some small mistakes. That when I picked up all my chips. When there is 10 left, the official final table is nine, I didn’t want that asterisk beside my name. It was pretty exciting and fun (to make the final table) but there was still a job to do,” said Duczak.

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At the final table Duczak was positioned with the big stack exactly where you don’t want him, directly to his left.

“I knew that I probably picked up the worst seat in the house having Espen Jorstad, he’s probably the best player at the table too, quite honestly (Jorstad went on to win the event and $10 million). I knew that there was a lot of guys were firing chips around like crazy. So, I was just going to have to play super snug and kind of wait for some cards to play and that’s pretty much what I did,” added Duczak.

One of his hands at the final table made the highlight reel, when he looked down at ace-king, and flopped the best hand. (The flop completed his straight coming down queen, jack, ten).

“It was very close too because the other guy flopped a set of jacks. I was still only a 60 or 70 per cent favourite to have the hand hold up,” said Duczak. “I think I just about jumped out of my seat, which I never do, I’m usually very stoic at the table but the juices were pumping there for sure.”

He got his money in well down the stretch with suited connectors, placing him in a pair of coin-flip hands which didn’t go his way.

“It was a no-brainer, I was going into the big-blind and the big-blind ante and I think I had four big-blinds. So, suited connectors are definitely the way to go there. I wasn’t passing up a chance and it didn’t work out,” said Duczak.

Despite the early final table exit, Duczak walked with $1.3 million, his best career finish.

“This will not be my best result, at all. The best is yet to come for sure,” stated Duczak.