Jake Cody has become only the third player in history to win poker’s Triple Crown of titles after winning the $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship at the World Series of Poker over the weekend. Aged just 22-years old, Cody becomes the youngest player to win the Triple Crown and he has also completed it in the fastest time too.
The Triple Crown is an unofficial title given to players who have won a European Poker Tour Main Event, a World Poker Tour Main Event and a WSOP bracelet. Until Cody joined the ranks of Triple Crown winners only Gavin Grififn and Roland De Wolfe had managed it. Cody won EPT Deauville back in January 2010 and followed this up with a win in August at WPT London and he has now won a WSOP bracelet, meaning in 18 months he has completed the Triple Crown of titles.
The $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Championship attracted 128 runners, creating a prizepool of $3,040,000, which was shared out amongst the top 16 finishers. Cody’s route to the final saw him take on some of poker’s biggest names but regardless of their status the Rochdale-based pro sent them to the rail. Brandon Adams became his first round victim and Frank Kassela, the 2010 WSOP Player of the Year, was brushed aside in round two. Next to feel Cody’s wrath were Dani Stern and Jonathan Jaffe before Anthony Guetti was also sent packing with his tail between his legs. This set up a mouth-watering tie in the semi-final against Gus Hansen, a man who had won a record 12 consecutive WSOP heads up matches, but like all of Cody’s previous opponents he had no answer for the young Brit’s style of play and was swept aside, using his two rebuys whilst Cody only needed his initial starting stack.
The final saw Cody, who made a name for himself playing online tournaments, take on another of online poker’s greats in Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko. What should have been one of the most interesting battles of wits and metagame turned out to be another one-sided affair with Cody again only needing his 1,600,000 starting stack whilst Timoshenko went through 4,800,000. The final hand, just shy of three hours into the match, saw Timoshenko limp with Ac5s, Cody move all in with Kc9c and Timoshenko call off his circa 10 big blind stack. The board ran out Kh-Qh-4h-6h-4d, eliminating Timoshenko and leaving an emotion Cody to claim the $851,192 first place prize, a WSOP bracelet and the Triple Crown.
Final four payouts
1st: Jake Cody: $851,192
2nd: Yevgeniy Timoshenko: $525,980
3rd: Gus Hansen: $283,966
4th: Eric Froehlich: $283,966
