Germany’s Arne Kern Becomes An Instant Millionaire At 2018 WSOP

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Millionaire Maker has again lived up to its name after creating yet another fresh millionaire out of Germany’s Arne Kern.

The Millionaire Maker event saw a great turnout with a total of 7,361 entrants that created a massive $9,937,350 prize pool.

There were a number of well-known poker pros who took part in the event but in the end it was an unknown German player by the name of Arne Kern who outlasted the competition and become a millionaire overnight.

The Hendon Mob shows that prior to the Millionaire Maker event, Kern’s biggest cashout was back in 2016 when he took home a little over $28,000 after finishing in 5th place at the €5,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em – EPT Main Event. Kern had his biggest payout at the Millionaire Maker and achieved millionaire status after he won $1,173,223.

Kern had just over $56,000 in live earnings coming into the 2018 WSOP. This was his second WSOP appearance and he was pretty nervous but after this win is a changed poker player.

In a statement, he said,

I've been playing for about five years and this might change my decision. At first I was short-stacking, playing pretty tight. I picked my spots. I waited until other players busted

Kern Gets The Better Of Razavi And McKeehen

The win was well-deserved for Kern who grinded his way to the top since he came in to the final table at the bottom of the chip count. Slowly but steadily, he built his pot and found himself at heads-up with UK poker pro Sam Razavi. It was a tedious 2-hour heads-up battle with 62 hands played but Kern proved more resilient and had better luck on the final day.

Apart from his tight battle with Razavi, Kern also highlights his doubles against 2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen. It was a lot of pressure going against a Main Event champion but Kern emerged victorious and knocked McKeehen down to 3rd place. Both Razavi and McKeehen also had a nice payday for their efforts with Razavi taking home $724,756 and McKeehen cashing out with $538,276.

Some of the other players at the final table who fought valiantly for the million-dollar prize were Michael Souza who finished 4th with $402,614, Justin Liberto who finished in 5th with $303,294 and Portugal’s Manuel Ruivo who finished in 6th place with a $230,120 payday.