Just weeks after celebrating his 21st birthday, Adriaan Jacobs outlasted a massive field of 5,177 entries in Event #78: $600 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em to capture his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet and the $282,817 top prize.
The four-day event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw Jacobs steadily climb the leaderboard. By the start of the final day, he held a commanding chip lead and never looked back on his way to poker's biggest victory.
Event #78: $600 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Adriaan Jacobs
South Africa
$282,817
2
Paul Merlette
United States
$188,231
3
Seong Han
South Korea
$139,723
4
Junichi Murakami
Japan
$104,555
5
Xingwei Chen
China
$78,876
6
Lisa Tan
Singapore
$59,994
7
Toros Dimitian
Canada
$46,010
8
Christopher Summers-James
United Kingdom
$35,580
9
Yoann Saubot
Canada
$27,747
The victory capped a remarkable four-day run. Jacobs steadily climbed the leaderboard, finishing Day 1 among the top 20 in chips before ending Day 2 near the top of the counts. By the start of the final day, he held the chip lead and never relinquished his position for long.
Despite entering heads-up play with a sizable advantage over Paul Merlette, the match was far from straightforward. Merlette mounted a comeback and briefly gained momentum before Jacobs found the hand that would end the tournament. Holding a flush draw, Jacobs improved on the turn to secure the biggest victory of his young career.
"I really can't believe it," Jacobs said moments after the win. "I play a lot of online poker, so I understand the variance, and it just felt like I kept getting chips dumped to me. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity."
A Birthday Trip That Changed Everything
The trip itself almost sounds too perfect to be true. Only two weeks after Jacobs turned 21, his father, Barend, had planned a celebration trip to Las Vegas.
"My dad just said, 'Let's go fly around the world and play in the World Series of Poker,'" Jacobs recalled.
The family, along with friends, made the nearly 30-hour journey from South Africa after Jacobs had just finished his accounting exams. It turned out to be one of the best expected-value decisions of his life.
Watching from the rail, his family erupted into song, repeatedly chanting, "All I do is win, win, win," as the final hands played out.
Barend couldn't have been prouder, saying, "He's a hard worker, but he's never had results like this."
Family First
Before thinking about celebrations or the money, Jacobs knew exactly who he wanted to call. "My mom and my siblings," he said. "They're on vacation right now."
He became emotional when talking about the support he's received throughout his poker journey. "My family have been so supportive. Even though I'm a 21-year-old guy playing online and not having the best results, they've supported me all the way."
Staying Present
For Jacobs, the victory wasn't built on flashy hero calls or fearless aggression as much as it was on discipline. Although he admitted there was "a feeling in the back of my mind" that this tournament could be special, he never allowed himself to think too far ahead. "I was really just taking it one hand at a time."
Ironically, one of his toughest moments came long before the final table. After bagging a big stack on Day 1, he was so excited that he barely slept before returning for Day 2. "I just kept telling myself, 'Just make it to the next break."
Away from the table, Jacobs has invested heavily in improving his mental game. Alongside studying poker theory, meditation and breathing exercises have become essential parts of his routine.
"On the breaks, I would do five minutes of meditation. I used to struggle in tournaments figuring out pot sizes and bet sizes, but since adding that, everything is much clearer. Staying calm and present is the key."
His focus was briefly shaken during a pivotal three-way pot at the final table when Seong Han's pocket kings won a massive pot, temporarily shifting momentum.
Seong Han
"It threw me off a little," he said, but rather than letting the setback snowball, Jacobs relied on one of his mental techniques. "I constantly count the pot and count my opponent's stack. It keeps me in the moment and slows me down so I don't rush my decisions. I took it slow and trusted my preparation and knowledge."
Winning more than a quarter of a million dollars is life-changing for most people. For Jacobs, it's almost impossible to comprehend. "It feels so strange. It doesn't feel real." "I've never even had a serious job before, so I don't even have a concept of what this money means."
His plans, however, are surprisingly modest. "I'll play more poker, invest in myself, and put a lot into savings."
Despite the huge score, Jacobs has no intention of moving into bigger buy-ins immediately. "I don't want to jump stakes. I want to stay humble with my buy-ins. I don't think I'm quite ready to move up."
His father, however, was already floating another idea: "He wants us to stay and play the Main Event," Jacobs laughed.
A Win for South African Poker
Jacobs hopes his victory resonates beyond his own career. "The South African poker scene is very small. It's a really tight-knit community." He credited the country's poker groups, including Sunbet Poker and Shuffle Up Poker, for helping grow the game despite limited opportunities.
Family friend Stephen Courtney believes the bracelet represents far more than one player's breakthrough. "South Africa hasn't had many results over the past two decades, so this is a huge victory for all of us."
Jacobs became just the fourth South African to win a WSOP bracelet, joining Norman Keyser (1989), Hugh Todd (1990), and Michael Clacher, who won an online bracelet in 2020.
For someone whose life currently revolves around studying, working out, and playing poker, Jacobs' future suddenly looks much bigger. "I study, I play poker, I work out," he said with a smile. "Whatever I do, I try to do it to the best of my ability."
Judging by his performance this week in Las Vegas, that approach has already taken him farther than he ever imagined.
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