Birthday sweat turns into $176K for Texas freeroller in World Championship

Posted on: December 20, 2024 17:37 PST

San Kim really had nothing to worry about in the long run. He'd already turned one freeroll into a much bigger freeroll, and he was about to lock up six figures in prize money.

But Kim was sweating his ID all week. The first time, it'd just been a hassle. Having already won a Golden Passport to the WPTClub Gold $5 Million Invitational and earned $3,300 in the effort, he had a chance to win a seat in the $10,000 WPT World Championship. The odds were one in five, and Kim almost passed up the chance. His ID was outside.

"I didn't want to draw, because I'd have to go out to my truck," he said.

But after hemming and hawing for ten minutes, he made the trek out to get his ID. Thirty minutes later, he had a seat in the World Championship.

That's when he started sweating again. He was about to have a birthday, and that birthday was going to be a problem.

Expiration date: Tomorrow

It had been a good trip already. He'd won $3,300 and had a great story to tell. Even a min-cash in the World Championship would be a lot more than he could've hoped to make. After all, he's a PLO player most of the time back home in Texas, where he plays at The Lodge.

But then Kim went on a run and made it to the final 16 players of the World Championship.

In the hours before he reached the final two tables, Kim started musing aloud about a problem he might have: Saturday was not only the final table of the World Championship. It was also Kim's birthday. That meant his ID was going to expire.

Kim wasn't sure what the rules were, but when there is a $3 million first prize to think about, nobody's got time for Googling about domestic flight regulations.

Prior to the WPT World Championship, Kim's biggest ever cash was a $125K win in a tournament at The Lodge, so heading into the final 16, Kim said his only strategy was to "just see what happens."

Ultimately, Kim ran jacks into Christopher Moorman's queens and was the first one out on Day 5. Both the tournament sweat and the expired license sweat ended at the same time. Kim got ready to head home with another $176,000 in his pocket.

Kim ultimately learned he still could've gotten home on the expired ID, but even if that had been against the rules, $176,000 could buy one heck of a long Uber ride.

Happy birthday, San. And safe travels back to Texas.

^{*Photos courtesy of the WPT}