Fresh off winning more than $1.3 million in high-stakes cash games, the popular poker vlogger has now captured his second World Series of Poker bracelet after defeating Adrian Mateos heads-up in WSOP Online - Hybrid #16: $5K Championship for $228,825. The tournament attracted 226 entries, and generated a $1,130,000 prize pool.
The hybrid event played out online before the final table rounded out inside the Paris Ballroom in Las Vegas, where Yau navigated one of the toughest fields of the summer. Alongside Mateos, the final table featured Nick Schulman, Shannon Shorr, Pedro Neves, and Dejan Kaladjurdjevic.
Adrian Mateos
The victory also saw Yau hand Mateos his first-ever defeat in a WSOP bracelet heads-up match. The Spanish superstar had previously gone a perfect 6-0 with a bracelet on the line but had to settle for $175,150 after coming up short this time.
During his winner's interview, Yau was shown one of his tweets from six years ago, posted shortly after he won his first WSOP bracelet in a $500 online event during the pandemic. Looking back on that moment, he smiled as he reflected on just how much has changed.
"I was just some random guy that wanted to make videos about poker playing one-three," Yau said. "Looking back, it's a core memory because it was the first time I'd ever been interviewed in the poker space."
The conversation then turned to the present day, with Yau fresh off a $1.3 million cash-game heater and having just become the first player to beat Mateos heads-up for a WSOP bracelet.
"I used to have a lot of imposter syndrome when it came to playing poker," he said. "I won a bunch of things early on, but then recently I've gone through a bit of a win drought.
"To compete in a $5K online buy-in, where the field is just star-studded with the best players in the world, and come out on top... it certainly solidifies that I did something right. Obviously there's a lot of luck involved, but it feels nice to run good and take down some of the best."
Yau entered heads-up against one of poker's most feared opponents, but he wasn't without help.
Close friend and high-stakes pro Justin Saliba was on the rail and offered advice before the final duel got underway.
"Saliba has just been a really close friend and poker mentor for me," Yau said. "He was giving me some guidelines because I don't have that much heads-up experience. He gave me some tips on how to play properly and not completely torch it."
Those tips proved invaluable as Yau denied Mateos a seventh bracelet in what many would have considered a sizeable upset.
While the bracelet victory capped one of the best stretches of Yau's poker career, he admitted there were no extravagant celebrations planned or any more poker to play.
"I haven't played many live tournaments this summer," he said. "I've mostly been playing online from home, and this one ended up going pretty well."
Instead, Yau said he planned to attend a charity gala later that evening.
"There's a charity gala happening tonight, so it'll be nice to go along and give back to the cause."
How Yau Won the Bracelet
Nick Schulman
Schulman was the first to fall after getting his short stack in with ace-six against Mateos' pocket threes. Unable to improve, he collected $50,850 for sixth place.
Yau was the next player at risk but doubled through Kaladjurdjevic to move into the chip lead when his ace-queen held against queen-jack. Shortly afterward, Yau eliminated Neves in fifth, with pocket tens holding against ace-queen.
Shorr then sent Kaladjurdjevic to the rail in fourth with a dominating ace before bowing out in third, setting up the heads-up showdown between Yau and Mateos.
Yau reduced Mateos to just nine big blinds after getting a double up in a battle of the ace-highs. However, the Spaniard battled back after surviving several all-in confrontations. In the end, Yau regained control and sealed the victory when his pocket queens held against Mateos' ten-nine.
For a player who built his audience filming $1/$3 cash games and sharing every step of his poker journey, defeating Mateos for a bracelet is another chapter few could have imagined six years ago.
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.
Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
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