Salim Admon arrived at Sunday's final table of Stairway to Millions Event #4, an $8,400 buy-in no-limit hold'em competition, having never won a live poker tournament, per the Hendon Mob database. He left the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas with his first victory and $138,880 in prize money after defeating Jesse Lonis, who was fresh off a big Venetian win, in heads-up play.
On top of winning the 56-player tournament, the champ received a free spot in the $15,800 buy-in following event at the Aria, also on Sunday. Unlike Chance Kornuth, who shipped Events #2 and #3, he was unable to go back-to-back and failed to finish among the seven players who cashed.
Stairway to Millions Event #4 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salim Admon | $138,880 |
| 2 | Jesse Lonis | $89,600 |
| 3 | Chris Brewer | $58,240 |
| 4 | Jeremy Ausmus | $44,800 |
| 5 | Nick Petrangelo | $35,840 |
| 6 | Bill Klein | $31,360 |
Advancing to the Next Step
Admon wasn't the only player in Event #4 who earned a free entry into Event #5. In the Stairway to Millions series, those who cash in each tournament automatically advance to the ensuing event. The series began January 12 with an $1,100 buy-in event, won by Daniel Sepiol for $28,500. Kornuth then took down the following two tournaments for a combined $132,240.
Stairway to Millions Schedule and Updated Results
| Date | Buy-In | Guarantee | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 12 | $1,100 | $100,000 | Daniel Sepiol | $28,500 |
| Jan. 13 | $2,150 | $100,000 | Chance Kornuth | $51,600 |
| Jan. 14 | $4,200 | $100,000 | Chance Kornuth | $80,640 |
| Jan. 15 | $8,400 | $200,000 | Salim Admon | $138,880 |
| Jan. 16 | $15,800 | $300,000 | ||
| Jan. 17 | $25,100 | $500,000 | ||
| Jan. 18 | $52,000 | $500,000 | ||
| Jan. 19 | $102,000 | $1,200,000 |
It's Never Easy
The Stairway to Millions series has attracted some of the top players in the game, including some big stars at the final table. Admon had to earn the title by beating out some poker giants, including three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus, and high roller stars Chris Brewer and Nick Petrangelo.
Shannon Shorr (seventh place for $26,880) and Michael Lang (eighth place for $22,400) also reached the money in Event #4. In doing so, they earned a free buy-in into the fifth tournament of the series, which began Sunday afternoon.
On the final hand of Event #4, Admon moved all-in with ace-king preflop and was called by the ace-jack of Lonis. The best hand held up and the tournament came to an end.
Although Admon hadn't previously won a live tournament, his poker resume was quite impressive. During the$10,000 Wynn Millions last summer, he finished in fourth place out of 1,328 entrants for $619,160, the largest score of his career. In November 2020, he finished second in a $1,600 buy-in Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) event at Venetian for $219,699.
In total, he's now surpassed the $1.1 million lifetime mark, most of which he's earned in the past 15 months.
