James Mackey Captures Second World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event Title

The ultimate desk of the 2024 World Poker Tour Choctaw $3,800 no-limit maintain’em foremost occasion was stacked with huge names on the sting of securing a giant win. The ultimate six reconvened on the HyperX Enviornment situated in Luxor Resort & On line casino in Las Vegas, Nevada greater than three weeks after Vladyslav Shovkovyi was knocked out in seventh place on the Choctaw On line casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma. After seven hours of battling, James Mackey emerged victorious to earn the highest prize of $361,600 and his second WPT title.

In actual fact, this was the second time that Mackey took down this very event. His first WPT victory got here within the 2016 operating of this occasion, which noticed him greatest a discipline of 1,066 entries to earn $681,758. Mackey, a poker professional based mostly out of Kansas Metropolis, now has almost $5 million in lifetime earnings. His largest reside rating stays the $730,740 he earned because the winner of a $5,000 buy-in occasion on the 2007 World Collection of Poker.

“It feels so good, it’s onerous to explain how good it feels, actually,” Mackey instructed WPT reporters after the win. “In poker, you lose and lose and lose so getting that win… it’s particular.”

Mackey additionally earned 1,260 Card Participant Participant of the 12 months factors for the win. This was his first POY-qualified rating of the 12 months, however it alone was sufficient to place him inside the highest 150 within the 2024 POY standings offered by International Poker.

Mackey was one among three gamers on the televised last desk with a WPT title already to their title. He entered with the chip lead, whereas three-time WPT champion Eric Afriat sat in the midst of the pack and two-time WPT champion Erick Lindgren introduced up the rear.

Lindgren, the winner of the 2003 Final Poker Basic and 2004 PartyPoker Million II, was the primary to hit the rail. He received the final of his 18 huge blinds in with A-9 suited main the Okay-J of Sebastien Aube, however the board introduced two kings to present Aube journeys and the knockout. Lindgren earned $75,000 because the sixth-place finisher, rising his profession earnings to just about $10.3 million within the course of.

Danny Marx was the subsequent to fall. He received his final handful of massive blinds in with 10-7 suited trailing the Okay-7 of Aube. Marx flopped a ten to show the tables, however a river king despatched him residence with a career-best payday of $99,000 for his fifth-place exhibiting.

Aube slid to the underside of the chip counts as short-handed play continued. He finally received all-in 4 round 4 huge blinds with A-Q main the 8-7 suited of Afriat. Aube led after a jack-high flop, however Afriat turned and rivered two pair to safe the knockout. Aube, a bracelet winner from Montreal, cashed for $131,000 on this occasion.

Mackey was nicely out in entrance when three-handed motion kicked off. He was conserving the stress up with loads of preflop aggression. Within the subsequent key hand he shoved from the button and Adam Hendrix referred to as from the large blind for seven huge blinds with Q9. Mackey revealed A5. The A65Q runout gave Mackey aces up and the knockout. Hendrix earned $175,000, rising his profession earnings to greater than $6.6 million within the course of.

Heads-up play started with Mackey holding roughly a 5:1 lead over Afriat. Mackey was capable of lengthen that benefit regardless of a number of double-ups for Afriat, who was trying to win his record-tying fourth WPT title. Within the last hand, Afriat moved all-in for seven huge blinds with OkayJ from the button and Mackey referred to as with Okay5. The board ran out 955J6 and Mackey made journey fives to safe the title. Afriat was awarded $235,000 because the runner-up. The Canadian now has greater than $5.6 million in lifetime scores to his title.