With 9,670 complete entries, the 2024 World Poker Tour Prime Championship $1,100 no-limit maintain’em predominant occasion beat its $5 million assure by almost $4.4 million. The sizable turnout to Wynn Las Vegas for the third-annual working of this occasion resulted in a seven-figure payday for the champion regardless of the inexpensive buy-in. Zak VanKeuren was finally the participant to seize that huge $1,162,350 high prize. The Saratoga Springs, NY resident now has greater than $2 million in profession earnings, with this being far-and-away the biggest payday on his event resume.
“It doesn’t really feel actual… I’m simply pondering I’m in a lucid dream proper now. I’m simply going to get up quickly. Hopefully it’s nonetheless actual life in an hour. It feels loopy,” VanKeuren advised WPT reporters after popping out on high. “The Wynn might be my favourite on line casino within the nation; It’s only a lovely place. WPT has the perfect tournaments out of wherever, so it’s only a blessing to come back out right here and compete.”
VanKeuren will add the WPT Prime Championship trophy to his assortment, which features a World Sequence of Poker gold bracelet. He triumphed on this 12 months’s $3,200 buy-in on-line no-limit maintain’em occasion again in July, incomes $219,450 and the {hardware}.
This victory additionally got here with 1,320 Card Participant Participant of the Yr factors. This was VanKeuren’s third POY-qualified final-table end of the 12 months. With 2,124 complete factors, he now sits inside the highest 200 within the 2024 POY race standings introduced by World Poker.
The highest 1,206 finishers made the cash, with massive names like WPT champion Ben Palmer (seventy fifth), four-time bracelet winner Farzad Bonyadi (74th), two-time bracelet winner David Jackson (sixty fourth), 2023 WSOP predominant occasion runner-up Steven Jones (61st), bracelet winner Blair Hinkle (57th), bracelet winner Ryan Laplante (thirty fourth), bracelet winner Michael Liang (twenty third), bracelet winner Cole Ferraro (fifteenth), and up to date WPT Rock’n’Roll Poker Open champion Dylan Smith (eleventh) all working deep.
The ultimate desk started with 2012 WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace predominant occasion champion Kevin Calenzo within the lead and VanKeuren in the midst of the pack. It took 30 fingers for the primary elimination to happen, and it got here by way of a brutal preflop cooler. WPT champion Justin Younger obtained all-in with A
Okay
, three-bet shoving over Calenzo’s under-the-gun min-raise out of the small blind. Calenzo rapidly known as the shove of 29 massive blinds with A
A. Younger earned $114,000 because the ninth-place finisher, bringing his profession event earnings to almost $6.8 million.
Most ache for WPT</a> Champions Membership member <a href=”https://twitter.com/Justinyoung07?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>Justinyoung07
He takes house $114,000 for ninth place.
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VanKeuren then went on an elimination spree, busting Ralph Marquez (eighth – $145,000), Colin Hong (seventh – $186,000), and Ryan Stiner (sixth – $240,000) throughout the subsequent 14 fingers. The surge continued when his Okay-4 held towards the Q-9 of brief stack Joe Ozimok (fifth – $320,000), giving VanKeuren 47 p.c of the chips in play heading into four-handed motion.
Calenzo doubled up with pocket kings besting A-Q for VanKeuren, however that bump within the street was quickly made up for when VanKeuren flopped journey sevens and obtained all of the chips in after Malik Zaman turned jacks and tens. Zaman wanted a jack or ten on the tip to double up, however an ace rolled off as a substitute to see him despatched to the rail in fourth place ($420,000).
A preflop race ended Calenzo’s run. He obtained all-in with J10 towards the 44 of Jim Casement and the pair noticed a runout of seven6
539, which gave Casement a successful seven-high straight. Calenzo earned $560,000 because the third-place finisher, the biggest rating of his profession.
VanKeuren held roughly a 3:1 chip lead over Casement when heads-up play started. He had prolonged that benefit occasion additional earlier than the ultimate hand. VanKeuren limped in for 4,000,000 holding AOkay and Casement shoved from the massive blind for 69,400,000 with OkayJ. VanKeuren rapidly known as and the board got here down Okay845Q to offer VanKeuren kings with an ace kicker for the win.
Casement walked away with $759,890 for his runner-up exhibiting. The rating pushed his profession event haul up over $1 million.
Here’s a have a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the remaining desk:
Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
1
Zak VanKeuren
$1,162,350
1320
2
Jim Casement
$759,890
1100
3
Kevin Calenzo
$560,000
880
4
Malik Zaman
$420,000
660
5
Joe Ozimok
$320,000
550
6
Ryan Stiner
$240,000
440
7
Colin Hong
$186,000
330
8
Ralph Marquez
$145,000
220
9
Justin Younger
$114,000
110
Pictures offered by WPT.
