Championship: James Carroll Shines in South Florida and Las Vegas, Wins Poker Showdown Championship for $715K

2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Entries: 1,360
Prize Pool:  $4,352,000
April 12-16, May 30, 2019

WPT Poker Showdown champion, James Carroll (Photo Credit: WPT)

Hollywood, Fla. – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood concluded its 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown series on Thursday with a winner in the $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown WPT Championship. Crowned champion was James Carroll of Las Vegas earning a $715,175 first prize inclusive of a $15,000 WPT Baccarat Crystal Tournament of Champions.

“It feels great,” Caroll told the WPT following the win. “It’s surreal. It feels fantastic. I’m very happy right now.”

New to Season XVII, the WPT Poker Showdown Championship culminated at HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor in Las Vegas, where the final six players played in front of a live audience and a slew of television cameras for future airing on FOX Sports Regional Networks. The final table structure placed Seminole Hard Rock Poker front and center in the industry.

With 1,360 total entries, the WPT Poker Showdown Championship featured a final prize pool of $4,352,000, easily exceeding the $3 million guarantee. Additionally, the strong turnout marked the fourth largest field in WPT Main Event tour history.

Originally from Boston, Carroll is 38 years old and has been playing poker professionally for 10 years. His victory last night marks the second WPT title on his resume, previously having won the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars in 2014 in California. Last night’s win also goes down as the second-largest score of his career with reported earnings now approaching $4 million.

Championship final table results:

1st: James Carroll (Las Vegas, Nev.) – $715,175*
2nd: Eric Afriat (Canada) – $465,120
3rd: Maria Ho (Los Angeles, Calif.) – $344,960
4th: Jerry Wong (Davie, Fla.) – $257,815
5th: Ami Alibay (Canada) – $194,610
6th: Chad Eveslage (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – $148,380

*First prize is inclusive of a $15,000 Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions seat