$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9: 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1B Entries: 1,040
On the turn of a 
board, Jeff Trudeau and Mike “Timex” McDonald each committed17,500 to see the 
river.
Trudeau bet effectively 28,000 and McDonald called all in.
Trudeau tabled 
for aces and tens, besting Timex’s 
to score the elimination.
Jeff Trudeau – 226,000 (151 bb)
Mike McDonald – Eliminated
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9: 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1B Entries: 1,040
Registration closed for the 2022 WPT Poker Showdown Championship with 1,040 entries in Day 1B putting the combined total at 2,010. That is good enough for the second biggest live event on the WPT main tour and only the second time with more than 2,000 entries.
Top 10 WPT live main tour events:
2021 Showdown – 2,482 entries
2022 Showdown – 2,010 entries
2022 LHPO – 1,982 entries
2014 Showdown – 1,795 entries
2021 LHPO – 1,573 entries
2021 RRPO – 1,566 entries
2015 Showdown – 1,476 entries
2019 Borgata WPO – 1,415 entries
2019 Showdown – 1,360 entries
2011 Borgata Poker Open – 1,313 entries
Those numbers put the prize pool at $6,432,000 for the Championship which is the fourth-biggest prize pool in our history.
2013 SHRPO – $11,920,000
2014 SHRPO – $10,000,000
2021 Showdown – $7,942,400
2022 Showdown – $6,432,000
2022 LHPO – $6,342,400
Thank you to everyone who came out to support and help us continue to put on top shelf events!
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9: 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1B Entries: 1,039
The players returned from break to begin Level 9, with increased blinds of 1,000-1,500 and a 1,500 ante.
Registration is now closed. The tournament clock shows an unofficial Day 1B field of 1,039, for a tournament total of 2,009. We’re still waiting for official numbers, but it looks like the prizepool will be worth around $6.4 million, more than doubling the $3 million guarantee.
A scan of the field during the break turned up four players with at least 340K in chips, plus one more knocking on the door:
1. David Farber – 480,000 (320 bb)
2. Dave Moore – 426,500 (284 bb)
3. Salim Admon – 375,000 (250 bb)
4. Uke Dauti – 367,400 (245 bb)
5. Andrew Heckman – 349,000 (233 bb)
6. Justin Liberto – 339,500 (226 bb)
Action is scheduled to continue until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1B Entries: 1,003
A player limped under the gun for 1,200, Scott Levitt moved all in from the hijack for 31,000, and his opponent asked for a count and thought for a while before he called with 
.
Levitt turned over 
, and he needed to improve to stay alive.
The board came 
, and the UTG player won the pot with a pair of aces to eliminate Levitt.
Scott Levitt – Eliminated
The tournament clock shows 1,003 entries here on Day 1B, for a tournament total of 1,970 and counting. The prizepool is worth more than $6.3 million, absolutely crushing the $3 million guarantee.
Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. Action should continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1B Entries: 996
After a flop of 
, the player in the big blind checked, and Mike Vela bet 3,000 from UTG+1. Mahliyo Cagatay called from middle position, and the big blind folded.
The turn card paired the board with the , and both players checked.
The river card was the 
, Vela checked, Cagatay bet 2,500, and Vela called with 
for king high. But Cagatay turned over for trip aces to win the pot.
Mahliyo Cagatay – 74,000 (62 bb)
Mike Vela – 57,000 (48 bb)
The tournament clock shows 996 entries here on Day 1B, for a tournament total of 1,963 and counting. The prizepool is worth more than $6.28 million, absolutely crushing the $3 million guarantee.
Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. Action should continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1B Entries: 954
David Farber – 390,000 (325 bb)
Andrew Heckman – 295,000 (246 bb)
Chris Limo – 215,000 (179 bb)
Paul Snead – 190,000 (158 bb)
Matt Berkey – 155,000 (129 bb
Tony Dunst – 145,000 (121 bb)
Maria Lampropulos – 125,000 ( bb)
David Prociak – 124,000 (104 bb)
Matt Bretzfield – 123,000 (103 bb)
Al Norman – 119,000 (99 bb)
Will Failla – 95,000 (79 bb)
Matt Stout – 93,000 (77 bb)
Michael Newman – 90,000 (75 bb)
Farid Jattin – 65,000 (54 bb)
Alex Foxen – 57,000 (48 bb)
Aaron Massey – 55,000 (46 bb)
Sonia-Veronika Shashikhina – 50,000 (42 bb)
Nick Palma – 49,000 (41 bb)
Andrew Lichtenberger – 48,000 (40 bb)
Jesse Sylvia – 47,000 (39 bb)
Erik Seidel – 47,000 (39 bb)
Yuval Bronshtein – 45,000 (38 bb)
Loni Harwood – 38,000 (32 bb)
Ari Engel – 37,000 (31 bb)
Faraz Jaka – 37,000 (31 bb)
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1B Entries: 967
Kunal Patel raised from middle position to 2,500, the player in the cutoff called, Frank Stepuchin called from the small blind, and the player in the big blind moved all in for 22,400.
Patel moved all in over the top for roughly 85,000, and everyone else folds.
The big blind showed 
, but Patel turned over 
. The big blind needed to improve to stay alive.
The board came 
, and the pocket eights held up for Patel to win the pot and eliminate the big blind.
Kunal Patel – 115,000 (96 bb)
The tournament clock shows 967 entries here on Day 1B, for a tournament total of 1,934 and counting. The prizepool is worth more than $6.04 million, absolutely crushing the $3 million guarantee.
Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. Action should continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1B Entries: 923
The player in the hijack raised, Nick Pupillo three-bet to effectively 21,000-ish and his opponent thought for a bit before he called all in with , racing with Pupillo’s 
.
The board ran out 
, giving Pupillo an eight-high straight to eliminate his opponent.
Nick Pupillo – 105,000 (105 bb)
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1B Entries: 922
After a flop of 
, the UTG player checked, and George Pappas bet 6,000. The player in the cutoff folded, Valerie Novak called, and the UTG player folded.
The turn card was the , Pappas checked, Novak bet 10,000, and Pappas called.
The river card was the , and both players checked. Pappas showed for a pair of aces with a jack kicker, and Novak mucked. Pappas won the pot.
George Pappas – 162,000 (162 bb)
Valerie Novak – 24,000 (24 bb)
The tournament clock shows 922 entries here on Day 1B, for a tournament total of 1,889 and counting. The prizepool is worth more than $6.04 million, absolutely crushing the $3 million guarantee.
Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. Action should continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1B Entries: 905
Chance Kornuth – 240,000 (240 bb)
Arian Stolt – 206,000 (206 bb)
Harrison Gimbel – 167,000 (167 bb)
Igor Tretyakov – 150,000 (150 bb)
Fikret Kovac – 137,000 (137 bb)
James Calderaro – 100,000 (100 bb)
Philip Shing – 100,000 (100 bb)
Jake Schwartz – 98,000 (98 bb)
Ashley Sleeth – 84,000 (84 bb)
Nicole Diaz – 83,000 (83 bb)
Matthew Wolfson – 83,000 (83 bb)
Nick Pupillo – 80,000 (80 bb)
Scott Carrgher – 70,000 (70 bb)
Joe Serock – 67,000 (67 bb)
Tony Sinishtaj – 59,000 (59 bb)
Tony Ruberto – 56,000 (56 bb)
Kristen Bicknell – 55,000 (55 bb)
Richard Rice – 52,000 (52 bb)
Veerab Zakarian – 47,000 (47 bb)
Kevin Eyster – 46,000 (46 bb)
Mike McDonald – 40,000 (40 bb)
D.J. Alexander – 37,000 (37 bb)
Femi Fashakin – 35,000 (35 bb)
Jon Brody – 35,000 (35 bb)
Chris Grigorian – 27,000 (27 bb)