The World Poker Tour returned to northern Florida’s premier poker hotspot as summer season wound down for the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble. The centerpiece of the 16-event collection was the $1 million assured $5,000 no-limit maintain’em essential occasion. A complete of 294 entries had been made throughout three beginning flights at bestbet Jacksonville, making for a remaining prize pool of $1,337,700. After six whole days of play, it was Blake Ellinghaus who in the end emerged with the biggest share of that sum.
The Plainfield, Illinois resident topped a tricky remaining desk to earn $294,900 and his first main match title. As a consequence, his identify has been added to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
“It’s the coolest accomplishment in poker that you can think of,” Ellinghaus advised WPT reporters after his win. “To be on a trophy with all of the legends of the game. I’m so happy.”
Before this, Ellinghaus’ high rating had been a win in a $400 occasion on the Daytona Beach Poker Open for simply over $34,000. Now, he’s a WPT champion with over $400,000 in profession earnings to his identify.
This victory additionally got here with 912 Card Player Player of the Year factors. With 4 remaining tables on the yr, he now sits inside attain of the highest 400 within the 2026 POY standings offered by CoinPoker.
Deep Runs And Early Final-Table Finishers
The high 37 finishers made the cash on this occasion, with TK Miles (thirty seventh), Toby Boas (thirty first), and Tyler Phillips (thirtieth) among the many early knockouts after the bubble burst. Other huge names who ran deep included Ray Qartomy (thirty fourth), Andrew Ostapchenko (twenty ninth), Jessica Cai (18th), and Justin Zaki (eleventh).
Local fixtures Kelly Slay (ninth – $29,000) and Edward Mroczkowski (eighth – $34,000) fell simply in need of the ultimate day, with the final six set when Florida match scene endboss Raminder Singh bowed out in seventh place ($43,500). Singh was eradicated in brutal style, together with his flopped threes stuffed with kings bested by the turned aces stuffed with Michael Macchia.
Ellinghaus held the chip result in begin, with Macchia because the closest competitors. Ellinghaus pulled even additional forward when his kicker performed in a battle of the highest pairs towards Hugh Membrino after a few hours of six-handed battling. The chips went in on a queen-high flop, and Ellinghaus’ A♣Q♠ remained finest by the top to ship Membrino packing in sixth place ($57,000).
Soon after that, Macchia was in danger with pocket nines trailing pocket aces for native grinder Jared Reinstein. The 2017 Card Player Poker Tour bestbet Jacksonville essential occasion champion held by means of a king-high runout to slim the sector to 4. Macchia earned $75,000 for his fifth-place displaying.
From Four To One
Skyler Dennis was floor all the way down to 14 huge blinds by the point his remaining hand arrived. He three-bet shoved from the massive blind with A♠6♥ over Ellinghaus’ button increase to 2.25 huge blinds. Ellinghaus shortly referred to as with Q♥Q♦ and the J♥J♣2♣2♥8♦ runout earned him the pot and the chip lead. Dennis walked away with $100,000 because the fourth-place finisher.
The subsequent elimination additionally noticed Ellinghaus dealt a premium pocket pair. He three-bet shoved from the massive blind with pocket jacks and Bryan Paris, who opened the button with pocket nines, referred to as all-in for simply shy of twenty-two huge blinds. Ellinghaus was forward preflop, and his benefit solely expanded with a jack-high flop. He improved to jacks stuffed with threes by the river to ship Paris to the rail in third place ($135,000).
With that, Ellinghaus took roughly a 5:1 chip lead into heads-up play with Reinstein. After a little bit of a feeling-out interval, the shorter stack managed to search out back-to-back doubles to shut the hole significantly.
The remaining hand started with an Ellinghaus limp for 150,000 on the button with 6♥4♦. Reinstein checked his possibility with 7♥6♦ and the flop got here down J♠8♦5♥. It checked to the 3♦ flip and Reinstein wager 200,000. Ellinghaus raised to 850,000 and Reinstein referred to as. The 7♣ river gave Ellinghaus a straight. He moved all-in when checked to, and Reinstein, after some thought, referred to as together with his rivered pair of sevens to convey the match to an in depth.
Reinstein earned $184,000 because the runner-up, the biggest but amongst his 58 recorded dwell match cashes.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Blake Ellinghaus | $294,900 | 912 |
| 2 | Jared Reinstein | $184,000 | 760 |
| 3 | Bryan Paris | $135,000 | 608 |
| 4 | Skyler Dennis | $100,000 | 456 |
| 5 | Michael Macchia | $75,000 | 380 |
| 6 | Hugh Membrino | $57,000 | 304 |
| 7 | Raminder Singh | $43,500 | 228 |
| 8 | Edward Mroczkowski | $34,000 | 152 |
| 9 | Kelly Slay | $29,000 | 76 |
Photo credit score: World Poker Tour.
