Just two days after Joseph McKeehen completed second within the 2021 World Poker Tour Venetian $5,000 buy-in primary occasion for $491,960, the 29-year-old poker professional from North Wales, Pennsylvania emerged victorious within the Wynn Spring Classic $10,500 buy-in no-limit maintain’em excessive curler occasion. The three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and 2015 world champion defeated a subject of 83 entries within the high-stakes occasion to earn $224,100 and his twenty first profession title.
McKeehen now has greater than $17.7 million in lifetime event earnings to his title after these back-to-back enormous scores, making him the third-highest incomes WSOP primary occasion champion in poker historical past, behind solely 1989 winner Phil Hellmuth ($22,789,804 in earnings) and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel ($17,981,623 in earnings). He presently sits in thirty seventh place on poker’s total cash record.
In addition to the trophy and the cash, McKeehen was additionally awarded 480 Card Player Player of the Year factors for his newest title run. When mixed with the 1,520 factors he earned for his runner-up displaying within the current WPT Venetian primary occasion, McKeehen has accrued a complete of two,000 factors. As a outcome, he now sits in third place within the 2021 POY race standings, that are sponsored by Global Poker.
The robust turnout for this excessive curler occasion constructed a prize pool of $830,000. which was paid out among the many high 11 finishers. Plenty of huge names made the cash on this occasion, together with 2020 Mid-States Poker Tour Venetian champion Landon Tice (eleventh – $24,900), two-time World Poker Tour champion Brian Altman (tenth – $24,900), and a quartet of WSOP bracelet winners in Joseph Cheong (ninth – $24,900), Jeremey Ausmus (eighth – $33,200), Joey Weissman (seventh – $41,500), and Ankush Mandavia (sixth – $49,800). Mandavia just lately gained the Card Player Poker Tour Venetian $3,500 buy-in primary occasion for $260,000 and 1,260 POY factors. With 1,420 whole factors and $309,800 in year-to-date earnings, Mandavia now occupies the sixth-place spot within the POY standings.
High-roller common and 2018 POY award winner Jake Schindler earned $66,400 because the fifth-place finisher, whereas Spanish high-stakes participant Sergio Aido took house $83,000 for his fourth-place displaying. With the elimination of Dragana Lim in third place ($99,600), McKeehen arrange a heads-up showdown with Shawn Daniels. McKeehen got here out on high in the long run, sending Daniels to the rail with $157,700 for the biggest payday of his profession.
Here is a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the remaining desk:
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Joseph McKeehen | $224,100 | 480 |
| 2 | Shawn R. Daniels | $157,700 | 400 |
| 3 | Dragana Lim | $99,600 | 320 |
| 4 | Sergio Aido | $83,000 | 240 |
| 5 | Jake Schindler | $66,400 | 200 |
| 6 | Ankush Mandavia | $49,800 | 160 |
| 7 | Joey Weissman | $41,500 | 120 |
| 8 | Jeremy Ausmus | $33,200 | 80 |
