THE WINNING HAND! 🏆
2024 WPT Voyage
$5,000 Voyage Championship
Day: 1
Some Shots from Wednesday Night's Scarlet Night Party
Virgin Voyages is well known for Scarlet Night, which according to their website is:
"A full ship activation that is amorphous at its core, meant to be unique for each Sailor ... Scarlet Night is the result of a creative collaboration between Virgin Voyages’ in-house entertainment team and award-winning producer behind Sleep No More, Queen of the Night, and The Donkey Show, Randy Weiner, who conceived, designed and produced this, multi location-based event. Brooklyn’s exceptional nightlife producers, 'House of Yes' carry the energy on later into the night, with their creative experience concepts at Scarlet Lady’s onboard nightclub, The Manor."
Needless to say, poker players had a good time as evidenced by these photos shared by the WPT.
Get Your Sweet WPT Voyage Merch at the Virgin Voyages Gift Shop!
The WPT live updates recently shared that patrons on the WPT Cruise can buy some official merchandise onboard.
They said...
The WPT Voyage is quickly coming to an end with just one more full day of excitement ahead before disembarkment on Saturday morning.
Don't leave without a piece of official World Poker Tour or WPT Voyage memorabilia from the Virgin Voyages gift shop on Deck 6.
WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas is Back Dec. 3-20
There was never a doubt the historic World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas would return in 2024. But now we have official series dates for what will be one of the biggest events in poker history.
The series, now in its third year, is scheduled to run Dec. 3-20 at the luxurious Las Vegas Strip resort.
“We are ecstatic to continue our partnership with the World Poker Tour for the third consecutive year,” said Ryan Beauregard, executive director of poker operations at Wynn Las Vegas. “Over the coming months, we'll work diligently to craft an event schedule poker players from all over the world won’t want to miss.”
World Poker Tour Season XXII will conclude with the third annual WPT World Championship. The full schedule isn't out yet, but expect the biggest events to return such as the WPT Prime Championship and WPT World Championship.
WPT Season XXII Second Half Schedule
Recapping the 2023 WPT World Championship
Last December was not only a historic month for the World Poker Tour, but also poker in general. The series at Wynn attracted 33,712 entries and paid out more than $100 million.
That included the biggest event of them all, the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship, the first ever $40 million guaranteed poker tournament. Dan Sepiol beat out a field of 3,835 entrants to win $5.3 million, capping off one of the most memorable series in poker history.
But that was far from the only major tournament during the series. Take, for example, the $1,100 buy-in WPT Prime Championship that attracted a World Poker Tour record 10,512 entries, generating a prize pool north of $10 million. Calvin Anderson was the last player standing in that massive field, and received nearly $1.4 million.
The WPT Ladies Championship, also an $1,100 buy-in event, was conquered by Lisa Costello for $85,297, who beat out 457 entrants. This year's series figures to be just as big, if not bigger, and World Poker Tour CEO Adam Pliska is already excited.
“With great pride, we unveil the festival dates for the highly anticipated 2024 WPT World Championship,” Pliska said. “The tradition continues as we enter our third year alongside the incredible Wynn Las Vegas team, so mark your calendars in preparation for what is sure to be another memorable December.”
WPT's Vince Van Patten Teaches Poker Players Pickelball in the Cayman Islands
Dozens of poker players on board the WPT Voyage got a special experience on Tuesday, April 2 when the Valiant Lady set up shop on the shore of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. Those poker players became pickleball grinders as they received lessons from WPT commentator Vince Van Patten, a former tennis pro who made the transition to professional pickleball.
Van Patten, whose pickleball prowess was highlighted by Sports Illustrated last month, was joined by pickleball champion Mattias Johannson for two separate sessions of the popular sport on the balmy Cayman Islands with plenty of palm trees bordering the courts.
Taylor Von Kriegenbergh Kicks Off WPT Voyage With $2,200 Turbo Victory
The WPT Voyage kicked off earlier this week with a pajama-themed meet-up game and some tournament action in the form of a $2,200 buy-in Turbo No-Limit Hold'em event. That event drew 86 entries, including resident crusher Jesse Lonis and content creator Ben Ludlow, for a prize pool of $197,800.
Ludlow was among the 11 players who cashed the event, finishing in tenth place for $5,576 after the elimination of Michael Wang, who received the same payout. But it was Taylor von Kriegenbergh who came out on top to win the trophy and $58,319 after a heads-up battle with Daniel Neilson, who earned $38,878 for his runner-up finish.
Others at the final table included Americans David Moses (8th - $6,740), Matthew Wantman (4th - $18,537) and Corel Theuma (3rd - $26,358), as well as Brazil's Ueberton De Aquino (6th - $10,293) and Germany's Niko Koop (7th - $8,152).
WPT Voyage $2,200 Turbo NLH Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor von Kriegenbergh | United States | $58,319 | |
| 2 | Daniel Neilson | United States | $38,878 | |
| 3 | Corel Theuma | United States | $26,358 | |
| 4 | Matthew Wantman | United States | $18,537 | |
| 5 | Eduardo Gil | United States | $13,542 | |
| 6 | Ueberton De Aquino | Brazil | $10,293 | |
| 7 | Niko Koop | Germany | $8,152 | |
| 8 | David Moses | United States | $6,740 | |
| 9 | Aram Oganyan | United States | $5,829 |
*Photos courtesy WPT
Brazil’s Gregory De Faria Wins WPT Prime Voyage Championship After Marathon Heads-Up Match
The $1,100 buy-in, $500K GTD WPT Prime Voyage Championship attracted 968 runners over a trio of starting flights, and on Thursday 122 players returned to action. They were already in the money competing for a share of a $968,000 prize pool, and after a long day of play, it was Brazil’s Gregory De Faria emerging victorious to capture the title and $155,400 first-place prize, which included a $10,400 seat into the season-ending WPT World Championship at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Before the win, De Faria had just $14,062 in lifetime tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob with a prior career-best of just $3,930 for finishing 22nd in the 2022 Kings Series of Poker Special (KSOP) in Baleário Camboriú.
WPT Voyage Prime Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gregory De Faria | $155,400 |
| 2 | Trent Hopper | $97,000 |
| 3 | Nico Betbese | $72,000 |
| 4 | Brandon Takao | $54,000 |
| 5 | Brian Monigold | $41,000 |
| 6 | Allison Hollander | $31,000 |
| 7 | Gustavo Carmona | $24,000 |
| 8 | Lukas Zaskodny | $18,500 |
Others to cash the tournament were Darren Rabinowitz (10th - $14,600), Maria Scardaville (13th - $10,700), Brian Green (17th - $9,100), Jesse Sylvia (19th - $9,100), Nancy Birnbaum (24th - $6,400), Larry Ormson (42nd - $4,500), Calvin Anderson (55th - $3,800), Josh Reichard (58th - $3,200), Princess Love (61st - $3,200), and Ethan Yau (71st - $2,700).
According to WPT Live Updates, Princess Love fell in Level 20 (10,000/20,000/20,000) after Oliver Jarny raised to 50,000 from the hijack with pocket tens and then called when Princess Love three-bet jammed for 100,000 with queen-jack suited. It was a race but Jarny’s pocket pair held strong to put an end to Love’s run.
Similarly, Birnbaum busted in Level 24 (25,000/50,000/50,000) in a race situation after getting it all in with ace-queen of spades and failing to get there against the pocket jacks of Brian Monigold.
The elimination of 2013 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Ryan Riess in ninth place for $14,600 established the final table of eight with Nico Betbese and De Faria sitting atop the counts by a decent margin.
WPT's Vince Van Patten Teaches Poker Players Pickelball in the Cayman Islands
Final Table Action
On Hand #12 of the final table, Lukas Zaskodny lost a flip with pocket jacks to the ace-queen of Brandon Takao making him the first casualty. Not long after on Hand #17, Gustavo Carmona was next to go after calling off on the river with a queen-high straight only to see De Faria tabled a king-high straight.
Fan favorite Allison Hollander, who many players know for her work at bestbet Jacksonville, took her leave in Level 30 (100,000/200,000/200,000) on Hand #28 when she got her short stack all in with king-queen and was up against Takao’s ace-seven suited. Hollander failed to get there and had to settle for sixth place, good for $31,000 in prize money.
It took a while for the next elimination to occur but it came on Hand #68 when Monigold got his stack all in with two red sevens and lost a flip to Trent Hopper’s ace-queen suited. In the very next hand, Takao followed him out the door in fourth place losing ace-deuce to Hopper’s pocket queens, and just four hands later Betbese bowed out in third his king-jack being pipped by the ace-jack of De Faria.
De Faria held a slim chip lead headed into heads-up play, and the two would battle for more than 50 hands! On Hand #131, which took place in Level 34 (250,000/500,000/500,000), De Faria had opened up a lead and moved all in with queen-nine of hearts and Hopper called off with king-six offsuit. The board ran out with three hearts and Hopper officially finished as runner-up while De Faria claimed the title and $155,400 first-place prize.
While tournament play at the WPT Voyage has ended, Friday will see sailors enjoy a day at Bimini in The Bahamas where a player party will take place at Virgin Voyages’ private beach club. Upon returning to the Valiant Lady, players will have the opportunity for one last night of cash games before returning to Miami for disembarkation on Saturday morning.
*Images courtesy of WPT.
5 Big Hands from the WPT Voyage – Cracked Aces Leads to Andrew Neeme’s Demise
The WPT Voyage $5,000 Main Event attracted 293 runners, and after three long days of play it was Aram Oganyan who came out on top for $214,245 after a three-way deal with Carlo Basurto and Austin Srur.
The tournament was a fun one taking place on the high seas on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady. Between Days 1 and 2, there was even a stop at George Town in the Cayman Islands. Throughout the event, the World Poker Tour (WPT) live reporting team of BJ Nemeth and Mickey Doft were on hand to capture all the action.
During that time, they caught some either interesting or game-changing hands. Check out five of them below.
Popular Brazilian Blogger Busts One
On Day 1 in Level 10 (1,000/2,000/2,000), WPT champions Club member Matthew Wantman raised to 4,500 and Brazilian vlogger Romulo Dorea three-bet to 13,000 from the cutoff before Kayvan Payman four-bet jammed for 50,000 from the small blind.
Wantman got out of the way but Dorea wasted little time in calling with the A♥Q♥, which was behind the K♣K♠ of Payman. The Q♦9♠6♣ flop gave Dorea a little help, but it was the A♠ on the turn that gave him the lead.
The 2♥ river was no help to Payman, and the pot was pushed to Dorea, who was recently interviewed by Lance Bradley in this feature article on WPT’s website.
PokerNews Reporter Done in By WPT World Champion
On Day 1 in Level 8 (600/1,200/1,200), PokerNews Podcast host Chad Holloway moved all in for 15,200 from the button only to have reigning WPT World Champion Dan Sepiol, who won $5.3 million at the Wynn Las Vegas last December, call from the small blind.
Holloway held the A♥6♥ but was behind the A♠8♣. The K♥Q♦J♣ flop made a chop likely, and indeed the 9♦ turn meant the two would split the pot if neither paired their kicker on the river. Well, this is the WPT World Champ we’re talking about, so it only made sense the 8♥ spiked on the river to give Sepiol the win, which he put to good use by making it all the way to fifth place in the tournament.
Check out the WPT Hub on PokerNews here!
The Rise and Fall of a Bearded Russell Thomas
On Day 1 in Level 12 (1,500/3,000/3,000), former WSOP November Niner Russell Thomas raised to 6,000 from the cutoff and then called when Jesse Lonis three-bet jammed for 65,000.
Russell Thomas: 9♠9♣
Jesse Lonis: A♠J♦
It was a flip and the proverbial coin came down in Thomas’ favor after the board ran out 8♠8♦5♥5♣6♠ to dispatch Lonis.
Five levels later in Level 17 (5,000/10,000/10,000), it was Thomas moving all in from middle position for 40,000 and Sepiol three-bet to 70,000 from the hijack to clear the field. Thomas tabled the K♠J♦ and was looking to get there against the A♣9♦ of Sepiol.
That proved easier said than done though as the board ran out 10♦7♠5♣8♥10♠ to send Thomas to the rail.
WPT Ambassador Andrew Neeme Makes a Deep Run
On Day 2 in Level 21 (15,000/25,000/25,000), WPT Ambassador and vlogging godfather Andrew Neeme was in the big blind and checked a flop of K♠9♣4♦, which opened the door for Farid Jattin to bet 50,000 from early position.
Neeme called and then checked the J♥. Jattin bet 140,000, Neeme called, and the K♦ completed the board on the river. Neeme checked for a third time and Jattin moved all in. Neeme called off for 470,000 with the A♥A♦, but it was no good as Jattin rolled over the K♣5♣ for trips to crack Neeme’s pocket aces and send him out the door in 19th place for $17,000.
ClubWPT Regular Josh Guindon Finishers in 11th Place
Also, on Day 2 in Level 23 (20,000/40,000/40,000), ClubWPT and Stream Team Regular Josh Guindon called from the small blind before Sepiol moved all in from the big. Guindon called off for 650,000 with the A♥K♥ and was primed to double against the Q♣6♣ of Sepiol.
However, the 9♠8♣7♠ flop gave Sepiol both straight and flush draws, while the 9♦ turn added some chop outs. Unfortunately for Guindon, the 3♣ river gave Sepiol a club flush and ended the ClubWPT regular’s run in 11th place for $24,000. Not too shabby given Guindon came on the cruise after winning a seat into the WPT Prime Voyage Championship and opted to buy into the Main Event as well.
*Images courtesy of WPT.
Shots from Friday's WPT Voyage Bahama Player's Party
Smashing the Bucket List!