Jake Daniels Heads Three-Way Chop in Million Dollar Heater
Three players chopped the Million Dollar Heater $3,200 Main Event at Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino, with Jake Daniels taking home the trophy as part of a deal that divvied up the prize pool between Daniels and circuit grinders Tripp Kirk and BJ McBrayer. According to Tripp Kirk, the players agreed on an independent chip model (ICM) chop that awarded Daniels and Kirk approximately $113,000, while McBrayer got roughly $78,000.
The tournament, a yearly highlight of the poker scene in the South, drew 161 runners, so there was an overlay in the prize pool because of the $500,000 guarantee.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Daniels | $113,000* |
| 2 | Tripp Kirk | $113,000* |
| 3 | BJ McBrayer | $78,000* |
| 4 | David Chocheles | $40,000 |
| 5 | Caufman Talley | $30,000 |
| 6 | Josh Palmer | $25,000 |
| 7 | Ryan Van Sanford | $20,000 |
| 8 | Scott Weinberg | $15,000 |
| 9 | Nesrin Can | $10,000 |
*Denotes prizes approximate as estimated by Kirk, reflecting deal
The final table kicked off on Wednesday with four-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner Caufman Talley in the lead, according to the live updates by Paul Oresteen. He scored the first two eliminations to strengthen his position as the favorite.
Daniels caught a big break when he three-bet a Ryan Van Sanford open while holding two jacks and flopped a set. Van Sanford had slowplayed aces and was forced to double Daniels up. He busted in seventh shortly thereafter. Daniels continued to run hot and busted Josh Palmer in sixth when he flopped another set, this time with tens when Palmer had top pair with ace-jack on a flop of J♥10♠3♥.
Kirk then eliminated Talley in a five-bet preflop all-in pot with the former spiking an ace with the A♥K♠ against the latter's jacks.
That left four players, but David Chocheles lagged behind his three competitors with a short stack. He shoved it in with king-jack but was unable to overcome the ace-jack of Kirk.
The remaining three players took an unscheduled break and came to an agreement on the deal that saw amateur player Daniels, who came in with just $10,000 in live cashes, named champion.
*Image courtesy of BeauPoker.com.
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