Blake Whittington Wins WSOPC Tunica for $151,789; Max Young Casino Champ
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The World Series of Poker Circuit wrapped its penultimate stop on Monday as final tournaments concluded at Horseshoe Tunica. The stop minted some big-time winners including Maurice Hawkins winning his record-setting 13 gold ring.
Whittington Goes Back-to-Back
The stop culminated with the $1,700 buy-in Main Event, a tournament that attracted 466 entries and generated a $705,990 prize pool. Coming fresh off winning Event #9: $400 No-Limit Hold'em for $23,883, Blake Whittington went back-to-back to win the Main Event for $151,789, his fifth gold ring, and a seat in the 2019 Global Casino Championship.
Whittington’s victory came after riding high the entire tournament. He finished as the Day 1 chip leader, bagged the second biggest stack on Day 2, and never dipped below that on his way to closing it out.
"The week has just been unbelievable. I just caught heat in the middle of the week."
“At the end of Day 2, I kind of played bad in a couple of spots that I really regretted,” Whittington said. “I almost gave it away, really. I think that the break before Day 3 really helped me. I was able to reset and come in with a game plan.”
He continued: “I'm elated. The week has just been unbelievable. I just caught heat in the middle of the week. I had some deep runs, and I gained some confidence. It was crazy after I won the ring in the turbo [Event #9]."
In the final hand of the tournament, Asaf Ben Shushan got his short stack all in holding king-six suited and was flipping against Whittington’s pocket fours. The pocket pair held on a safe run out and Shushan had to settle for second place and $93,847 in prize money.
WSOPC Horseshoe Tunica Main Event Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blake Whittington | Jacksonville, Florida | $151,789 |
| 2 | Asaf Ben Shushan | Knoxville, Tennessee | $93,847 |
| 3 | Michael Rossitto | Brooklyn, New York | $68,559 |
| 4 | Roger Foley | Thayer, Missouri | $50,824 |
| 5 | Jesse Jones | Springfield, Missouri | $38,222 |
| 6 | Tim Burt | Diberville, Mississippi | $29,157 |
| 7 | Taylor Deane | Columbia, South Carolina | $22,556 |
| 8 | Schuyler Thornton | Corpus Christi, Texas | $17,699 |
| 9 | Nelson Bernal | Memphis, Tennessee | $14,085 |
Others to cash the Main Event were Travis Lutes (19th - $6,460), Timothy Miles (20th - $6,460), Robert Hankins (25th - $4,730), Kevin Eyster (30th - $4,130), Calvin Anderson (34th - $3,269), Mike Cordell (48th - $2,711), and Daniel Garber (54th - $2,711).
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Max Young Wins Casino Champ Title
In other side event news, former LFG Podcast guest Max Young was crowned Casino Champ, which means he will join Whittington in the 2019 Global Casino Championship. Young got most of his points after topping a 124-entry field to win Event #6: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha for $11,456 and his sixth gold ring.
"It was really nice to win an Omaha event," the 34-year-old told WSOP officials. "I'm not really an Omaha player but I feel like I learned a lot while playing. I have a little bit of history playing [Omaha], but I feel like I got a lot better mid-game."
Daniel Lowery was another pro to find success after besting an 894-entry field to win Event #2: $400 NLH Multi-Flight $200K GTD for $52,378 and his eighth gold ring. Meanwhile, Michael Sanders prevailed over a 287-entry field to win Event #11: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack (1 Day) for $13,779 and his fourth gold ring.
Here’s a look at all those to win rings at the Tunica stop:
WSOPC Horseshoe Tunica Event Winners
| Tournament | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $400 NLH Double Stack Big-Blind Ante | 260 | Michael Ledford | $21,023 |
| Event #2: $400 NLH Multi-Flight $200K GTD | 894 | Daniel Lowery | $52,378 |
| Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) | 173 | Scot Wilken | $15,410 |
| $250 NLHE SENIORS I | 253 | Gary Kuykendall | $12,399 |
| Event #4: $600 NLH Big-Blind Ante | 196 | Sohale Khalili | $26,245 |
| Event #5: $400 NLH Six-Handed | 190 | Charlie Dawson | $17,243 |
| Event #6: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 124 | Maxwell Young | $11,456 |
| Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) | 172 | Charles Davis | $15,328 |
| Event #8: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 432 | Maurice Hawkins | $31,372 |
| Event #9: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) | 308 | Blake Whittington | $23,883 |
| Event #10: $1,700 Main Event | 466 | Blake Whittington | $151,789 |
| Event #11: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack (1 Day) | 287 | Michael Sanders | $13,779 |
| $135 LADIES No-Limit Hold'em | 83 | Morgan Hayes | $2,656 |
| Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack (1 Day) | 168 | Chris Lynch | $14,969 |
| $250 NLHE SENIORS I | 161 | Lavern Fross | $8,693 |
| Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack (1 Day) | 200 | Eric Rivkin | $17,161 |
The WSOP Circuit will wrap up its season May 9-20 at Harrah’s New Orleans. It marks the last opportunity players have to either qualify or earn points for the 2019 Global Casino Championship.
Photos courtesy of WSOP Circuit.
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
