Benjamin Scrogins Wins the bestbet Jacksonville CPPT Main Event ($158,915)
Florida has been a hotbed of poker action ever since live poker has resumed with bestbet Jacksonville often the center of attention. Last week was no different with 331 entries battling it out in the bestbet Jacksonville Card Player Poker Tour (CPPT) $2,500 Main Event to generate a $759,360 prize pool.
Benjamin Scrogins put a dominating display at the final table including defeating eight-time WSOP Circuit champion Kyle Cartwright to win the $158,915 top prize. This was a new personal best for Scrogins, who came into the event with $200,000 in lifetime cashes, of which nearly half came in 2017 when he won a Heartland Poker Tour $1,650 Main Event for $94,515.
2021 CPPT Jacksonville Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin Scrogins | $158,915 |
| 2 | Kyle Cartwright | $105,942 |
| 3 | Dustin Holladay | $77,910 |
| 4 | Lamare Davis | $57,979 |
| 5 | Jessica Cai | $43,669 |
| 6 | Joseph Crowley | $33,292 |
| 7 | Mac Johnson | $25,695 |
| 8 | Jeremy Joseph | $20,081 |
"My experience here has been amazing. This is my home and I love everybody here"
Every major victory is special, but winning the CPPT Main Event in front of a rail of friends made it even that much more special for Scrogins.
"Having the whole rail here made it feel even better," Scrogins told Card Player officials after the victory. "I almost cried for a second, but I got myself together. My experience here has been amazing. This is my home and I love everybody here. I know most of the dealers by name, and every time I walk into the door it’s ‘Hey Ben, how are you doing?’ It’s first-name basis. It really is like a home away from home, I got a second family here for sure."
Related: Ever Seen An Eleven-Way Chop? It Happened at RGPS Horseshoe Council Bluffs!
Final Table Action
Dustin Holladay began the eight-player final table as the table captain with Scrogins and Jessica Cai not too far behind.
A trio of players quickly hit the rail in Jeremy Joseph (eighth - $20,081), Mac Johnson (seventh - $25,695), and Joseph Crowley (sixth - $33,292).
Cartwright had a small lead with five players remaining before he won a huge hand while sending Cai to the rail. Cai check-jammed the turn holding Qx9x on a Jx10x7x5x board. Cartwright called with AxJx for top pair and ended Cai's Main Event run in fifth place for $43,669 after a blank came on the river.
Scrogins then eliminated a short-stacked Lamare Davis and soon after Holladay regained his throne as the chip leader after he doubled against Cartwright.
Related: Wynn Millions Massacre: Foxen Eliminates Kenney in Brutal Quads-Over-Boat Cooler
Holladay Eliminated on a Massive Cooler
Holladay's reign as the table captain would soon come to an end, as would his quest for the title on a cooler of a hand. Scrogins min-raised the button with KxKx and was called by Holladay from the small blind with 6x6x.
Both players checked after Holladay improved to a full house on the 6x4x4x flop. Scrogins improved to a better full house after a Kx appeared on the turn and got some value with Holladay betting and calling a raise.
Holladay then check-jammed after a blank 3x completed the board on the river. Scrogins made the easy call and Holladay was the first player out on the podium in third place for $77,910.
Heads-Up Action
Scrogins began heads-up play with a huge 4:1 chip advantage over Cartwright. All momentum seemed to be with Cartwright and he soon was able to capture the chip lead once again.
However, momentum in poker is often only as good as your last hand with Scrogins able to regain the lead with stacks close to even when the final hand took place.
Scrogins opened the button with Q♣6♠ and was called by Cartwright with 9♣7♥. Scrogins smashed the Q♦Q♠8♠ flop to improve to trips and got Cartwright to check-call a small bet with air.
The action intensified after the 6♣ turn improved Scrogins to an unbeatable full house. Cartwright now had an open-ended straight draw called his opponent's check-jam for his tournament life. The river bricked and Cartwright was eliminated in second place for $105,942.
Despite missing out on the victory, Cartwright has been on fire with three big podium finishes including taking third place in the 2021 bestbet Jacksonville Spring Series $2,500 Main Event in March for $88,761.
*Lead image and hand information courtesy of Card Player Magazine
