Caitlin Comeskey, Matt Savage Nab WPT Voyage Side Event Trophies
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The first-ever WPT Voyage is in the books, and the fun times in the Caribbean on board the Valiant Lady are now a distant memory.
While there were plenty of non-poker highlights — including a pajama party, tennis and golf outings and pickleball lessons from Vince Van Patten — it was the poker tournaments that brought hundreds of grinders on board. And while most of of those players went home with seashells as souvenirs, a handful of them were fortunate enough to leave with a WPT trophy in their travel bags.
One of the biggest winners of the weeklong Voyage was Aram Oganyan, who took down the $5,000 buy-in WPT Voyage Championship for $203,845 after a three-way chop with Carlo Basurto (2nd - $202,885) and Austin Srur (3rd - $188,670). Meanwhile, Brazil's Gregory De Faria shipped the $1,100 WPT Voyage Prime Championship outright for $155,400.
Here's a look at some of the other winners from the inaugural WPT Voyage.
Taylor Von Kriegenbergh Kicks Off WPT Voyage With $2,200 Turbo Victory
The WPT Voyage kicked off 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's Matt Savage Wins Omaha 8 Event
While Matt Savage spent most of the Voyage keeping things in order on the ship, the WPT Executive Tour Director sat down to play one tournament on the WPT Voyage.
That one tournament was all it took as the longtime tournament director shipped the $660 buy-in Omaha 8 event for $9,517 and the trophy.
The "Savage Average" creator posed for a victory photo with his wife, Maryann Savage, before heading to The Manor nightclub on board the Valiant Lady to celebrate with members of the WPT family and other media.
Another Trophy This Year for Caitlin Comeskey
Caitlin Comeskey is no stranger to trophies as the popular content creator won the award for Best Short-Form Content Creator at the GPI awards earlier this year. Now, Comeskey has a WPT trophy to add to the shelf as she took down the $240 buy-in Ladies Event for $10,451.
The final table of the Ladies Event, which drew 231 runners for a prize pool of $46,200, also included WPT's Andrea King (5th - $2,809), Sarah Landell (3rd - $5,078) and runner-up Jemikka Casella ($6,943).
Comeskey's winner's photo featured a packed rail that included Ben Ludlow, AJ Rudolph, Brian Winter, Tyler Patterson, and, of course, her partner in crime, Nikki Limo.
Brian Battistone Wins $25,000 High Roller
The biggest buy-in on the WPT Voyage was the $25,000 Super High Roller NLH, an event that drew 28 runners for a prize pool of $677,600.
There were plenty of known crushers in the mix, including 2022 WPT World Championship winner Eliot Hudon (4th - $81,312), Darren Elias (3rd - $121,968) and runner-up Taylor von Kriegenbergh, who was after his first trophy of the series. But it was Brian Battistone who emerged victorious for $304,920, a score that more than tripled his previous best of $78,641 from a 2022 online bracelet event.
Other side event winners on the WPT Voyage included Mitchell Halverson, who took down the $1,100 Mystery Bounty for $20,133 after fifth-place finisher Ludlow had the $25,000 bounty pulled for him by Nick “On Tilt Poker”, as well as $10,000 High Roller Turbo NLH winner Dylan Linde ($280,000) and Duy Ho, who picked up two trophies in $325 Pot-Limit Omaha ($4,800) and $150 Nightly NLH ($2,669).
A full list of winners on board the WPT Voyage is available in the table below.
WPT Voyage Winners
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $2,500 Turbo NLH | 86 | $197,800 | Taylor von Kriegenbergh | United States | $58,319 | |
| Event #2: $150 Nightly NLH | 134 | $16,080 | Jeffrey Beckley | United States | $4,111 | |
| Event #3: $325 Seniors NLH | 188 | $52,640 | Kenneth Compton | United States | $12,379 | |
| Event #4: $5,000 WPT Voyage Championship | 293 | $1,337,400 | Aram Oganyan | United States | $203,845* | |
| Event #5: $660 Tag Team NLH | 46 | $27,600 | Joshua O'Neal | United States | $9,813 | |
| Event #6: $660 H.O.R.S.E. | 30 | $18,000 | Jesse Hollander | United States | $7,100 | |
| Event #7: WPT Prime Voyage | 968 | $968,000 | Gregory De Faria | Brazil | $155,400 | |
| Event #8: $150 Nightly NLH | 66 | $7,920 | Jemikka Casella | United States | $2,505 | |
| Event #9: $1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha | 85 | $85,000 | Paul Chung | United States | $25,062 | |
| Event #10: $150 Nightly NLH | 138 | $16,560 | Andrew Leathem | Scotland | $1,815 | |
| Event #11: $325 Pot-Limit Omaha | 80 | $22,400 | Duy Ho | United States | $4,800 | |
| Event #12: $25,000 Super High Roller NLH | 28 | $677,600 | Brian Battistone | United States | $304,920 | |
| Event #13: $1,100 Mystery Bounty | 167 | $167,000 | Mitchell Halverson | United States | $20,133 | |
| Event #14: $150 Nightly NLH | 140 | $16,800 | Duy Ho | United States | $2,669 | |
| Event #15: $660 Omaha 8 | 56 | $33,600 | Matt Savage | United States | $9,517 | |
| Event #16: $325 NLH | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| Event #17: $10,000 High Roller Turbo NLH | TBD | TBD | Dylan Linde | United States | $280,000 | |
| Event #18: $240 Ladies NLH | 231 | $46,200 | Caitlin Comeskey | United States | $10,451 | |
| Event #19: $660 NLH | 228 | $63,840 | Vladimir Minarik | Slovakia | $14,444 | |
| Event #20: $150 Nightly NLH | 233 | $27,960 | Sandra Elbaum | United States | $5,184 |
*Photos courtesy WPT
