Seat 1: Jamil Wakil, 35, Toronto, Canada (4,975,000)
When Jamil Wakil first made the final table of a major PokerStars-sponsored event – the 2023 PCA Main Event in the Bahamas – he had only just taken the plunge to go pro, despite spending much of the previous decade playing poker around the world. The Toronto native had stuck with a job in mutual funds at a major Canadian bank, even as he rose through the ranks as a poker player.
If the PCA run, which ended in a sixth-place finish for $307,500, suggested he had made the right choice, the subsequent year-and-a-half has further confirmed it. Wakil has added a further six six-figure scores since then, including this run in Monte Carlo, which could yet earn him his first $1 million result.
"When I left my finance job, of course I was leaving more stability, but it's a trade-off for getting to travel and make your own schedule, and also doing something I really love," Wakil said. "It's been amazing. I feel blessed."
He has now travelled around the world a couple more times, playing all the major events, and still evidently loving every minute of his new career. He remains a force at the online tables, too. He continues to rack up results under his PokerStars screenname "Jamil11", including making the final table of the $10,000 WCOOP Main Event in 2023.
Wakil added that he had some "unfinished business" in Monte Carlo, referencing a near miss last year when he reached the penultimate day well stacked, but perished earlier than he'd hoped. "To make another deep run is pretty incredible," he said. "Last year I came in fourth in chips out of 16 for Day 5, and I ended in 13th. Now, obviously, I've got past that. I'm at the final table and then some."
Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars
Tournament Progression
Day 1: 105,000 (1a, 52/123)
Day 2: 60,000 (134/149)
Day 3: 912,000 (14/52)
Day 4: 1,560,000 (10/18)
Day 5: 4,975,000 (4/6)
Career Statistics
Earnings: $2,658,100
Best EPT result: 13th, 2024 EPT Monte-Carlo
EPT cashes: 5
Event Highlights
At the feature table late on Day 4, Wakil was down to 255,000 and was all in with king-ten but dominated by Diego De Martino's king-jack. The flop, however, gave Wakil the nut straight and a fortunate double up.
Wakil again victimized De Martino on Day 5 as De Martino bet 800,000 on the turn of a ten-high board and Wakil came back with an all-in shove for 1,375,000. De Martino took several minutes before folding and Wakil raked in the big pot without a showdown. At the final table, Khossein Kokhestani four-bet to 1,200,000 and Wakil five-bet shoved for 3,440,000 with two queens as Kokhestani snap-folded an ace.