After the confetti had rained down, the trophy had been raised, and the lights had gone off at the second edition of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour Las Vegas $5,300 Main Event, Nick Marchington had one reaction to what his run was like: it felt like a dream.
The 26-year-old UK pro started the final table as a massive chip leader and never lost it, putting on one of the most dominant final table performances in recent memory on his way to being crowned NAPT champion and taking home the $765,200 top prize.
“It really was a dream. It’s one of the most fun experiences I’ve had playing poker,” Marchington said after clinching the title. “Obviously, everyone loves to come in being the chip leader, and I was very lucky to be able to maintain the chip lead and not even come close to losing it for pretty much the whole final table.”
2024 NAPT Las Vegas Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Marchington | United Kingdom | $765,200 |
| 2 | Joel Micka | United States | $478,450 |
| 3 | Jeff Madsen | United States | $341,750 |
| 4 | Marco Johnson | United States | $262,900 |
| 5 | Curt Kohlberg | United States | $202,250 |
| 6 | Masato Yokosawa | Japan | $155,550 |
| 7 | Brock Wilson | United States | $119,650 |
| 8 | Matt Affleck | United States | $92,000 |
Marchington navigated through a field of 895 of some of the toughest players in the United States and across the world to earn the biggest title of his young career. But it wasn’t his first taste of the poker spotlight. Five years ago, a then-21-year-old Marchington made the final table of the biggest tournament in the world, the WSOP Main Event, ultimately finishing in seventh place. He was a newcomer to tournament poker then, with just one previous live cash on his resume. Now five years older and wiser, he was better prepared to meet the moment this time.
“I think when I made that run in the Main Event in 2019, I was a spring chicken, especially in tournaments. I was very inexperienced in poker, and now in life and in poker, I feel a lot more experienced. I’ve been doing this for a living now for six years, and I felt a lot more ready for the whole experience of a final table,” he said.
Marchington defeated Joel Micka heads-up and, fittingly for such a commanding performance, took just one hand to do it. Marchington ended up with a seven-high straight to beat Micka’s six-high straight. For the Washington native, it was his second close call in a PokerStars event after finishing runner-up in the PCA in 2013. The win moves Marchington past $3 million in career live earnings and etches his name in poker lore as a wire-to-wire champion.
Final Table action
The final six players returned to the main stage inside Resorts World Las Vegas today at 12:30 local time to play down to a champion. Marchington began as chip leader with 9,990,000, more than 4,000,000 ahead of his closest challenger Jeff Madsen.
Table short-stack Masato Yokosawa had the eyes of his native Japan on him and gave his legion of followers something to cheer for when he doubled up for 790,000 with ace-queen against Madsen’s ace-eight. Marchington, meanwhile, continued where he left off yesterday, using his massive stack to constantly apply pressure and consistently increase his lead.
Marchington crossed 11,000,000 in a pot against Madsen when both players hit top pair of jacks, but Marchington turned two pair to win the pot. Marchington ramped up the aggression from there as he approached 13,000,000 simply by taking down pots uncontested.
Marco Johnson finally stopped Marchington’s surge when he picked up kings to double up. But Marchington didn’t wait long to recover, raising to 240,000 in the cutoff. Yokosawa then moved all in for 2,020,000 and Marchington called with two jacks. Yokosawa could only show two tens as the vlogging superstar was sent to the rail in sixth place.
On the next hand, Micka raised to 250,000 under the gun and Curt Kohlberg shoved for 2,280,000 in the cutoff. Micka called as the two players went off to the races, Micka with two nines and Kohlberg with ace-king. The board provided no help to Kohlberg and the Massachusetts businessman was eliminated in fifth place.
Micka soon scored another knockout, waking up with two tens after Johnson shoved for 2,230,000 with ace-four. Johnson found two pair on the flop, but Micka spiked a set and Johnson was sent to the rail in fourth place, the third elimination at the table in a span of five hands.
Despite Micka picking up the last two bustouts, Marchington reminded the table that he was still the captain. He five-bet shoved on Micka to cross 17,000,000, flopped two pair against Madsen, then bluffed Micka with just four-high as he approached 20,000,000.
Madsen then limped in from the small blind and Micka raised to 600,000 in the big blind. Madsen called as the flop gave him two pair. Micka continued for 900,000, Madsen shoved for 2,125,000, and Micka called with ace-queen for a straight draw. The king on the turn gave Micka his straight and left Madsen a card away from elimination, but he spiked a full house on the river for a miracle double up.
Micka dropped down to just 1,280,000, less than ten big blinds, but soon doubled up off Marchington with a straight. He won some more off Marchington when he rivered the nut flush as Marchington got away from two queens. Micka managed to double up once more before Madsen called off his last 3,375,000 in the big blind after Marchington shoved in the small blind. Marchington had ace-high, while Madsen had woken up with two queens. The board was safe for Madsen through the turn as he was poised for a double up, but Marchington would not be denied on this day and spiked an ace on the river to bust Madsen in third place.
Marchington led Micka 21,475,000 to 5,550,000 at the start of heads-up. On the first hand, Marchington bet 250,000 on the flop and Micka called. Marchington bet 750,000 on the turn and Micka again called to the river, where Marchington moved all in. Micka called for 4,200,000 with a six-high straight, but Marchington had seven-four for a seven-high straight to cap off his dominating run at the final table.
Marchington tried his best to remain composed during the final table, not letting his big chip lead cloud his thoughts with premature notions of grandeur. He didn’t take the victory for granted until the very end.
“It was in my mind a little bit, but I really tried to just take every hand as it came, because I know that I’m fully capable of punting it off or like, you know, going on a downward trajectory. So I just wanted to stay focused in the moment,” he said.
Five years ago he achieved a poker player’s dream of making the WSOP Main Event final table. Today he got to experience the thrill of lifting the trophy in one of the most prestigious events on the calendar, a feeling he won’t soon forget.
“The PokerStars main events are pretty much the most prestigious to win, so it feels great to win one. And it’s a really cool trophy. It will definitely be a memory for life,” he said.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the 2024 NAPT Main Event. PokerStars Live heads next to EPT Prague from December 4-15, and PokerNews will be there providing updates throughout the festival.
