Stephen Chidwick Remains Focused on Legacy with NAPT $50k Super High Roller Win
After two days of high-stakes action on the felt here at here at the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT), Stephen Chidwick has triumphed over Thomas Boivin in the $50,000 Super High Roller, earning a payday of $557,930.
Hosted by Resorts World Las Vegas, the prestigious event drew 23 entries and with only three places paid, the poker world's elite battled it out for a piece of the $1,115,730 prize pool. With Chidwick's victory, he surpassed $74,000,000 in lifetime career earnings, and is closing in on the all-time leader Bryn Kenney, who fell just shy of the podium when he was eliminated on the stone bubble.
When asked if pursuing the number one spot on the all-time money list drives him, Chidwick mentioned, "Yeah, I mean, the all-time money list is definitely something that's motivated me for a long time."
"At the end of the day, I realized it doesn't mean that much. Most of it is volume and just playing the high stakes for a long time. But I think that that says something in itself. Longevity at the top of the game at the high stakes is something that's been important to me. And yeah, it's always nice to have a leaderboard to motivate you."
$50,000 Super High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (In USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $557,930 |
| 2 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | $334,700 |
| 3 | Cary Katz | United States | $223,100 |
Vibrant Final Table for a Super High Roller
With late registration still open before the start of Day 2, the field swelled from the six players who returned from Day 1 to a total of 14 competitors once the cards were in the air. Day 2 saw several new faces join the field, including Jesse Lonis, David Chen, Cary Katz, and Bryn Kenney. A handful of players who were eliminated before the end of Day 1 decided to fire another bullet, including Isaac Haxton, Jason Koon, Leon Sturm and Nick Petrangelo.
After a flurry of early eliminations, it wasn't long before the final table was set, and it wasn't the typical silent and serious atmosphere that is usually associated with high-stakes competition. The mood was light, with plenty of banter and laughs, often led by Cary Katz.
Chidwick was asked about what it was like playing with the energy-filled Katz and if it was part of his strategy to remain low-key.
"Yeah, Cary has been in a very good mood lately. It's fun to see that side of him. And yeah, I kind of just let him take the floor. Trying to focus on making sure I know how many chips everyone has and have a good game plan and try and conserve my energy a bit."
Momentum Shift During Three-Handed Play
Chidwick's game plan of remaining focused and not engaging too much in the table talk proved to pay off once the final three players reached the money.
"We were very deep the whole day, everyone on the table was a great poker player. So it was kind of cagey trying to not play too big of pots with with each other for the most part. And then, as it got to three-handed, I got basically a huge rush of cards and I was able to win quite a few pots in a row and didn't really look back."
That huge rush of cards began when Chidwick turned a straight in limped pot against Katz's top pair, which left him with just ten big blinds. The next hand, the duo clashed again blind versus blind where Katz was in great shape to double up with pocket treys against Chidwick's king-three suited. The best-case scenario turned into the worst for Katz when Chidwick paired his king on the turn, sending him to the rail in third.
Chidwick continued his momentum when he entered heads-up play with a slight lead over Boivin, who was the Day 1 chip leader. Boivin was unstoppable for most of Day 2, maintaining his chip lead in what looked to be a wire-to-wire victory in the making.
Chidwick had other plans for his formidable opponent, and quickly extended his lead by applying pressure and winning several pots without going to showdown. After whittling Boivin down and claiming a more than 5-to-1 chip lead, Chidwick sealed the deal in the final hand when he jammed the river with trips and Boivin called it off with two pair.
That wraps up coverage of the $50,000 Super High Roller here at the 2025 PokerStars NAPT. Be sure to follow PokerNews for future events all around the globe.