Xingang "wxg1989" Wang Wins NJCOOP Event #44: $250 NLHE Thursday Thrill PKO Championship
It was a prize fighter's dream Thursday night in New Jersey, as NJCOOP Event #44: $250 NLH Thursday Thrill PKO SE Championship Trophy Event brought many heavy hitters to the felt in search of a coveted NJCOOP Championship Trophy. A total of 140 entrants (95 players, 45 re-entries) were on hand, boosting the prize pool over the advertised $30,000 Guarantee to a final total of $32,620, which was split evenly into the regular prize pool and the bounty prize pool.
Xingang "wxg1989" Wang was crowned the victor after six-and-a-half hours of fighting on the virtual felt. He earned a healthy sum of $7,905 for his efforts between knockouts and prize money, the result of a hot run of cards from five-handed play on, that ended with him catching a big bluff from runner-up "ChemDude73" to secure the big win.
NJCOOP Event #44 Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Prize | Bounties | Total |
| 1 | Xingang "wxg1989" Wang | $2,983 | $4,922 | $7,905 |
| 2 | "ChemDude73" | $2,983 | $1,190 | $4,173 |
| 3 | "phillychzsteak" | $1,958 | $535 | $2,493 |
| 4 | "Grav King" | $1,488 | $1,019 | $2,507 |
| 5 | "Kaymeal" | $1,131 | $277 | $1,408 |
| 6 | David "coles93" Coleman | $860 | $146 | $1,006 |
| 7 | "1st.p1ace" | $654 | $495 | $1,149 |
| 8 | Ross "rosseg" Gottlieb | $497 | $269 | $766 |
| 9 | "lIlbILLYmAC" | $424 | $524 | $948 |
Action of the Day
Twenty players were able to take home some of the regular prize pool, on top of any bounties they had accrued in the tournament. Two-time 2021 NJCOOP champ Dan "monkeyman067" Sewnig (11th - $362 + $146 in bounties), Angel "Chr0meKing" Lopez (15th - $309) and Anthony "FlawlessBINK" Maio (16th - $264 + $408 in bounties) were a few players who finished in the money before the final table of nine was hit.
It took exactly one hand for the first bustout of the final table to occur, when "lIlbILLYmAC" ran ace-queen into the queens of "ChemDude73", who came to the final table with the chip lead after a hot run late in the day. Ross "rosseg" Gottlieb would fare no better against "ChemDude73", as Gottlieb ran into "ChemDude73" and their aces to fall in eighth.
"Kaymeal" then donned the knockout gloves, dispatching "1st.p1ace" and David "coles93" Coleman to bring the field to five. Despite the two knockouts, "Kaymeal" was actually the next to go, falling victim to Xingang "wxg1989" Wang in back-to-back hands to send Wang in front with four left.
"Grav King" would go next, leaving the final three nearly even in chips. Despite starting out three-handed play on a heater that gave them nearly two-thirds of the chips in play, "phillychzsteak" cooled off in a hurry and busted in dramatic fashion when Wang made quad sevens.
With a 2:1 chip lead at the start of heads-up play and fairly shallow stacks, it didn't take long for the tournament to reach a conclusion. "ChemDude73" flopped an open-ended straight draw with seven-six and chose to play it aggressively, check-raising a turn bet from Wang. "ChemDude73" jammed the river after missing their draw, but Wang was waiting with jacks-full, and Wang earned the NJCOOP Championship Trophy and the biggest bounty of the day.
PokerNews will conclude coverage of the 2021 NJCOOP on Sunday with coverage of Day 1 of NJCOOP Event #52: $300 NLHE (Main Event), so be sure to tune in then!
Recent 2021 NJCOOP Winners
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #42: $30 NLHE [6-Max], $10K GTD | 455 | $12,421.50 | 1st.p1ace | $2,224.14 |
| Event #43: $200 NLHE, $17.5K GTD | 131 | $24,366 | DieselDigz | $5,340.74 |
| Event #44: $250 NLHE [8-Max, PKO, Thursday Thrill Championship], $30K GTD | 140 | $32,620 | Xingang "wxg1989" Wang | $7,904.91 |
| Event #45: $30 NLHE [8-Max, PKO, Mini Thursday Thrill], $7.5K GTD | 391 | $10,674.30 | BLACKKOWBOYZ | $1,762.51 |
| Event #46: $150 NLHE [Turbo], $15K GTD | 117 | $16,110.90 | IIIbILLYmAC | $3,531.33 |