Anthony Finley Finds Redemption in 2026 Oklahoma State Championship of Poker $800 Main Event

Anthony Finley made his first main closing desk final yr within the 2025 Oklahoma State Championship of Poker $800 Primary Occasion, the place he completed third for what was on the time a career-best rating of $27,869. At present, Finley returned for the ultimate Day of the identical occasion, and by the tip of the night time, he was the final participant standing, defeating Arturo Toscano heads-up to assert the Championship trophy and $58,803 prime prize.

“It feels nice. It feels actually good,” Finley informed PokerNews following the win. “I really acquired into the occasion on a $140 satellite tv for pc. It was on a bit of little bit of a whim. I got here in, performed the Saturday flight, and simply felt good. I used to be making strikes once I wanted to. I needed to make plenty of huge folds early on in Day 1 earlier than I may construct up a stack.

Finley described first enjoying poker at an early age, earlier than taking over the sport extra significantly a few years in the past. “I’ve been enjoying since I used to be a child. My grandpa acquired me into it. I might play on-line once in a while once I was actually younger and wasn’t imagined to. Then I didn’t actually play in any respect as a youngster. I solely performed money a handful of instances in my early twenties. After I picked it again up two and a half years in the past, I might play the month-to-month tournaments right here. The Circuits would are available right here and in Durant. Two and a half years in the past, I dove into all of it. Money and tournaments.”

“A hundred percent,” Finley stated when requested if final yr’s closing desk run gave him extra confidence going into this one. “Final yr’s closing desk was certainly one of my first closing tables, interval. I didn’t actually have plenty of expertise final yr. I used to be going through plenty of aggression and didn’t fairly know the best way to cope with that. This yr, I felt like I used to be the aggressive one, and I used to be pushing the motion once I may. I felt like that was an enormous expertise increase for me.”

Ultimate Day Motion

Simply 29 gamers returned to the ultimate day from a area of 417 runners, and the eliminations had been quick and livid from the get-go. Amongst these to hit the rail earlier than the ultimate desk had been Eric Bunch, Day 1a chip chief Brad Stevens, start-of-day chip chief Richard Gebhart, Sarah Renko, and Doug Paxton, who gained the inaugural version of this occasion in 2006.

Following the elimination of Michael Varnell in tenth place, the ultimate desk was set, with Tandi Stevens beginning the ultimate desk with the chip lead and Finley fifth in chips. Toscano acquired off to a scorching begin as soon as the ultimate desk started, eliminating Jason Royman in ninth and Kyle Michael in eighth to place himself close to the highest of the counts. Finley, nonetheless in the course of the pack, stored himself in rivalry after eliminating Nick McGuire in seventh, in a hand that noticed McGuire shove with ace-four and Finley name with ace-ten.

Following the elimination of Taylor Holcomb in sixth, the motion floor to a halt. All 5 gamers quickly grew to become comparatively shut in chips, and it took over two hours earlier than one other elimination occurred.

“So the pay jumps had been fairly huge,” Finley stated of the prolonged five-handed battle. “I had the 2 huge stacks to my left, which is the worst desk draw ever. I used to be form of on the mercy of the deck. I actually didn’t have too many alternatives to make strikes till I acquired an enormous double. My mindset was to form of to attend for good palms to return, anticipate good spots, and push the sting once I may.”

Two main palms ended the five-handed stalemate. First, Toscano crippled Dylan Murrell in a straight over straight cooler. Toscano then eradicated Stevens, holding with two pair in opposition to Stevens’ open-ender, to take an enormous lead over his three remaining opponents. Quickly after, Finley flopped a flush to dispatch Bobby Randolph in fourth, closing the hole between himself and Toscano.

Following Murrell’s elimination in third place, Toscano held a 1.5:1 chip benefit over Finley going into heads-up play. Finley chipped away at Toscano, profitable the primary few palms with out showdown to take a really small lead over Finley, earlier than the deciding hand of the event befell. Finley flopped backside two pair to Toscano’s prime two pair, however the flopped checked by way of, and Finley turned a ship. A elevating conflict ensued till all of the chips acquired within the center, and after fading an even bigger boat from Toscano on the river, Finley took down the ultimate pot of the event.

That’s a wrap on the PokerNews protection of the 2026 Oklahoma State Championship of Poker. Keep tuned as we proceed to offer updates from tournaments world wide.