Kevin Nee Wins 20 Times Previous Biggest Score in WPT Seminole RRPO Championship

The World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Arduous Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open Championship wrapped up on Wednesday night with Kevin Nee successful his first WPT title and $605,100.

The six-figure victory gave the Pennsylvanian, who defeated heads-up opponent Joel Gola, a brand new career-high rating that’s greater than 20 occasions higher than the $25,000 he earned earlier this summer season from a 669th-place end within the World Collection of Poker (WSOP) Important Occasion.

The ultimate desk additionally included high-stakes professional Aram Zobian (third – $295,000) and four-time bracelet winner Chad Eveslage (4th – $220,000), who was after his second WPT title after successful the 2021 WPT Venetian for $910,370 and 2022 5 Diamond World Poker Basic for $1,042,300.

Rounding out the ultimate desk was New York’s Anthony Merlo and Florida native Hyndi Khomutetsky, who was seeking to turn out to be the third lady in historical past to win a WPT title.

WPT Seminole RRPO Championship Closing Desk Outcomes

*Consists of $10,400 entry into the WPT World Championship

Gola Finishes Runner-Up After Leaving for Granddaughter’s Birthday

The $3,500 buy-in event at Seminole Arduous Rock Hollywood in South Florida drew 1,224 runners for a prize pool of $3,916,800 — almost a full million greater than the assured $3 million.

In keeping with WPT updates, Gola held the chip lead getting into Wednesday’s six-handed last desk regardless of lacking two ranges on Day 2 to attend his granddaughter’s birthday celebration.

Gola’s success continued from there as he discovered himself dominated with ace-jack in opposition to the ace-queen of Khomutetsky, solely to river a jack to ship Khomutetsky out in sixth place.

Merlo was the subsequent to fall earlier than Eveslage’s quest for a 3rd WPT title got here to an finish as his queen-seven could not maintain up in opposition to the nine-eight of Zobian.

It was Zobian who went out subsequent earlier than a heads-up match that lasted only one hand as Gola three-bet jammed with king-jack suited and Nee put him in danger with ace-deuce of spades. A 3-spade flop was all she wrote as Nee locked up his first WPT title and main event victory.

Different gamers who cashed within the RRPO Championship embody Joey Weissman (86th – $8,200), David Jackson (76th – $9,600), Probability Kornuth (twenty fourth – $23,200), Rainer Kempe (twenty third – $28,000), Shannon Shorr (nineteenth – $33,500) and Frank Lagodich (eleventh – $49,000).

After wrapping up in Florida, the WPT workforce will head to Las Vegas for the much-anticipated WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. The $10,400 buy-in championship occasion will happen Dec. 13-19 with a televised last desk on Dec. 21.

*Photographs courtesy of WPT

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Outdoors Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for 3 International Poker Awards for his writing.