Qing Liu Will Take Commanding Lead to WPT Prime Championship Final Table

Qing Liu, a WPT Champions Membership member, could have a commanding chip lead when the $1,100 buy-in WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas kicks off on Dec. 20.

World Poker Tour followers might recall that identify from 2021 when Liu pulled off when of probably the most legendary runs in WPT historical past. He first received the WPT Venetian in March of that 12 months for $752,880 earlier than ending sixth within the WPT Gardens Poker Championship for $111,795 the next day.

Each last tables occurred in Las Vegas, and the poker professional from California can be again in Sin Metropolis subsequent Saturday seeking to get his arms on the $1,177,880 first-place brize. However he’ll have 5 different gamers attempting to maintain him out of the winners circle.

Can Liu Shut it Out?

Liu, who received a aspect occasion at Wynn for $51,000 a couple of weeks after his WPT last desk run, will return to motion subsequent weekend with 126,600,000 chips, good for 63 huge blinds. No different participant has greater than 42 huge blinds, with Fernando Martin Del Campo in second place with 85,500,000 chips. Aaron Johnson, who held a chip lead all through a good portion of the Day 3 session, sits in third place with 65,900,000.

Last Desk Chip Counts

There are two gamers who will come again with just below 25 huge blinds — Tim Burden and Uri Foox — whereas Safiya Umerova, the one lady on the last desk, has a tiny stack of simply 9 huge blinds.

All six remaining gamers are assured to go dwelling with at the least $250,000, however the pay jumps can be huge proper off the bat, as fifth place is to obtain $325,000.

Will Givens bubbled the ultimate desk on Friday, however nonetheless earned $191,000 in a no-limit maintain’em match that attracted 9,876 entrants. Stephen Track, who received the inaugural WPT Prime Championship in 2022, was among the many chip leaders deep on this 12 months’s occasion. However he finally bowed out in 18th place for $53,000.

Liu is the one previous WPT champion to succeed in the ultimate desk. He entered the match with only a few bucks beneath $5 million in reside match cashes, based on The Hendon Mob.

The ultimate desk from Wynn can be televised, and can begin with 2:58 left in Degree 40 (1,000,000/2,000,000 with a 2,000,000 huge blind ante).

*Picture courtesy of the World Poker Tour.