On Tuesday, James Mackey topped the final table of the televised WPT Choctaw Main Event at Choctaw Casino Resort, pocketing $681,758 and a seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions. Mackey also earned a pair of Monster 24K headphones and a Hublot King Power Unico Carbon and Red watch, and assumed the lead in the Season XV Hublot WPT Player of the Year race.
Mackey defeated Benjamin Zamani heads up. On the final hand, Zamani moved all in with pocket fives, and Mackey held a dominating pair of eights. The eights held up, and Zamani earned $412,234 for his efforts.
Mackey now has more than $3.5 million in career lifetime earnings, and two legs of poker’s elusive Triple Crown.
Also at the final table was Craig Varnell, winner of the 2015 partypoker presents: WPT500 at ARIA Resort & Casino. Varnell exited the final table in third place, pocketing $306,346.
Season XV WPT Choctaw Final Table
1st: James Mackey – $681,758*
2nd: Benjamin Zamani – $412,234
3rd: Craig Varnell – $306,346
4th: Bastian Fischer – $230,300
5th: Jack Duong – $175,122
6th: Matthew Smith – $134,720
* First prize amount includes winner’s $15,000 entry into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions.
Season XV of the World Poker Tour continues with the WPT Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Hotel & Casino. For more information on the entire festival, including the televised WPT Legends of Poker Main Event, click here.