WPTDeepStacks Championship Winner Jeff Fielder Stays on the Grind at WPT Five Diamond

By Matt Clark

Jeff Fielder (pictured) already has one title to his name this week, but that isn’t stopping him from looking for more at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Fielder closed out the WPTDeepStacks Championship Main Event in Thunder Valley on Monday for $220,616 and claimed his second WPTDeepStacks title in the process.

Fielder went through a whirlwind of travel to arrive in Las Vegas yesterday for Day 2 of this event, only hours after hoisting the WPTDeepStacks trophy. The day was hectic, but he was thrilled to have made the trip and continue the grind.

“I didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted after winning and wound up with about four hours of sleep before jumping on an airplane for Vegas,” said Fielder. “I jumped on the alternate list as soon as I got here and was able to get in and play about a level and a half to put 27,000 in the bag for Day 3.”

The process of going from one Day 3 to another in the span of two days is “kinda weird,” according to Fielder, but he’s excited about the prospects of playing for close to $2 million for first place.

This was Fielder’s first time playing in WPT Five Diamond. He usually spends December with family and he tends to stay close to his home in Iowa rather than travel, but Fielder had it in his mind that if he finished third or better in Thunder Valley that he would make the flight to Las Vegas.

All things considered, WPT Five Diamond was a freeroll for Fielder, but as he puts it, “Life is a freeroll.”

Fielder and his girlfriend, Jen, are frequently busy making travel plans for the two of them while she undergoes chemotherapy treatments for cancer. She didn’t make the trip to Las Vegas but was planning to do so had Fielder made a run here at Bellagio. Unfortunately for the couple, Fielder lost out on Day 3, so Jen won’t be making the trip this time.

Nevertheless, the two have their sights set on warmer climates in the new year.

“Our next travel plan isn’t poker related,” Jeff said. “My cousin is getting married in Florida in May and have we been eyeballing Jamaica for the following week.

“Life is great, man. I’m trying to live the dream. Money is no good if you don’t spend it!”

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