Hollywood, FL (November 30, 2022) – England’s Andrew Wilson topped a field of over 1,500 entries Wednesday night at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, claiming his first World Poker Tour® title and $785,800. Wilson also earned a seat in the WPT® World Championship, and his name will be engraved on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
“He’s one of the all-time greats of the game. It’s a shame he’s not with us anymore. But like there’s so many great names on that trophy,” said Wilson. “It’s one of the most prestigious tournaments you can win, a WPT title. It still feels pretty surreal, and the money is not a bad bonus either.”
WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open has graced the WPT Main Tour schedule for four years in a row. The most recent installment saw 1,541 players enter the $3,500 main event, generating a prize pool of nearly $5 million, which paid out the final 193 finishers.
The entries number landed in seventh place on the top-ten list of most entries at a live, WPT Main Tour Championship. Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood now holds eight of the top-ten spots.
“I am always in awe of the turnout Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood produces,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “Thank you to all the players and staff who made the festival a great experience, and congratulations to Andrew for stamping his name in the WPT Champions Club.”
Josh Kay took second place for a payout of $525,000. Two-time WPT Champion Chad Eveslage placed third for $390,000. With the finish, Eveslage also earned 850 points toward 2022 WPT Player of the Year. The total narrowly puts him atop the leaderboard, landing 25 points ahead of Steve Buckner.
The other three final table finishers were as follows, three-time WPT Champion Brian Altman (4th place – $290,000), the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open defending champion Gediminas Uselis (5th place – $219,000) and Robel Andemichael (6th place – $167,000).
Other notable players to cash were Denys Shafikov (11th place), Phong “Turbo” Nguyen (12th place), three-time WPT Champion Anthony Zinno (17th place), WPT Champion Mike Vela (31st place) and the all-time WPT title leader, four-time Champion Darren Elias (56th place).
WPT Ambassadors Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme hosted a Meet-Up Game on Nov. 17, adding to the events schedule. Ultimately, the WPT Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Festival held over 40 events from Nov. 16 – 30, including a $25,500 No Limit Hold’em High Roller that was won by Sergio Aido.
Next stop for the WPT Main Tour is highly anticipated WPT World Championship Festival, commemorating the 20 years of the World Poker Tour. The year-end celebration kicks off tomorrow, Dec. 1, with the Premier Meet-Up Game and runs a robust events schedule through Dec. 20, culminating with the WPT World Championship televised final table.
All photos from WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open can be accessed via our Flickr Page.
For more information regarding this and all World Poker Tour events, visit WPT.com.
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