WPTDeepStacks Hollywood at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, drew 1,634 entries, the second-largest field in WPTDeepStacks history. After six days of action, Jason Young emerged victorious for a first-place payday of $263,205.
Final Table Results
1st: Jason Young $263,205 (includes $3,000 WPTDeepStacks Championship Package)
2nd: Leif Force – $183,540
3rd: Paul James Hizer – $119,820
4th: Kevin Chan – $89,000
5th: Dave Inselberg – $66,760
6th: Pedro Aldave – $53,785
7th: Quinn Bruno – $43,930
8th: Eddy Sabat – $34,125
9th: Stephen Ibrahim – $26,025
Hailing from Suffern, New York, the 37-year old Young now resides in Delray Beach, Florida. After having won a World Series of Poker bracelet early in his poker career in 2008, Young pursued other ventures while poker became secondary. Between opening a restaurant and having a daughter, life has thrown many challenges at Young.
“It’s been a long journey to get back here,” said Young after his win. “There’s been a lot of stuff that’s gone on in my life over the last five-to-six years, that I didn’t think I’d ever be back in a position like this. I’m rarely speechless, and I don’t even know how to process my thoughts just quite yet about everything.”
Coming into the final table with a sizable chip lead, Young kept his standing at the top until heads-up play. His battle with Leif Force was relatively brief, but the lead changed hands quickly and Young had to fight back to claim the title.
“This is nothing compared to what life’s been like for the last five years. This was fun. This was like a picnic. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a spot like this and I wasn’t going to get rattled by anything…not today. I was happy to be in the position I was in. We got heads up and there was a sizable amount of money that was guaranteed.”
As for his future poker plans, Young is going to enjoy this win for a little while.
“I’m going to celebrate this win with my daughter Kaeley and my family, and I can’t even possibly begin to think of what going to happen next right now. I’m just so happy that I can finally take a breath.”
Despite not being a regular on the poker circuit for the last few years, Young believes this victory could eventually get him back playing more often than he had been.
“I never went away. I opened a restaurant and had my daughter who I’m raising all by myself. I just haven’t had the opportunities to play like I once did, but this obviously has me wanting to come back and put in more volume like I was. It’s been like eight years since I’ve really been playing and I’m looking forward to playing in more tournaments like this.”
Finally, Young was very complimentary of the Seminole Hard Rock.
“This is the premier place in Florida to be. Everyone is so on point here. It’s such a great place to play.”
Young also takes the lead in the WPTDS Player of the Year race. The WPTDS POY package includes a $10,000 passport to be used at global WPT events along with up to four nights of accommodation at select WPTDS properties. Second place in the WPTDS Player of the Year standings earns a $3,500 passport and third place takes home a $1,500 passport.
Congratulations to Jason Young on becoming a WPTDeepStacks champion!
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