Season 5 of WPTDeepStacks rolled on this week with poker’s premier mid-major tournament circuit hitting Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida, for WPTDeepStacks Tampa. The $1,100 Main Event was one to remember. First-time champion Quentin Jones (pictured above) scored the $116,435 first-place prize, while last season’s first- and second-place finishers, Rex Clinkscales and Michael Cohen, both reached the final table.
“It feels great,” Jones said right after the victory. “It’s an amazing feeling. I’m happy to be here playing the WPTDeepStacks, and you’ll definitely see me back again.”
The score proved the largest of Jones’ young poker career, but it wasn’t the first time in the winner’s circle. Earlier in the Season 5 WPTDeepStacks Tampa series, Jones took first place in the third event of the festival, a $350 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament. He topped a field of 560 entries in that event and took home $31,987.
“I’ve been playing well all weekend, running well,” Jones said. “It’s just an amazing feeling. Hands holding up, and that’s all you can ask in poker – to play well and have your hands hold up, and that’s what happened for me this weekend. I’m happy and honored to be able to take down two trophies in the same week. I’ll definitely be playing more WPTDeepStacks tournaments now, and it feels great.”
Needless to say, it was quite the week of poker for Jones.
WPTDeepStacks Tampa Final Table Results
1st: Quentin Jones – $116,435*
2nd: Michael Cohen – $79,350
3rd: Justin Donato – $51,180
4th: Chaz Wexler – $36,860
5th: Charles Kahrs – $28,290
6th: Joshua Garber – $22,835
7th: Rex Clinkscales – $18,970
8th: John O’Neal – $15,120
9th: Christopher Agnello – $11,340
*First prize includes a $3,000 package for the season-ending WPTDeepStacks Championship.
The WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event attracted 620 entries and doubled the $300,000 guarantee with $607,600 in the pot. The top 78 finishers reached the money.
Jones reached the final table third in chips behind last season’s runner-up, Cohen, and Joshua Garber. Christopher Agnello was the first player eliminated in ninth place, and then it was John O’Neal busting in eighth place. Jones scored two double ups after that, including one through Clinkscales, the defending champion, that left Clinkscales severely short. Clinkscales was eliminated shortly thereafter in seventh place and took home $18,970.
Clinkscales’ (pictured above) run was extra impressive after he won the WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event last season, topping a field of 704 entries to take home the $159,354 first-place prize. The win also helped propel Clinkscales to win the Season 4 WPTDeepStacks Player of the Year title.
Garber went out in sixth place, and then Charles Kahr busting in fifth. Chaz Wexler went out in fourth, and that left Jones, Cohen, and Justin Donato in three-handed action. Interestingly enough, Cohen was the player Clinkscales defeated to win last season’s WPTDeepStacks Tampa title and now Cohen was back in the final three.
Cohen (pictured above) survived to heads-up play yet again after Donato busted in third place, but this time it was Cohen with the big lead going into the final duel. Last season, Clinkscales entered heads-up play with 14.475 million to Cohen’s 3.1 million and then sealed the deal. This season, it was Cohen taking his stack of 12.1 million up against Jones’ stack of 3.4 million. The result would be the same, though.
Jones chipped up and then doubled through Cohen to take a big lead of his own. Then the final hand came up when Jones’ 
defeated the 
of Cohen to win the tournament.
Cohen scored $79,350 for his runner-up finish.
Others to finish in the money were Anthony Astarita (32nd), David Tuthill (39th), and John Utley (55th).
To relive Jones’ victory, check out the event’s live reporting coverage.
Next up for WPTDeepStacks in North America is a brand new stop on the tour in Houston, as poker’s premier mid-major tournament circuit heads to FreeRolls Poker Club in Houston, Texas, for WPTDeepStacks Houston. The $1,000 Main Event runs September 26-October 1. More information can be found on the event hub on WPT.com.
Stay tuned to WPT.com for the latest news and updates from the World Poker Tour, including WPTDeepStacks. Don’t forget to follow WPTDeepStacks on Twitter, like the tour’s page on Facebook, and check it out on Instagram, too!