ShareCanada’s Eliot Hudon signed his name in the history book’s when he took down the WPT World Championship title and a massive $4,136,000 after battling through a record-breaking field of almost 3000 entries.
The $10k buy-in tournament, with a $15million guarantee, eventually broke several WPT records when the prizepool topped out at $29,008,000 – the biggest-ever WPT prizepool and outside of the WSOP the biggest Las Vegas has ever seen.
By the time that televised final table of six was set, and everyone had secured a minimum $1million payday, England’s Benny Glaser had a commanding chip lead. That lasted all of four hands...
To Glaser’s credit, he didn’t let that setback affect him too much, although he needed a rivered flush to send short-stacked Colton Blomberg to the rail in 6th spot shortly afterwards.
Frank Funaro’s fine run ended in 5th spot when he ran into Hudon’s kings...
Hudon: K♠K♥
Funaro: A♥ 10♣
Flop: J♠6♦ 2♣
Turn: K♦
River: J♣
Hudon abused his position as chip leader as much as he could get away with, eventually finishing Adam Adler’s tournament hopes in 4th place and seeing off jean Claude-Moussa in 3rd after Glaser had crippled the Massachusetts pro’s stack.
Heads-up saw Hudon with a 3-1 chip lead but it would be another attempt by Glaser to get a hand through that would cost the Englishman the WPT World Championship title.
Hudon: 7♣ 4♦
Glaser: Q♦ Jâ™
Board: 8♥ 6♣ 2♦ 9♦ 5♣
Glaser’s river bluff-shove might have got through against many cards, but the 5♣ had filled Hudon’s straight – a quick call securing the Canadian his place in WPT history.
Final results
| 1 | Eliot Hudon | $4,136,000 |
| 2 | Benny Glaser | $2,830,000 |
| 3 | Jean-Claude Moussa | $2,095,000 |
| 4 | Adam Adler | $1,608,000 |
| 5 | Frank Funaro | $1,301,000 |
| 6 | Colton Blomberg | $1,001,050 |
Hudon told reporters afterwards: “At this point, it wasn't even about the money… If I'm going to make it this far, I kind of wanted to really win the trophy more than anything. I'm more in poker for winning more than the money.”
He added: “I don't deserve it any more than these guys, it's just we all know how it goes, some people have more luck in some spots.”
His win not only earns him $4,146,400, and a $10,400 entry into next year's WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, but he also wins an $8k Virgin Voyages cruise in a Rockstar cabin, Wynn Las vegas and WPT trophies, and will see his name engraved on the iconic Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
