WPT Choctaw Championship Could See Eric Afriat Tie Darren Elias' Title Record
The second straight day of World Poker Tour (WPT) action inside the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas is set to get underway after last night's electrifying Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship that saw Josh Reichard defeating Landon Tice heads-up for $839,300 with one of the loudest rails in WPT history.
Today's Choctaw Championship final table gives Eric Afriat a chance to make his own WPT history by winning his fourth title to tie all-time leader Darren Elias. Meanwhile, chip leader James Mackey looks to defend his 2016 in this same event and rising star Adam Hendrix moves in on his first title. Needless to say, this is another final table to keep an eye on.
Poker Boom star Erick Lindgren was looking for a third WPT title, but "E-Dog" fell in sixth place for $75,000 in the first half-hour of play.
The Choctaw Championship drew 603 runners for a prize pool of $2.1 million. Also at the final table are bracelet winner Sebastian Aube and recent WSOP Circuit Choctaw Durant winner Danny Marx, both of whom will look to etch their names in the WPT history books as they chase the $361,600 up top.
Read More About the WPT Choctaw Championship Final Table!
WPT Choctaw Start Day Chip Counts
After opening remarks from WPT's Adam Pliska, Matt Savage, Lynn Gilmartin, Tony Dunst and Vince Van Patten, the six final tablists were introduced to booming music and flashing lights as they made their way down the arena stairs one at a time. The loudest applause went to Afriat as he strutted down in a flashy red blazer, linen handkerchief and matching white pants and undershirt.
The tournament took an unexpected turn as the two overwhelming chip leaders, Mackey and Hendrix, found themselves all in to the delight of the short stacks at the table eager for a pay jump. Tension in the room eased as both players flipped over ace-king in a hand that resulted in a chopped pot.
Not long after, Lindgren found himself all in with ace-nine to be ahead of the king-jack of Aube. A king-high flop gave Aube a big lead and another king on the turn left the old-school legend drawing dead to be the first player out.
As for Afriat, he's managed to chip up to find himself second in chips behind Mackey after a set-over-set cooler against Hendrix. In addition to the chips, the three-time WPT champion has the heart to win a record-tying fourth title.
"It's important to me," Afriat told PokerNews earlier in the event. "That's why I keep playing these WPT's because I want to write history."
The televised final table can be viewed at a later date, but you can follow the action in real-time with updates from WPT. PokerNews is on-site here at Hyper X Arena and will be recapping the final table action.
WPT Choctaw Championship Remaining Payouts
| PLACE | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $361,600 | |
| 2 | $235,000 | |
| 3 | $175,000 | |
| 4 | $131,000 | |
| 5 | $99,000 |
*Images courtesy WPT/Enrique Malfavon.
