TK Miles Wins Card Player Poker Tour bestbet Jacksonville Main Event

The first-ever Card Player Poker Tour bestbet Jacksonville main event, held back in 2013, ended with TK Miles accepting an even split of the remaining prize money with Harvey Vandeven, who had more than a 2.5:1 lead at the time. Nine years later, The Floridian poker pro managed to make it back down to heads-up play in another CPPT bestbet Jacksonville main event. Once again, a heads-up deal was struck. This time, though, it was Miles who walked away with the title.

The 2022 running featured a $3,000 buy-in. With 224 total entries, the prize pool grew to $604,800. Miles held the chip lead when the field was narrowed down to the final two, and struck a deal that saw him secure the title and $121,480 in prize money, while 10-time World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring winner Jeff Trudeau took home $109,321 as the runner-up.

“It feels great. Happy to win,” said Miles after coming out on top.

This was the ninth-largest score of Miles’ career, and his 16th recorded tournament title. The Tallahassee native now has more than $4.75 million in lifetime earnings to his name after this victory.

In addition to the title and the money, he also earned 576 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his first title and seventh final-table finish of the year. With 1,670 points and in $233,233 year-to-date earnings, Miles now sits in 189th place in the 2022 POY race standings presented by Global Poker.

This tournament ran over the course of four days. After the two starting flights, day 2 began with 64 players remaining. Only the top 28 made the money, and plenty of notables fell before the bubble burst, including Kelley Slay, David Tuthill, Nghia Le, and bracelet winner Byron Kaverman.

Big names that made the money, but fell short of the final table, included the likes of Toby Boas (27th), Hunter Cichy (26th), Kelly Slay (23rd), 2019 WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble champion Josh Adkins (22nd), 2021 third-place finisher of this event Dustin Holladay (17th), two-time WPT champion Sam Panzica (15th), and Andrew Ostapchenko (12th).

The final day began with Miles in the lead and Trudeau in second chip position. The first player to hit the rail on the final day was Chongyou Chen. The event no. 2 champion and $1,700 mystery bounty event runner-up got all-in on a K4210 turn and was called by both Miles and John O’Neal. After a 4 river, Miles bet 300,000 and sent O’Neal into the tank. O’Neal eventually folded top pair with a queen kicker and Miles revealed A4 for the ace-high flush. Chen had 87 for a lower flush and was sent to the rail with $17,417 for his eighth-place finish.

A three-way all-in spelled the end of Jacksonville local John O’Neal. he got all-in preflop with AK facing the pocket queens of Dustin Nelson and the pocket tens of Pablo Crump. The board ran out J86Q9 and Crump rivered a straight to scoop the pot. O’Neal was knocked out in seventh place ($22,220), while Nelson slid to the bottom of the chip counts. O’Neal increased his career live tournament earnings to more than $352,000 with this score.

Nelson was the next to fall. He managed one double-up after losing the three-way all-in, but then ran A-10 into the pocket queens of Trudeau and was unable to come from behind. The $28,749 he earned for his sixth-place showing increased his lifetime earnings to more than $830,000.

Fred Paradis, who finished as the runner up in the World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Tampa main event for $441,686 just over two months ago, was knocked out in fifth place when his pocket nines were unable to outdraw the pocket aces of Matthew Leecy. Paradis earned $37,712 for his deep run in this tournament, surpassing $1 million in career cashes in the process.

Four-handed play was a marathon affair, with many swings along the way. More than four hours after Paradis was sent to the rail, the resilient Pablo Crump’s run in this event finally came to an end.Crump was all-in and at risk a handful of times at this final table, and managed to survive each of them up until when his pocket nines faced off against the A-Q of Miles. Crump was ahead going into the river, but a queen on the end eliminated him in fourth place ($50,149). This was the largest live tournament score of his career, topping the $26,249 he earned for winning a WSOP Circuit $600 pot-limit Omaha event at Harrah’s Cherokee last winter.

Three-handed play didn’t last nearly as long. With the blinds having grown large over the course of the long final table, the action was briskly paced. In what would turn out to be the final hand of the night, Miles raised to 250,000 from the button with QQ and Leecy reraised all in for 2,020,000 from the big blind with J10. Miles quickly called and the 642K5 runout saw Leecy eliminated in third place ($67,592). The Ottawa, KS native now has more than $1.1 million in lifetime earnings to his name.

Miles was set to enter heads-up play with 5,660,000 to Trudeau’s 3,300,000. Before play began, though, the two agreed to a chop based on ICM. The pair shook on the deal, bringing the tournament to an end.

With the $109,321 he secured in the deal, Trudeau’s career earnings grew to $2,917,485. This was his sixth-largest score to date.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

More CPPT bestbet Jacksonville Action

This was the ninth CPPT festival to be held at bestbet Jacksonville. It ran from Oct. 27- Nov. 14, with 16 total events. More than 2,400 tournament entries were made throughout the series, with a total of $1,447,365 in prize money paid out along the way.

The series featured a trio of marquee weekend events that served as the centerpieces of the schedule. The first of these was the opening event. The $400 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament ran from Oct. 27-30. A total of 811 entries were made across the six starting flights, building a total prize pool of $263,575.

In the end, Donovan Wright emerged victorious with the title and the top prize of $45,247. This was Wright’s first recorded live tournament title and by far his largest score yet. The Columbia, South Carolina native now has more than $57,000 in lifetime cashes to his name.

The second event was won by none other than main event eighth-place finisher Chongyou Chen. He beat a field of 138 entries in the $360 no-limit hold’em $100 bounty tournament, earning from the main prize pool $4,931 after striking a three-way deal. Chen also finished as the runner-up in the $1,700 mystery bounty event, earning $122,000 in total with $40,000 from the prize pool and three large mystery bounty payouts totaling $82,000.

Thomas Carroll topped a field of 98 total entries in event no. 3, a $200 no-limit hold’em tournament, for $4,393 after defeating Robert Terrel heads-up for the win.
A total of 112 entries in the $360 buy-in no-limit hold’em ‘Monster Stack’ built a $33,600 total prize pool that was paid out among the top 15 finishers. The largest share was ultimately awarded to Lonnie Stevens, who took home $6,185 as the champion.

The first mixed-game event on the schedule was a $260 buy-in H.E.R.O.S. tournament. Anthony Midolo beat out 33 players to win $2,000. The non-NLH action continued with event no. 6, a $300 buy-in ‘Big O’ tournament. The event attracted 60 entries to create a prize pool of $14,700. The final pot was scooped by Tammer Ilcaffas, who earned $4,808 and his fourth career live tournament title.

The $260 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament drew 95 entries, building a $20,425 prize pool, with the largest segment going to eventual champion Alec Wilson ($5,866).

The second big weekend event was the previously mentioned $1,700 no-limit hold’em mystery bounty event. With 238 entries, resulting in a main prize pool of $242,760 and another $119,000 allotted for mystery bounty payouts ranging from $500 up to $50,000. The tournament had three starting flights. The 31 players who moved on to day 2 all had a shot at the mystery bounty prizes when the final day of play began on Nov. 6. After a full day of poker and bounty drawing action, Scott Risi took home the title and the top prize pool payout of $49,762.

The main prize pool of event no. 9, the $360 buy-in no-limit hold’em event with $100 bounties, grew to $24,600 thanks to a turnout of 123 entries. The top prize of $6,407 was ultimately captured by Jacksonville resident Alfred Miller.

Next up was a $260 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament. With a total of 84 entries, the prize pool grew to $18,060. Fred Evans came away with the title and the top prize of $4,308

The $360 no-limit hold’em ‘Monster Stack’ event drew a field of 117 entries, building a prize pool of $35,100. Daniel Zuheir captured the largest chunk, adding $9,344 and the trophy.

Starr Valdez topped a field of 56 entries in the $320 buy-in ladies event. Valdez earned $5,044 as the champion, the fifth-largest live tournament score on her résumé. She now has almost $100,000 in recorded tournament earnings to her name.

The $500 pot-limit Omaha event drew 26 entries. The $11,180 prize pool was paid out between the top four finishers, with the lion’s share going to Mark Eisenfeld. This $4,488 payday was Eisenfeld’s largest recorded live tournament cash.

Sebastiaan De Jonge took down the $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em six-max event, overcoming a field of 69 entries to lock up $18,978 and the title. This was the German player’s third career live tournament title. The win increased his lifetime recorded earnings to more than $425,000.

Third-place finisher Le Tieu was at his third final table of the series, with a runner-up and third-place finish under his belt before this deep run. Kelley Slay finished seventh. This was his fifth cash of the series.

The ‘bestbet 500’ saw 124 entries generate a prize pool of $53,320. Phillip Napier walked away with $11,582 and the trophy after striking a heads-up deal with Joseph Crowley while the main event was busy playing down to a final table.

When TK Miles and Jeff Trudeau shook hands to agree to their ICM chop, the 2022 CPPT bestbet Jacksonville officially came to a close. Thanks to all the bestbet Jacksonville management, staff, and players for making this great series possible. ♠

CPPT bestbet Jacksonville Series Results

Event Player Payout (POY)
$400 NLHE

Oct. 27-30

Entries: 811
Prizepool: $263,575 1 Donovan Wright $45,247 (365)
2 Adel Jo $35,000 (304)
3 William Farnan $23,678 (243)
4 David Trager $17,658 (182)
5 Stephanie Napier $13,314 (152)
6 Daniel Williams $10,151 (122)
7 Volodymr Tamarovych $7,826 (91)
8 David Salisbury $6,103 (61)
9 Lisa Buck $4,815 (30)

Event Player Payout (POY)
$360 NLHE KO

Oct. 30

Entries: 138
Prizepool: $27,600 1 Chongyou Chen $4,931 (106)
2 Antoinette Fiorenza $4,930 (88)
3 Mark Matt $4,930 (70)
4 Lap Kee Ng $2,321 (53)
5 Steve Zhang $1,716 (44)
6 Chad Buzinski $1,306 (35)
7 Cameron Carroll $1,025 (26)
8 Casey Coner $8,30 (18)
9 Michael Carter $694 (9)

Event Player Payout
$200 NLHE

Oct. 31

Entries: 98
Prizepool: $15,680
1 Thomas Carroll $4,393
2 Robert Terrel $2,928
3 Brian Fortelka $1,987
4 Mervan Kizgin $1,399
5 Michael Robilotto $1,022
6 Kevin Hazzard $777
7 David Trager $615
8 Carl Mcleod $509
9 Lap Kee Ng $439

Event Player Payout (POY)
$360 NLHE

Nov. 1

Entries: 112
Prizepool: $33,600 1 Lonnie Stevens $6,185 (96)
2 Dimas Martinez $5,909 (80)
3 Samuel Ick $5,059 (64)
4 John Hackney $4,889 (48)
5 Jaymie Virtusio $2,143 (40)
6 Daniel Williams $1,629 (32)
7 Lunique Petiote $1,290 (24)
8 Tyler Flickinger $1,065 (16)
9 Brian Washington $919 (8)

Event Player Payout
$260 HEROS

Nov. 1

Entries: 33
Prizepool: $7,095 1 Anthony Midolo $2,000
2 Daniel Zuheir $1,487
3 Jamil Fakhouri $1,487
4 Anthony Arone $1,486
5 Le Teiu $635

Event Player Payout (POY)
$300 Big O

Nov. 2

Entries: 60
Prizepool: $14,700 1 Tammer Ilcaffas $4,808 (58)
2 Le Tieu $3,204 (48)
3 James Slattery $2,136 (38)
4 Jason Lipesilvero $1,483 (29)
5 Jeff Borg $1,074 (24)
6 Bartolo Hernandez $813 (19)
7 Hollie Harmon $645 (14)
8 Anthony Midolo $537 (10)

Event Player Payout
$260 NLHE

Nov. 2

Entries: 95
Prizepool: $20,425 1 Alec Wilson $5,866
2 Justin Fawbush $3,911
3 John Bellote $2,651
4 Trace Henderson $1,865
5 Carson Williams $1,362
6 Karl Manning $1,036
7 Michelle Hull $820
8 Thomas Carroll $678
9 Mariusz Burnat $587

Event Player Payout (POY)
$1,700 NLHE KO

Nov. 3-6

Entries: 238
Prizepool: $242,760 1 Scott Risi $49,762 (384)
2 Chongyou Chen $40,000 (320)
3 Le Tieu $26,120 (256)
4 Trace Henderson $19,297 (192)
5 Timothy Miles $14,478 (160)
6 Richard Malone $11,036 (128)
7 Mark Shulla $8,547 (96)
8 Billy Cashwell $6,729 (64)
9 Jeremy Joseph $5,385 (32)

Event Player Payout (POY)
$360 NLHE KO

Nov. 6

Entries: 123
Prizepool: $24,600 1 Alfred Miller $6,407 (106)
2 Pablo Valdivieso $4,280 (88)
3 Tammer Ilcaffas $2,969 (70)
4 Kenneth Brosnahan $2,122 (53)
5 Talesh Patel $1,565 (44)
6 Michael Hazelton $1,190 (35)
7 Hai Nguyen $936 (26)
8 Conrad Lau $761 (18)
9 Michael Goodwin $641 (9)

Event Player Payout
$260 NLHE

Nov. 7

Entries: 84
Prizepool: $18,060
1 Fred Evans $4,308
2 Michael Williams $4,307
3 Gerard Okonsky $2,407
4 Guy Marcot $1,693
5 Robert Searles $1,237
6 Kelley Slay $940
7 Willard Cutler $745
8 Albert Pozek $616
9 Bill Haskins $533

Event Player Payout (POY)
$360 NLHE

Nov. 8

Entries: 117
Prizepool: $35,100 1 Daniel Zuheir $9,344 (96)
2 Angel Boas $6,229 (80)
3 Steve Zhang $4,299 (64)
4 Roy Vazquez $3,061 (48)
5 David Wade $2,252 (40)
6 Kam Razavian $1,714 (32)
7 Edward Mroczkowski $1,350 (24)
8 Maximiliano Mazariegos $1,102 (16)
9 Chongyou Chen $934 (8)

Event Player Payout
$320 NLHE Ladies

Nov. 9

Entries: 56
Prizepool: $14,840
1 Starr Valdez $5,044
2 Aja Owens $3,362
3 Joy Pozek $2,242
4 Turkan Martin $1,554
5 Lori Shulte $1,123
6 Lisa Buck $847
7 Stephanie Napier $668

Event Player Payout
$500 PLO

Nov. 9

Entries: 26
Prizepool: $11,180 1 Mark Eisenfeld $4,488
2 Dale North $2,992
3 Mark Mcgarity $2,109
4 Nghia Hong Le $1,591

Event Player Payout (POY)
$1,000 NLHE
6-Max

Nov. 10

Entries: 69
Prizepool: $60,030 1 Sebastiaan De Jonge $18,978 (144)
2 William Davis $12,652 (120)
3 Le Tieu $8,434 (96)
4 Andrew Ostapchenko $5,861 (72)
5 Caleb Larson $4,254 (60)
6 John O’Neal $3,230 (48)

Event Player Payout (POY)
$3,000 NLHE

Nov. 11-14

Entries: 224
Prizepool: $604,800
1 TK Miles $121,480 (576)
2 Jeff Trudeau $109,321 (480)
3 Matthew Leecy $67,592 (384)
4 Pablo Crump $50,149 (288)
5 Fred Paradis $37,712 (240)
6 Dustin Nelson $28,749 (192)
7 John O’Neal $22,220 (144)
8 Chongyou Chen $17,417 (96)
9 Lunique Petiote $13,848 (48)

Event Player Payout (POY)
$500 NLHE

Nov. 13

Entries: 124
Prizepool: $53,320 1 Phillip Napier $11,582 (132)
2 Joseph Crowley $11,582 (110)
3 Eugene Davis $6,436 (88)
4 David Dejoie $4,600 (66)
5 Dale North $3,391 (55)
6 Joseph Burns $2,580 (44)
7 Jermaine Gerlin $2,028 (33)
8 Alan Franco $1,649 (22)
9 Jerry Nackashi $1,388 (11)