Nam Le Wins Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge

Nam Le won the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge, taking home $204,579 and a championship bracelet worth more than $35,000. He outlasted a field of 107 players who came to the Cherokee Casino Resort in Tulsa, Okla., a few weeks ago and paid $5,000 to enter.

"The Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge reinforces the fact that Cherokee Casino is a major venue for top poker players and tournaments," said David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, which operates Cherokee Casino. Nguyen signed as a poker ambassador with the casino last year. The first Scott Nguyen Poker Challenge was held in November.

This installment of the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge started June 8, and the championship event took place June 18. The series had 21 events with buy-ins ranging from $120 to the $5,000 championship event.

Le, who is only 25-years-old, is on fire. He just won $1.2 million at the World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star championship in May, and his lifetime winnings amount to $2,229,398. He sits in the second slot in Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year race with 2,785 points.

To make his win even more impressive, the field contained several great players, including Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Minh Nguyen, TJ Cloutier and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.

The top nine players got paid. Here is the list:

• Nam Le, Huntington Beach, Calif., $204,579
• Joe Koster, Arlington, Tex., $117,634
• Jeff Bryan, Ft. Calhoun, Neb., $51,374
• Kirk Stewart, Anthony, Kan., $35,802
• VR Martin, Sevona Park, N.D., $28,130
• Randy Newell, Ft. Smith, Arkansas, $23,015
• Brian Foster, Kansas City, Mo., $17,901
• Roy Dudley, Houston, Tex., $12,786
• Mark Scacewater, Orlando, Fla., $10,229

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