Mukul Pahuja Wins 2014 WSOP Circuit Harrah's Atlantic City Main EventFlorida Native Wins $148,345 After Topping 460-Player Field |
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Florida native Mukul Pahuja has put together an incredible run on the live poker tournament circuit over the past two years. In that span Pahuja has made nine final tables, cashing for more than $2.6 million along the way. Pahuja topped off his spree this week by taking down the 2014 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Atlantic City $1,675 no-limit hold’em main event. Pahuja outlasted a field of 460 entries to win his second WSOP Circuit gold ring and the $148,345 first-place prize.
“I’ve been feeling great about everything I’ve been doing lately,” Pahuja told WSOP.com after it was all over. “But a lot of things have to go well as you saw today. A lot of guys got it in really good today and it didn’t work out. There were a lot of good players at this final table, a lot of high-level play and there were some crazy swings.”
In addition to the title and the money Pahuja also earned 720 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was Pahuja’s first title of 2014 but his sixth final table finish, with highlights including a runner-up finish in the World Poker Tour SHR Poker Showdown $5 million guaranteed event, a third-place finish in the WPT Montreal main event and a fourth-place finish in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star main event. As a result of this most recent win Pahuja climbed into sixth place in the overall POY standings, with 4,146 points and year-to-date earnings of $1,395,891.
Pahuja came into the final table of nine in eighth chip position, but was able to eliminate five players along the way to making it down to heads-up play against Jake Toole. As a result of his head hunting Pahuja took a 5-to-1 chip advantage into the final showdown. On the last hand of the tournament Pahuja raised to 120,000 from the button and Toole moved all-in with the KJ. Pahuja made the call with his 55 and the two went to the flop in a classic race situation. The board ran out Q8248 to secure the pot and the title for Pahuja and send Toole to the rail as the runner up.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:
Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
1 | Mukul Pahuja | $148,345 | 720 |
2 | Jake Toole | $91,722 | 600 |
3 | Gajan Jeganathan | $67,006 | 480 |
4 | Michael Dentale | $49,673 | 360 |
5 | James Petolicchio | $37,357 | 300 |
6 | Adam Teasdale | $28,497 | 240 |
7 | Jesse Cohen | $22,046 | 180 |
8 | Joseph Liberta | $17,298 | 120 |
9 | David Matthews | $13,766 | 60 |
Photo courtesy of WSOP.com.