Craig Varnell Wins 2015 WPT500 Aria For $330,000Event Draws Record Field of 5,113 Entries, Largest In WPT History |
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The 2015 WPT500 Aria $565 buy-in $2 million guaranteed no-limit hold’em main event drew 5,113 entries across it’s ten starting flights, easily surpassing the guarantee to build a total prize pool of $2,556,500. The guarantee was doubled this year, but still the 2015 running crushed last year’s inaugural number of 3,599 entries to become the largest World Poker Tour field in the tour’s history.
In the end only one player could walk away as the champion and that was Craig Varnell. The Colorado-based poker pro was fresh off a third-place finish in the World Series of Poker’s inaugural online no-limit hold’em bracelet event and apparently the back-to-back scores came at just the right time for Varnell, who had recently taken a job at a carwash to help keep his dream of being a poker professional alive.
“This feels surreal,” Varnell said an emotional Varnell after the win. “You have no idea how happy I am. I love poker; I love the game. I’m blessed to be here.”
In addition to the title and the money Varnell also scored 660 Card Player Player of the Year points in this event. With 1,268 total points he has climbed into 107th place in the overall standings.
2011 WSOP $5,000 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better bracelet winner Nick Binger finished fourth for $100,000. The top four finishers all cashed for six figures in this $565 buy-in event for a fantastic ROI, even if they played multiple bullets.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:
Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
1 | Craig Varnell | $330,000 | 660 |
2 | Lucio Antunes | $223,000 | 550 |
3 | Alexander Lakhov | $150,700 | 440 |
4 | Nick Binger | $100,000 | 330 |
5 | Chad Roudebush | $75,000 | 275 |
6 | Hunter Cichy | $60,000 | 220 |
7 | Bretty Mueller | $50,000 | 165 |
8 | Brent Berger | $41,000 | 110 |
9 | Milan Harper | $33,000 | 55 |
Photo and quote courtesy of World Poker Tour.