This Week's Big Winner: Kevin Eyster Earns Second World Poker Tour Title At Bellagio

Kevin Eyster has put together three consecutive solid years on the tournament circuit and now has more than $4 million in career earnings to show for it. The Colorado native started his run in 2013 when he took down the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown for $660,395. Then in 2014, he picked up his first World Series of Poker bracelet by winning a 5,000 no-limit hold’em event for $622,998.

Most recently, Eyster topped a large field of 639 players at Bellagio for the 2015 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic main event title, along with $1,587,382, the largest score of his career.

Here’s a look at the five biggest hands that propelled Eyster to victory.

The Action

Kevin Eyster raised to 160,000 on the button and Jake Schwartz reraised to 465,000 from the small blind. Eyster then four-bet to 1,060,000 and Schwartz moved all in. Eyster immediately called with pocket aces and Schwartz turned over his pocket queens. The board fell 5 4 3 2 10 and Eyster doubled up, claiming more than half of the chips in play.

The Action

Ben Yu limped in from the button and Cate Hall completed her small blind. Kevin Eyster checked his option in the big blind and the three players checked through on a flop of 10 9 5. The turn was the J and Hall checked again. Eyster bet 180,000 and both Yu and Hall both called. The river was the A and it was checked to Yu, who bet 400,000. Hall tanked for 90 seconds before calling, leaving herself with just four big blinds behind. Eyster then tanked for about a minute before calling as well. Yu immediately mucked his cards and Hall tabled an unknown hand. Eyster showed his A 7 for rivered top pair and took the pot.

The Action

Ben Yu raised to 700,000 from the small blind and Kevin Eyster moved all in from the big blind for his last 4,450,000. Yu thought it over for a bit before calling with A J. Eyster revealed his dominated A 3, but the board fell Q 10 7 2 J to give him a club flush and double him into the chip lead. According to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator, Eyster was just 24 percent to win the pot preflop and 15 percent to win on the flop. Had he not hit the runner runner flush, he would have been out in third place and Yu would have held a 1.5-1 chip lead going into heads-up play.

The Action

Kevin Eyster raised to 500,000 on the button and Ben Yu moved all in from the big blind for 3,075,000. Eyster called for nearly half of his stack with pocket sixes and saw he was in a coinflip situation against Yu’s K Q. The board ran out 4 3 2 4 10 and Yu was eliminated in third place, earning $607,433. The pot was enough to give Eyster a slight chip lead entering heads-up play.

The Action

Holding a 2-1 chip lead heads-up, Kevin Eyster raised to 800,000 and Bill Jennings called from the big blind. The flop came down A 9 4 and Jennings checked. Eyster bet 600,000 and Jennings called. The turn was the 4 and Jennings checked again. Eyster bet 975,000 and Jennings moved all in for his last 5,300,000. Eyster immediately called with A Q for top pair, and Jennings was drawing slim with K 9 for second pair. According to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator, Jennings was just 4.5 percent to come from behind. The river was the 5, and Jennings was eliminated in second place, earning $929,745. Eyster picked up his second WPT title, the trophy and the $1,587,382 first-place prize.

Final Table Tournament Results

1. Kevin Eyster — $1,587,382
2. Bill Jennings — $929,745
3. Ben Yu — $607,433
4. Jake Schwartz — $412,187
5. Cate Hall — $291,320
6. Edward Ochana — $226,238
7. Lauren Roberts — $173,552
8. Roland Israelashvili — $127,065
9. Ian O’Hara — $89,875

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