George Abdallah Wins 2018 Card Player Poker Tour Lone Star State Poker Championship Main EventHouston Resident Defeats Field of 494 Entries To Take Home $52,105 |
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A champion has been decided in the marquee tournament of the 2nd annual Lone Star State Poker Championship, presented by the Card Player Poker Tour. The $580 buy-in Lone Star State Poker Championship no-limit hold’em main event drew a total of 494 entries to the Post Oak Poker Club in Houston, the first licensed poker club in the Lone Star State. The strong turnout built a prize pool of $247,000 which was awarded to the top 54 finishers. In the end, the lion’s share was paid out to Houston local George Abdallah, who took home $52,105 as the champion.
Abdallah also earned 360 Card Player Player of the Year points and a custom gold ring for the win. This was the fourth largest live tournament cash of Abdallah’s career, with his biggest previous score being his fourth-place finish in the 2006 WSOP Circuit Harrah’s New Orleans championship for $129,200. He also has a WSOP Circuit title, having won a $500 pot-limit Omaha event in 2005 in Tunica. This latest win brought his lifetime live tournament earnings to more than $620,000.
Abdallah defeated Mohamed Kasswran heads-up to secure the title, sending the Houston resident to the rail with $32,647 for his runner-up showing. The final table featured a World Series of Poker bracelet winner in Allen Baker. The Houston local beat Freddy Deeb heads-up to win a $2,500 no-limit hold’em event in 1990, earning $280,000. He finished eighth in this event for $6,175.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:
| Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
| 1 | George Abdallah | $52,105 | 360 |
| 2 | Mohamed Kasswran | $32,647 | 300 |
| 3 | Ed Wolff | $23,515 | 240 |
| 4 | Dwayne Vetter | $17,784 | 180 |
| 5 | Jacob Burnett | $13,338 | 150 |
| 6 | Jean-Paul Tran | $10,127 | 120 |
| 7 | Jerry Dobbs | $7,904 | 90 |
| 8 | Allen Baker | $6,175 | 60 |
| 9 | Andrew Dartez | $4,693 | 30 |
On The CPPT Lone Star State Poker Championship
“We are really going to have a lot of fun and Card Player is the perfect partner to help us get the word out,” said Post Oak Poker Club founder Daniel Kebort before the series got underway.
“We are working to create a festival atmosphere around the event complete with a freeroll tournament, giveaways and a complimentary buffet highlighting the best of Texas in order to welcome Texas Hold’em back home in style,” Kebort said.
Customized gold rings were awarded to the winners of the following events: the Lone Star State PLO Championship (Pete Quinones) Lone Star State Seniors Poker Championship (Forrest Collins) and the Lone Star State Poker Championship Main Event (George Abdallah). The championship rings are crowned with the Texas state gem, blue topaz, cut in a Lone Star shape and featuring black onyx and rubies.
About the Post Oak Poker Club
The Post Oak Poker Club opened in August of 2017 as the first private poker club in Houston. Since then, POPC has continued to pioneer the poker industry in Texas. Along with the Card Player Poker Tour, the Post Oak Poker Club is now poised to set the standard for what players can expect from a major tour stop in Texas. POPC is located in the heart of Uptown Houston, the most exclusive neighborhood in Texas for shopping, dining and now poker.
“Come out and see the best of Houston as we show the world what poker in Texas is all about,” Kebort said. “As the first major tour stop in Texas, we are looking forward to sharing our world-class venue and unique membership model poker club with the national poker community.”
In order to fully comply with Texas gambling law, POPC doesn’t take a rake but rather charges fees for seat rentals and other amenities poker players love.
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