Steve Collins Wins The 2018 Card Player Poker Tour Derby Lane Main Event

A total of 257 entries were made in the 2018 Card Player Poker Tour Derby Lane $1,000 no-limit hold’em main event, easily surpassing the $200,000 guarantee to build a final prize pool of $243,379. In the end, the lion’s share of that money was awarded to eventual champion Steve Collins of Tallahassee, Florida. The 59-year-old manager and amateur poker player earned $57,444 as the champion of this event, as well as 408 Card Player Player of the Year points. Poker is a serious hobby for Collins, who has been playing for around five years now. This was by far the biggest score of his live tournament career.

Collins came into the final day of this event in thirteenth chip position with 34 players remaining. He survived to the final table, and then managed to win several massive pots to take the outright lead. The first key hand started when Tampa Bay area native Justin Zaki raised to 115,000 from under the gun. Collins called on his left and Joe Hodge made it 260,000 to go from middle position. Zaki folded and Collins called.

The flop brought the J106 and Collins announced that he was all-in. Hodge called the 1,785,000 bet with the QQ. Collins had flopped a set with his 1010. The turn was the 6 andthe river the 2, giving Collins a full house and the massive pot. He chipped up to over 3.9 million after the hand, while Hodge was left short. He ultimately finished in fifth place.

Collins won another huge pot when during four-handed action. Mike Collins raised to 400,000 from the button and Steve Collins called from the big blind. The flop brought the 1092 and Steve Collins checked. Mike Collins bet 600,000 and Steve Collins called. The turn was the K and Steve Collins checked. Mike Collins announced all-in and Steve Collins called for his last 1,970,000, showing the QJ for a straight. Mike Collins had the 109 for two pair. The river was the 3 and Steve Collins doubled up, leaving Mike Collins as the shortest stack. Collins won the $250 buy-in Seniors event earlier this series, but he fell just short of his second title in this event and was eliminated in fourth place shortly after losing this key hand.

Justin Zaki was the next to hit the rail. The four-time World Poker Tour final tablist was definitely the most accomplished live tournament player at the final table. He ran AK into Collins’ KK and failed to come from behind. Zaki took home $21,365 for his deep run, bringing his lifetime live earnings to $2,334,969.

With that Collins took more than a 4-to-1 chip lead into heads-up play against Jose Delacruz. The two battled it out for a while before a preflop cooler brought the event to an end. Collins raised to 360,000 from the button. Delacruz raised all-in and Collins snap-called with the AA.

Delacruz held the 99. The board ran out QQJ104 and Collins’ aces held up to earn him the pot and the title.

Delacruz took home $33,845 as the runner-up finisher. This was his second largest live tournament score, behind his 20th-place showing in a $1,600 buy-in event at the Venetian in Las Vegas this summer for $29,829.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

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