Frederic Normand Wins World Poker Tour bestbet Scramble Main Event

Frederic Normand – Photo Credit: Drew Amato

Frederic Normand joined the World Poker Tour Champions Club at bestbet Jacksonville on Nov. 14 when he captured the title at the WPT bestbet Scramble in Florida. It was the second career win for the Canadian poker player. The $351,650 he took home was his largest tournament score by far. The win was likely particularly sweet given that he won his seat for the event in a $580 satellite. He now has close to $900,000 in career tournament poker earnings.

Normand also received a WPT trophy designed by Daniel Arsham, and booked his $10,400 seat in the upcoming WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas that begins in a few weeks on Dec. 12. “I think I’m playing good lately. I’m taking my time more. But yeah, it felt a bit sour after this summer. Obviously, I can’t complain with the good scores, but it feels like redemption time,” said Normand to WPT reporters after the win, referencing his fifth-place finish in a $3,000 buy-in at the World Series of Poker back in June for $177,732.

He continued, “I’ve been playing poker for a little bit now. I grew up [in the game], I was a young adult. I’m still a young adult, but I was a younger adult then. I saw some guys on TV and I thought it was pretty cool. I wished one day I could win one of these or a WSOP. It feels surreal. In tournaments it’s very hard to win in the end, so many things have to go your way, and I feel very grateful.”

The $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament saw a field of 365 entries join the battle during the course of two starting flights. The top 46 players all cashed for at least $9,400 in prize money. The top 125 returned for Day 2, and the money bubble burst after nine hours of play. There were ultimately 17 players that advanced to Day 3, and it was close to 10 pm before the WPT final table of six was set before the final day.

Notable players that made a deep run and cashed in the tournament included Tom Wheaton (11th), current Card Player Player of the Year points leader and WPT Champions Club member Bin Weng (22nd), Hunter Cichy (26th), WPT Global Ambassador Andrew Neeme (36th), Stan Jablonski (39th), and Jerry Wong (44th).

When the final table began Normand was second in chips just right on the heels of chip leader Heng Zhang. It took just ten hands of play for Normand to score his first elimination by taking out Brian Senie in sixth place when K-Q had K-J dominated after the chips got in preflop.

Normand was still second in chips, and Zhang’s lead was sustained when tournament professional Ian O’Hara busted in fifth place a while later. The flop read Q104 when O’Hara got all in short with 64 against the K10 of Zhang. The turn and river bricked out to take the tournament down to the final four.

Normand kept pace once again when he eliminated Michael Frierson in fourth place with pocket kings holding against A-Q after the chips got in preflop. After a lengthy three-handed battle that saw Toby Boas double up through Normand, it was at the hands of Normand that Boas eventually fell in third place. The A-4 of Boas couldn’t hold against Normand’s Q-J when a queen fell on the river.

That gave Normand a stack of 8.05 million at the start of heads-up play, but he was behind the 10.2 million held by Zhang. The two players then traded the chip lead between each other a few times before their stacks stood directly tied before the 100th hand at the final table. Normand pulled away from there and never looked back.

The final hand saw Normand raise to 400,000 preflop, and Zhang called before both players checked down a board dealt 875A. Normand then bet 750,000, Zhang check-raised all in for 4,675,000 holding 106, and Normand called to cover with A4. The river fell 6, and Normand improved his hand to an eight-high straight to win the tournament.

Zhang was eliminated in second place, good for $226,700 in prize money. Zhang has had a great run of recent success at bestbet Jacksonville. This runner-up finish in the WPT bestbet Scramble comes on the heels of his victory in the Card Player Poker Tour bestbet Jacksonville Mystery Bounty main event back in August. The nearby St. Augustine resident’s career tournament earnings are now more than $680,000.

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

The next stop on the WPT schedule will keep the tour in Florida for the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open hosted at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. The main event will take place from Nov. 24-29, while the whole tournament series runs Nov. 15-29. You can check out the full tournament series schedule right here.

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