James Mackey Captures Second World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event Title

The final table of the 2024 World Poker Tour Choctaw $3,800 no-limit hold’em main event was stacked with big names on the edge of securing a big win. The final six reconvened at the HyperX Arena located in Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada more than three weeks after Vladyslav Shovkovyi was knocked out in seventh place at the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma. After seven hours of battling, James Mackey emerged victorious to earn the top prize of $361,600 and his second WPT title.

In fact, this was the second time that Mackey took down this very tournament. His first WPT victory came in the 2016 running of this event, which saw him best a field of 1,066 entries to earn $681,758. Mackey, a poker pro based out of Kansas City, now has nearly $5 million in lifetime earnings. His largest live score remains the $730,740 he earned as the winner of a $5,000 buy-in event at the 2007 World Series of Poker.

“It feels so good, it’s hard to describe how good it feels, honestly,” Mackey told WPT reporters after the win. “In poker, you lose and lose and lose so getting that win… it’s special.”

Mackey also earned 1,260 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his first POY-qualified score of the year, but it alone was enough to put him inside the top 150 in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Mackey was one of three players at the televised final table with a WPT title already to their name. He entered with the chip lead, while three-time WPT champion Eric Afriat sat in the middle of the pack and two-time WPT champion Erick Lindgren brought up the rear.

Lindgren, the winner of the 2003 Ultimate Poker Classic and 2004 PartyPoker Million II, was the first to hit the rail. He got the last of his 18 big blinds in with A-9 suited leading the K-J of Sebastien Aube, but the board brought two kings to give Aube trips and the knockout. Lindgren earned $75,000 as the sixth-place finisher, growing his career earnings to nearly $10.3 million in the process.

Danny Marx was the next to fall. He got his last handful of big blinds in with 10-7 suited trailing the K-7 of Aube. Marx flopped a ten to turn the tables, but a river king sent him home with a career-best payday of $99,000 for his fifth-place showing.

Aube slid to the bottom of the chip counts as short-handed play continued. He eventually got all-in four around four big blinds with A-Q leading the 8-7 suited of Afriat. Aube led after a jack-high flop, but Afriat turned and rivered two pair to secure the knockout. Aube, a bracelet winner from Montreal, cashed for $131,000 in this event.

Mackey was well out in front when three-handed action kicked off. He was keeping the pressure up with plenty of preflop aggression. In the next key hand he shoved from the button and Adam Hendrix called from the big blind for seven big blinds with Q9. Mackey revealed A5. The A65Q runout gave Mackey aces up and the knockout. Hendrix earned $175,000, growing his career earnings to more than $6.6 million in the process.

Heads-up play began with Mackey holding roughly a 5:1 lead over Afriat. Mackey was able to extend that advantage despite multiple double-ups for Afriat, who was looking to win his record-tying fourth WPT title. In the final hand, Afriat moved all-in for seven big blinds with KJ from the button and Mackey called with K5. The board ran out 955J6 and Mackey made trip fives to secure the title. Afriat was awarded $235,000 as the runner-up. The Canadian now has more than $5.6 million in lifetime scores to his name.

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

Photo credit: WPT / Enrique Malfavon.

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