Chris Moneymaker Wins Enjoy Poker Tour Main Event

Chris Moneymaker is having one of his best years yet on the live tournament circuit in 2024. The 48-year-old earned his second title and fourth final-table finish of the year on Wednesday, Aug. 7, taking down the Enjoy Poker Tour $1,650 buy-in $1,000,000 guaranteed main event at Punta del Este. The 2003 World Series of Poker main event winner earned $179,770 for this latest victory, which will bring his career earnings to more than $7.5 million.

In addition to the money and the title, Moneymaker was also awarded 840 Card Player Player of the Year points. He will climb to 59th place in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Earlier this year Moneymaker finished sixth in a Moneymaker Poker Tour $500 mystery bounty event before taking down a $25,000 buy-in at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro festival for $903,000.

A few days removed from that win, Moneymaker placed third in a $40,000 buy-in mystery bounty event at the same series for another $311,000.

The Enjoy Poker Tour main event attracted 657 total entries, with the top 83 finishers earning a share of the prize money. By the time the final table was set, Moneymaker had climbed to third chip position behind only Oscar Alache and Gaspar Fernandez.

Moneymaker survived to the final six and then won a big pot with a turned straight to move into second place on the leaderboard. He then knocked out Bartolo Belluscio (6th – $36,260) to continue his climb. The next big all-in saw Moneymaker’s A-J hold against the A-2 of Gaspar Fernandez (5th – $45,315) to narrow the field to four.

Oscar Alache got all-in with A-K leading the Q-10 of Francisco Benitez. The flop gave Benitez queens and tens, but Alache turned an ace-high straight to regain the lead. The river brought another ten, though, giving Benitez tens full of queens for the win. Alache earned $59,125 as the fourth-place finisher.

Gonzalo Jose lost a flip with K-Q against the pocket threes of Moneymaker. Neither player connected with the eight-high runout and Jose was kncoked out in third place ($81,230).

Heads-up play began with Moneymaker holding 11,100,000 to the 8,625,000 if Benitez. He was able to extend that lead even further in time for the final hand of the event. Benitez min-raised to 400,000 from the button with 95 and Moneymaker called with K5. The flop came down 1054 and Moneymaker checked with middle pair. Benitez bet 250,000 and Moneymaker called. The turn brought the K and Moneymaker checked with his kings and fives. Benitez bet 650,000 and Moneymaker check-raised to 1,400,000. Benitez called and the river was the 4. Moneymaker moved all-in and Benitez called off his last 3,500,000. With that the event concluded, with Benitez earning $126,020 as the runner-up.

Here is a look at the payouts awarded at the final table:

Winner photo via ACR Poker.

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