The 2023 Card Player Poker Tour bestbet Jacksonville series ran from Aug. 10-21. A total of 1,885 entries were made across the nine events on the schedule, with $1,033,755 in total prize money paid out along the way. The largest chunk came from the $1,700 buy-in CPPT bestbet Jacksonville no-limit hold’em mystery bounty main event. With 357 entries, the centerpiece of the festival blew away its $300,00 guarantee to create a final prize pool of $537,285. After three starting flights and two more days of action, Heng Zhang emerged victorious with the title and $74,010 from the main prize pool.

The 34-year-old poker pro from St. Augustine, Florida also earned $51,000 from nine mystery bounty payouts, bringing his total haul for the event to $125,010. Among the nine bounties he snagged was the second-largest available: a $25,000 payout.

This was the second time in Zhang’s nine-year career as a poker pro that he found himself at the final table of a CPPT bestbet Jacksonville main event. Back in 2015, he made it down to the final three, eventually earning $69,252 as the third-place finisher.

Zhang said he didn’t feel any pressure to outdo that performance, though.

“I was actually feeling pretty chill coming into the final table. I wasn’t really focused on the win, I just focused on every hand,” said Zheng after coming out on top.

This was the second-largest payday of Zhang’s career, trailing only the $81,000 he earned for a 75th-place finish in the 2021 World Series of Poker main event. With his latest win, his career tournament earnings now sit at $450,431.

In addition to the title and the money, Zhang also earned 600 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his second POY-qualified score of the year It moved him within reach of the top 1,000 in the 2023 POY race standings presented by Global Poker.

This event began with three starting flights, with each playing down to the top 12.5 percent of the field. That resulted in 47 players that officially made the money and moved on to day 2. At that point, the mystery bounties were introduced, with $178,500 to be awarded across 47 payouts ranging from $500 to $50,000. The largest was drawn by Wendy Lu, who had finished second in the kickoff event of the series roughly a week earlier for $38,577.

Plenty of notables were among the 38 to hit the rail on day 2, including HPT Florida champion Jermaine Gerlin (45th), ladies event winner Kim Sukyung (39th), 2017 CPPT bestbet Jacksonville main event champion Jared Reinstein (28th), ladies event runner-up Mary Darnell (26th), 2021 CPPT bestbet Jacksonville main event champion Ben Scrogins (23rd), 2013 CPPT bestbet Jacksonville main event seventh-place finisher Eddy Mroczkowski (20th), 2022 WSOP $3,000 no-limit hold’em event runner-up Toby Boas (18th), WSOP Circuit ring winner Jason May (17th), Wendy Lu (14th), and 2018 CPPT bestbet Jacksonville main event fifth-place finisher Brian Arbaugh (13th).

By the time the final table was set, Zhang sat in second chip position with his 1,530,000 trailing only the 2,545,000 of Michael Jagroo.

Thad McNulty was the first player to hit the rail at the final table. The Jacksonville local started as the short stack, and couldn’t get much going at the final table. In the end, he moved all-in for 375,000 from the button with K4 and Alex Kimpel isolated the action with a reshove from the small blind holding AK. Neither player improved and McNulty was awarded $7,401 for his ninth-place finish. The score brought his lifetime earnings to just shy of $585,000.

Jamison Alford managed to make this final table despite coming into day 2 of this event as the very shortest stack. His run ultimately ended in eighth place, though, when his JJ was outflipped by the AK of Zhang. Zhang hit a backdoor flush to send Alford home with $9,374 and one $500 bounty payout.

Alan Franco was the next to fall. As with Alford, it was a classic preflop race. Franco’s AK was unable to overcome the QQ of Tyler Chen and he was eliminated in seventh place ($12,014). Franco also drew a $10,000 bounty on day 2.

Despite scoring that knockout, Chen soon followed Franco to the payout desk. He was involved in a three-way all-in with the hands as follows:

Chen – AJ
Long – KQ
Kimpel – AK

The flop came KQ3, giving Long kings and queens to pull ahead. The turn was the J, giving Chen and Kimpel straight draws. The river was the A, giving Kimpel aces and kings to double through Long, while eliminating Chen in sixth place. Chen cashed for $15,577, to go along with the $3,500 in bounties that he pulled.

Jagroo started the day with a healthy lead, but couldn’t get much going at the final table. In his final hand he shoved with 109from the small blind and Zhang, who sat atop the chip counts by this point, made the call with A7. Zhang turned a pair of aces and held from there to eliminate Jagroo in fifth place. He was awarded $20,432, along with $12,000 in bounty payouts.

Kimpel lost a big chunk of his stack with a flush draw facing the top pair of Chris Long. He soon found himself all-in with AJ facing the pocket nines of a surging Zhang. Both players improved on the flop, but Zhang’s set was still well ahead of Kimpel’s top pair. Kimpel was unable to find a miracle runout and was eliminated in fourth place ($27,106). Kimpel took home even more in bounties than he did from the main prize pool, accruing $27,500 across six bounties.

Zhang continued his reign of terror by busting Paul Chung in third place ($36,367). Chung-three-bet shoved A2 from the small blind facing a button open from Zhang, who called holding the A9. Zhang made a pair of nines on the turn to take down the pot. Chung left with $36,367 and bounties worth $6,000.

After knocking out Chung, Zhang drew the $25,000 mystery bounty, leaving just two bounties left: one $5,000 bounty and one $2,000 bounty, both of which would go to the winner of the heads-up duel for the title.

Zhang started with 8,620,000 to Long’s 2,125,000. Long scored a double up and then won a few pots to essentially level the playing field. After that point, though, Zhang began to pull away again.

By the time the final hand was dealt, Long was down to fewer than 12 big blinds. He limped in from the button with 76 and Zhang checked his option with 75.

The flop came down J72 and Zhang checked. Long went all in for 1,755,000, and Zhang went into the tank before making the call. The Q didn’t change anything, but the 5 on the end gave Zhang two pair and the pot. Long was awarded $49,340 for his runner-up showing.

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

Chris Long limped for 160,000 on the button, and Heng Zhang checked his option in the big blind.

The flop was J72, Zhang checked, Long went all in for 1,755,000, and Zhang tanked for a little more than one minute before he called.

Long: 76
Zhang: 75

Long was leading with the better kicker, and maintained it through the Q turn, although a chop was the most likely outcome.

However, the river was the 5, giving Zhang sevens and fives to get the outright win for $74,010. Long finished runner-up for $49,340.

Blinds are up to 80,000-160,000 with a big blind ante of 160,000 for level 30.

Chris Long limped in for 120,000 on the button with KK, Heng Zhang raised to 400,000 from the big blind with A9, and Long called.

The flop was 762, Zhang checked, Long bet 400,000, and Zhang folded.

Chris Long – 3,935,000
Heng Zhang – 6,810,000

Heng Zhang raised to 250,000 from the button with 88, and Chris Long called in the big blind holding 43.

The flop was 1084, Long led out for 250,000, Zhang raised to 650,000, and Long folded.

Heng Zhang – 7,590,000
Chris Long – 3,155,000