Ashton Griffin Wins NAPT High-Roller ShootoutScott Seiver Earns Bounty Bonus |
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Ashton Griffin has taken down the first PokerStars North American Poker Tour high-roller shootout championship. Griffin came out on top of the winner-take-all tournament to take home a total of $560,000.
The $25,000 event had a unique format. A total of 49 players entered, each competing at a seven-handed table for the honor of moving on to the final table. Each table-winner was given $75,000 for advancing, as well as a $5,000 bounty for each player they eliminated along the way. The player with the most bounties was awarded a $100,000 bonus, and the overall winner would get $455,000.
Here was a look at the final-tablists, along with the number of bounties they picked up in the first round.
Seat 1 — Joe Cassidy — 4
Seat 2 — Faraz Jaka — 4
Seat 3 — Peter Eastgate — 2
Seat 4 — Scott Seiver — 6
Seat 5 — Ashton Griffin — 2
Seat 6 — Hoyt Corkins — 5
Seat 7 — Brett Richey — 3
It took nearly four hours before the first player was eliminated. In fact, the action was so draining that both Ashton Griffin and Brett Richey spent their breaks taking naps on the tournament sidelines.
After getting short-stacked, Peter Eastgate made a move with pocket eights, only to run into Scott Seiver’s pocket jacks. The bigger pair held, and Eastgate was eliminated, giving Seiver his seventh bounty of the tournament.
Richey was finally allowed to sleep for the night when his A Q failed to hold against Griffin’s K Q. The river brought one of the three remaining kings, and Richey was eliminated.
Seiver’s chances to pick up the $100,000 bonus increased dramatically when he eliminated Faraz Jaka in fifth place. Jaka was all in holding Q 10, but Seiver held the superior A J. The board ran out A 9 2 A 2, and Jaka was sent packing.
Despite the obvious momentum, it was Seiver who was shown the rail next, busting courtesy of Hoyt Corkins. This time, Seiver held the Q 10, and Corkins turned over big slick. The board gave Corkins top two pair, and Seiver was sent to the stands, hoping to collect his bonus.
The final three players traded chips back and forth for hours before Joe Cassidy finally succumbed to the mounting blinds and antes. Griffin did the damage with a dominating ace, meaning that Seiver would take home the entirety of the bonus.
Griffin had a nearly 2-1 chip lead on Corkins going into heads-up play, and it didn’t take long for the match to come to an end. On just the second hand, both players saw a flop of 9 5 4. Corkins found himself all in holding 9 3, but Griffin held 9 8 for a better kicker. The turn and river fell 7 J, and Corkins was eliminated. Griffin picked up the $455,000 for the win, the $75,000 for winning his first table, and $30,000 in bounties, despite getting virtually no sleep the night before.
The final results:
1. Ashton Griffin — $560,000
2. Hoyt Corkins — $100,000
3. Joe cassidy — $95,000
4. Scott Seiver — $215,000
5. Faraz Jaka — $95,000
6. Brett Richey — $90,000
7. Peter Eastgate — $85,000
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