Lightning-Fast Start to the Final Table
The tournament, boasting a guaranteed prizepool of $5,000,000, far exceeded expectations. A total of 9,876 entries pushed the prizepool to $9,579,720, nearly doubling the guarantee.
While the journey to the final table was long, the start of Saturday's finale felt like a sprint. It took just 29 hands to whittle the field from six players to the final two. Originally leading as the chipleader, Qing Liu had to settle for 4th place.
México's Fernando Martin Del Campo initiated the eliminations. He first knocked out Uri Foox (6th place) when his K s K c held against A h 8 d. He then ended Tim Burden's run (5th place) with his A c 8 h triumphing over Burden's T s T c after a board delivering a straight with 6 c 5 d 4 d Q h 7 h. Del Campo continued his dominance by eliminating Liu on the 4th place with A d K c versus A c Q h. Flopping a king cemented his massive lead.
Safiya Umerova, the last woman standing, began the final table as a shortstack with just 9 BBs. Her patience paid off, securing her the 3rd place. Her end came when she collided with K d T s into Aaron Johnson's A s A d, handing over her remaining two big blinds.
A Three-Hour Heads-Up Marathon
Following the swift action, a dramatic heads-up match between Johnson and Del Campo unfolded, lasting nearly three hours. The players agreed to a deal, but battled on for the title and trophy with full intensity. Despite Del Campo holding a 3:1 chip lead at one point, Johnson turned the tables.
In the final hand, Johnson went all-in with Q c T s, while Del Campo called with his last few blinds holding 7 c 4 d. The board showed 9 d 7 d 5 h K h T h, and although Del Campo hit a seven on the flop, the ten on the river sealed Johnson's victory.
Aaron Johnson, now with tournament earnings close to $4 million, not only claimed the monetary prize but also earned a $10,400 entry to next year's WPT World Championship and the prestigious trophy. Del Campo, with live tournament earnings less than $20,000 prior, walked away with a life-changing $942,480 for his second-place finish.
WPT Prime Championship Final Table Results:
|
Place |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Aaron Johnson |
USA |
1,010,400$* |
|
2. |
Fernando Martin Del Campo |
Mexico |
942,480$ |
|
3. |
Safiya Umerova |
USA |
575,000$ |
|
4. |
Qing Liu |
USA |
430,000$ |
|
5. |
Tim Burden |
USA |
325,000$ |
|
6. |
Uri Foox |
USA |
250,000$ |
* The prize includes a $10,400 entry to the 2026 WPT World Championship.
The Festival Concludes with the WPT World Championship
The festival at the Wynn will culminate on Sunday with the finale of the $10,400 WPT World Championship. Soheb Porbandarwala enters the final day with a massive chiplead, eyeing the title and a reward of over $2.5 million. This prestigious event will determine the ultimate king of this World Poker Tour season.
You can also catch the WPT season's finale live with the YouTube livestream on the World Poker Tour channel.
Sources: WPT, Flickr, YouTube
