Online and live tournament poker pro Kevin “1sickdisease” Eyster claimed his second World Poker Tour title and the WPT Champions Cup this weekend by besting the field in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio.
The win gave Eyster his biggest career pay day at $1,587,382 – the lion’s share of a $6,198,300 prize pool created by an entry field of 639. Adding more glitter to the prize was a Hublot Oceanographic 4000 watch, an Aurae Solid Gold MasterCard and a set of Monster headphones.
Entering the final table stage of the competition, Eyster faced determined opposition from Bill Jennings, Ben Yu, Jake Schwartz, Care Hall and Eddie Ochana.
Making the final table was an achievement in itself, bearing in mind that a quality field included acclaimed players like Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton,Daniel Negreanu, Fedor Holz, Phil Laak and Paul Volpe.
Three handed action was intense and prolonged, but eventually Ben Yu was eliminated for $607,333 to set up the heads up between Eyster and 49-year-old Florida businessman Bill Jennings, with Eyster holding a slim 500,000 chip lead. A tough 38-hand tussle ensued before Eyster was able to build his lead into a 2 to 1 advantage and dismiss a talented opponent with the runner up prize of $929,745.
Cashes for the rest of the table were:
Jake Schwartz $412,187
Cate Hall $291,320
Eddie Ochana $226,238