Brady Holiman has managed to sweep to victory at the World Poker Tour Choctaw $3,700 Main Event. It’s been a rather special time for Mr. Holiman who had managed to add his first WPT recognition. Not least of all, he also bagged the solid first prize of $469,185 in cash.
To put Mr. Holiman’s feat in perspective, you should probably know that his overall winnings prior to this water-shed WPT distinction were well below $50,000, which makes his achievement even more significant. Mr. Holiman has stepped out of the shadows where all the rookies dwell and took a stab at the gathered crowd of hopeful pros, showing no regret in the process.
Mr. Holiman’s Convincing Victory is No Luck
To think that Mr. Holiman’s was pure luck is quite not the right way to approach this matter. He managed to make a splash during the event, entering the final table with a significant chip lead and having competitors gasping left and right at how an almost unfamiliar name in poker could have gone so far.
And Mr. Holiman did mean business against some of the most serious players he could have wished for. Anthony Zinno, a previous WPT title winner and a WSOP high-roller champ, was also contesting and he too was determined to win. Oh, and if you didn’t know, Mr Zinno had won the event three times prior to his latest appearance at Choctaw. The exchange of hands, though, didn’t go exactly in the way of Mr. Zinno who finished fifth.
Quite a few bright faces showed up their talent during the meet-up. There was Viet Vo who finished second and also managed a good price, with $320,725 going his way right there on the spot. He was followed by Christopher Smith with his $223,360 in solid consolatory cash money.
Tony Ruberto was the one to slightly outpace Mr. Zinno with $166,605, and as to Mr. Zinno himself – the fifth position came with $125,630 in cash, which wasn’t too bad a deal for plonking down $3,000 upfront and seeing what would happen next.
The tournament itself was quite the extensive action. We saw 755 people flock to the competitions, which promised an overall prize pool of $2.5 million – a sum that would make anyone want to at least entertain the idea of going a poker pro. Many showed up, but not all made it to the finals, including Men Nguyen.
Wrapping it All Up
The final table was just as fraught with exchange and on occasion friendly banter as you would expect of any high-tier event. Mr. Holiman had no trouble keeping his lead convincingly, leaving no hope for his competitors. High-stacked game had Mr. Vo and Mr. Holiman exchange some intense volleys of serious stakes, but in the end, it was Mr. Holiman’s three Jacks that managed to seal the deal and disperse Mr. Vo’s hopes of success at the final table.
With his name now engraved in one of the most important events, Mr. Holiman may start building his reputation in earnest. He will need to attend more major events and repeat his feat, though, to establish his reputation. WPT was a good start.
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