$565 was the price of taking a shot at WPT glory in this event, the WPT500, which took place in Las Vegas and attracted 3,541 entries. The $1 million guarantee was easily surpassed by the size of the field, which was split into several starting flights, with $230,000 set aside for eventual winner Jon Borenstein.
Final table roundup
In what was one of the faster final tables you’re likely to see this summer, play went from 9-handed to 4-handed in the space of an hour. There was a three-way all-in on the opening hand, and from there, the pace continued. Christopher Bonita hit the rail on that first hand, and was quickly followed by Antonio Scalzi, Nipun Java, Brian Gorman and Nikita Luther. Scott Montgomery soon walked his A8 into the KK of Joep Raemaekers to exit in 4th, before Borenstein doubled his way into the chiplead with a nasty cooler of KK vs AK. From there, the action was paused, and the battle was decided by diplomatic means. The players agreed to chop up the prize money, with Borenstein given the trophy and largest share of the money, as the chipleader.
Final results and payouts are as follows:
1st – Jon Borenstein – $230,000
2nd – Joep Raemaekers – $160,000
3rd – Alek Gofman – $115,000
4th – Scott Montgomery – $85,000
5th – Nikita Luther – $65,000
6th – Brian Gorman – $50,000
7th – Nipun Java – $35,000
8th – Antonio Scalzi – $26,100
9th – Christopher Bonita – $21,000
Strong contingent of Indian players at WPT500
The Indian platform Adda52 formed a partnership with the WPT last year. That partnership is bearing fruit, evidence of which can be seen in the increased number of Indian players who participated in this event.
Meet the adda52.com Players at the WPT500 Las Vegas
More: The World Poker Tour announces first-ever event in India
Two final tablists underline a great showing by India
Aditya Agarwal and Nipun Java are two prime examples of talented Indian players making their mark on live poker, with Agarwal making a couple of deep runs in the WSOP this summer and Java finishing 7th place in this very event. What’s especially promising though, is that there are signs that more Indian players are breaking through, such as Nikita Luther. She had a wonderful tournament at the WPT500, and did Adda52 proud as their sponsored pro, finishing 5th place.
This is not a one-off performance, as Luther has been one of many Indian players cashing in the WSOP this year, which bodes well not just for the Indian poker community, but for the health of the game itself.
Article by Craig Bradshaw
