Schuyler Thornton WPT World Championship Final Table — Schuyler Thornton – Photo Credit WPT

The spotlight at Wynn Las Vegas shone brightest on the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship final table, where Schuyler Thornton delivered a commanding performance to capture the tour’s most prestigious title and a $2,098,456 payday. Just one day earlier, Aaron Johnson had already set the tone for a memorable closing weekend by winning the WPT Prime Championship, making it a back-to-back celebration of first-time champions on the World Poker Tour stage.

Thornton Dominates the WPT World Championship Final Table

The $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship attracted a massive field of 1,865 entries, and the final six returned with widely uneven stacks. Soheb Porbandarwala held more than a 2:1 chip lead and was the only remaining member of the WPT Champions Club, while Thornton sat in second position with work to do.

Momentum shifted early when Thornton eliminated Maxx Coleman in sixth place, his ace-queen holding against ace-ten. From there, the final table quickly tilted in Thornton’s favor as short stacks took aggressive lines that repeatedly ran into stronger holdings.

Jeremy Becker was next to fall in fifth place after his weaker ace was dominated, followed by a pivotal hand that sent Chad Lipton out in fourth. That single confrontation reshaped the table, pulling Thornton firmly into contention and leaving Jeremy Brown as the lone short stack.

Brown briefly surged after winning a four-bet pot against Porbandarwala, but his run ended in third place when top pair ran into Thornton’s set. Before heads-up play began, the players agreed to a chop, leaving roughly $129,000 and a $10,400 WPT seat still in play.

Despite both players holding deep stacks, the heads-up phase of the WPT World Championship final table ended swiftly. Thornton won a massive early pot with a set of aces, surged to a 5:1 chip advantage, and then rattled off twelve consecutive hands. Porbandarwala made his final stand with ace-six against ace-king, but the board offered no help, sealing Thornton’s victory.

Thornton later noted that the fearless approach of the short stacks accelerated the action and played directly into his hands, allowing him to control the table from start to finish. The win marked his first major live title and capped a career-defining run at the WPT World Championship final table.

WPT World Championship Final Table Results

Place	Player	Prize (USD)
1	Schuyler Thornton	$2,098,456
2	Soheb Porbandarwala	$1,969,344
3	Jeremy Brown	$1,250,000
4	Chad Lipton	$940,000
5	Jeremy Becker	$710,000
6	Maxx Coleman	$540,000

Johnson Battles Through Marathon Heads-Up to Win WPT Prime Championship

Aaron Johnson WPT World Championship Final Table — Aaron Johnson – photo Credit WPT

While the World Championship finale was defined by control and efficiency, the $1,100 WPT Prime Championship produced a very different story.

The final table raced from six players to heads-up in just 29 hands, despite Qing Liu entering the day as the lone deep stack. Early eliminations came quickly, with Uri Foox and Tim Burden both falling to Fernando Martin Del Campo, who surged into contention during the opening stretch.

Del Campo continued his run by knocking out Liu in fourth place and Safiya Umerova in third, setting up a heads-up duel with Johnson. Despite scoring the last knockout before the duel began, Johnson started heads-up play at a significant chip disadvantage.

What followed was a long and volatile battle. Johnson flipped the script early by winning nearly every opening pot, leveling the stacks within minutes. Momentum swung again as Del Campo built a commanding lead, only for Johnson to strike back with a key straight and later win two massive pots that swung the match decisively.

After nearly three hours of heads-up play, Johnson closed out the contest after winning a crucial 60/40. The players had agreed to a chop, awarding Johnson $1,010,400 and leaving Del Campo with $942,480 in a breakout performance that dwarfed his previous live earnings.

WPT Prime Championship Final Table Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Aaron Johnson	$1,010,400
2	Fernando Martin Del Campo	$942,480
3	Safiya Umerova	$575,000
4	Qing Liu	$430,000
5	Tim Burden	$325,000
6	Uri Foox	$250,000

A Fitting Close to the WPT Season

From Thornton’s clinical run through the WPT World Championship final table to Johnson’s endurance test in the Prime Championship, the closing days at Wynn Las Vegas showcased two very different paths to victory. Both champions walked away with career-best results, and the festival itself delivered a strong finish to another season on the World Poker Tour.

All images and hand histories courtesy of World Poker Tour (WPT).