WPT Legends Champ Art Papazyan Adds Second Title At WPT Maryland
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Papazyan won the WPT Maryland at Live! Casino Main Event Wednesday night, just weeks after beating the legendary Phil Hellmuth heads-up to capture the WPT Legends of Poker Main Event title.
Papazyan wins $389,405 in Maryland
Papazyan got the best of a 561-entry field in Maryland, earning a $389,405 first-place prize. WPT wins usually come with a $15,000 seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions. However, Papazyan has one from Legends already and took cash in Maryland instead.
When added to the $668,692 he won at WPT Legends, the Maryland money pushed Papazyan’s career tournament earnings over the $1.1 million mark.
The six-handed WPT Maryland at Live! Casino Main Event final table began Wednesday with 62-year-old Tom Reynolds holding the chip lead.
Reynolds only added to that lead, busting Timothy Chang ($76,620) in sixth just 15 hands in. However, Papazyan took the lead three-handed by busting Grigoriy Shvarts ($92,015) in fifth place and picking up aces against Randal Heeb‘s tens to send Heeb ($120,165) home fourth.
Reynolds ($168,990) ran an ace-high bluff on a nine-high paired board and Zachary Donovan called with a nine to bust him out third. However, Papazyan still took a lead into heads-up play.
Donovan, who finished 18th in the WPT Maryland at Live! Casino Main Event last year, doubled once to get close to even. However, Papazyan extended the lead again before Donavan shoved a weak ace. Papazyan called with two kings and held on to book the win, leaving Donavan with $168,990 in runner-up money.
Papazyan dominating WPT Player of the Year race
Because he won his second title of the season, Papazyan took a big lead in the WPT Player of the Year race. The Maryland WPT stop proved to be a decisive one in the chase for one of the poker world’s most prestigious titles last year with Benjamin Zamani taking a commanding lead in the race after making his third final table of the young season. It was a lead he would not relinquish.
At this point, Papazyan now has twice as many points as the two players closest to him: WPT Borgata winner Guo Liang Chen and WPT Choctaw champ Jay Lee.
In fact, Papazyan has 2,400 points and is just 150 points shy of the 2,550 points Zamani won with last year.
Papazyan’s accomplishment helped overshadow the fact WPT Maryland at Live! Casino Main Event failed to draw enough entries to cover its $2 million prize pool guarantee.
With fees taken out of the buy-ins, the 561 entries were only enough to create a $1,851,300 prize pool. Organizers were forced to pay a $148,700 overlay to push the prize pool up to the $2 million mark.
WPT Heads South
Next up for the WPT is the $5,000 WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble in Jacksonville, Florida October 21 to 25. The WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble is a bounty event with $2,500 bounties on the heads of all players. The event also has a $1 million guaranteed prize pool.
photo credit: World Poker Tour Flickr Page