Craig Varnell Gets a Title for his Birthday, Wins WPT Choctaw for $380K
Craig Varnell got quite the birthday gift this year, shipping his first WPT title in the WPT Choctaw $3,700 Main Event that played out its final table at the HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, May 31. The 36-year-old from Colorado also made history with the win, becoming the first player to ever win both a WPT500, which he won in 2015, and a Main Tour title.
For Varnell, it seems the third time is the charm. His WSOP bracelet win in pot-limit Omaha last year came at his third WSOP final table, and in his third WPT final table, he closed it out again. Varnell now has over $2.2 million in live earnings, accumulated over the last five years, all that after a drug-related arrest and several years of probation gave him the wakeup call he needed a decade ago, he shared with WPT media.
"It was the best birthday present you could ask for.”
Poker has helped him get his life on track, and his aggressive and intuitive style of play has been working out for him. The fact that the Choctaw final table was on his birthday just made it all the more special, and he ended up needing quite a bit of magic to bring him back from under four big blinds when they were five-handed.
“When I found out the final table was on my birthday, I said, ‘Well that’s good,’" he told WPT. "And then the day didn’t start out too well. I was down to three or four big blinds. I don’t know what happened, I won a couple of all-ins and all of a sudden I was back in it. It was crazy. I had a big support group here. It was the best birthday present you could ask for.”
WPT Choctaw Main Event Official Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig Varnell | USA | $379,990* |
| 2 | Will Berry | USA | $243,330 |
| 3 | Nick Pupillo | USA | $179,430 |
| 4 | Trung Pham | USA | $133,770 |
| 5 | Stacey Jones | USA | $100,850 |
| 6 | Austin Lewis | USA | $76,890 |
*Includes $15,000 entry into Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions.
A total of 577 entries were tallied in the event for a prize pool of $1,958,915 and the top 74 made the money. The field was whittled down to just six players a couple weeks back in Choctaw, and mid-stakes circuit grinder Will Berry bagged the biggest stack with 189 big blinds. Varnell was not far behind with 156 big blinds and these two were separated from the pack coming into the final day.
Among those to cash and fall short of the final table wereJoe Elpayaa (8th place), David Pham (17th place), Ping Liu (24th place), Eric Baldwin (29th place), Will Failla (49th place), Blair Hinkle (53rd place), Jared Jaffee (57th place), Darren Elias (63rd place), Sam Panzica (70th place) and Brian Altman (74th place).
WPT Choctaw Final Table
A couple short stacks found doubles early on and the first to bust was Austin Lewis, who lost a big flip with pocket jacks against the ace-king of Stacey Jones, according to the WPT live updates. Circuit crusher Nick Pupillo, who entered the final table third in chips, flopped a set of tens against Varnell, who had defended the big blind and flopped top and bottom pair with king-six. They played for stacks and when Pupillo got the double, Varnell was left on crumbs with less than four big blinds.
The bracelet winner wasn't out though, and after a lucky double, he won two flips and was right back in the race. Eventually, two short stacks clashed in a classic cooler situation and Jones was on the bad end, holding pocket kings against Trung Pham's aces. He couldn't find a king and made his exit in fifth place.
Four-handed, several lead changes took place with Pupillo taking over and then Pham taking his turn in the driver's seat. In hand #110, Varnell got in with pocket tens with over 30 big blinds and doubled through Pham, who couldn't get there with ace-queen. From there, Varnell never looked back.
Pham would be the next player out, again his ace-queen failing to catch up, this time against Berry's pocket kings. With Varnell and Berry sitting on healthy stacks, Pupillo was the low stack and pretty soon he was on the ropes. Varnell would take the last of his chips, flopping trips with king-seven in the big blind against Pupillo's two pair to send the two-time HPT champ and WSOP-C Main Event champ home with third-place money.
Varnell started heads up leading 95 big blinds to Berry's 59 but the stacks evened out in the first hand when Berry got some value with a flush. Berry held the lead for a bit, but Varnell regained it when he called a four-bet and got a fold after check-shoving the flop. The match lasted just 14 hands, as Berry got his last 45 big blinds in with pocket eights and Varnell had him at risk with ace-ten suited.
A ten on the flop gave Varnell the best of it and Berry had to settle for second in his third WPT Main Tour cash. The $243,330 he earned for runner-up marks the biggest score of his career to date.
As for Varnell, you can bet it will be a birthday he won't soon forget. He is now a member of the WPT Champions Club, armed with more tournament ammo, and ready to battle with the best in the Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions that kicked off today, June 1.
"When I play against good players I feel like it keeps your game sharp," said Varnell. "It helps you know what works against certain people and what doesn’t. That’s how you learn. Playing with all these guys [in the ToC] is going to be great.”
Photos courtesy of WPT.
