Corey Wade Wins WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa for $471,686
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After six days (five days of play for each player), the $3,500 buy-in WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa has reached its conclusion with Corey Wade taking home $471,686 for winning the 1,165-entry event.
With three players remaining on Wednesday, the payouts were adjusted for a chop, but they were required to play it down to a winner. Brock Wilson, the most accomplished live tournament player at the final table, busted in third place for $411,678, his second six-figure score of the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa series. He also took second place to John Racener for $154,800 in Event #18: $25,500 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller.
Wilson, who held a sizable chip lead for quite some time at the final table, had jammed with 9♥7♥ on a board of J♦7♣5♥K♦ and was called by Wade, who held K♠Q♣. The river 8♣ did nothing to improve Wilson's hand.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corey Wade | $471,686 |
| 2 | Fred Paradis | $441,686 |
| 3 | Brock Wilson | $411,678 |
| 4 | Seven McKoy | $226,000 |
| 5 | Seth Berger | $170,000 |
| 6 | David Tuthill | $130,000 |
How it All Played Out
The final table began at noon ET with Steven McKoy holding a slight chip lead over Fred Paradis. Three hours into play and the field was still sitting at six players. Within a 10-minute span, two players busted, starting with Tampa Bay local David Tuthill, who ran into a horrible cooler with K♠K♦ against the A♦A♣ of Paradis.
Tuthill didn't hit a king on the board and was eliminated in sixth place for $130,000. Not long after, Seth Berger was ousted in fifth place ($170,000) by Wade. The remaining players then began discussing a four-way chop but couldn't come to an agreement. McKoy was next out the door in fourth place ($226,000) after losing a race to Wade, and he was followed by Wilson.
That set up a heads-up match between Wade and Paradis, with the former holding nearly a 2:1 chip advantage. Paradis, a local who was a longtime grinder at Foxwoods when he lived in Connecticut, won a $550 satellite at SHR Tampa for a seat into the WPT Main Tour event.
Down about 5:1 in chips during heads-up play, Paradis won a race to stay alive. But it wasn't long after that the good fortune went the other way.
Following a preflop raise and jam and the blinds at 400,000/800,000, Paradis was all in for his tournament life with Ax3x against Wade's Qx9x. Both players hit their top card on the flop, leaving Wade in jeopardy of doubling up his opponent. On the river, however, he found a Qx to take down the hand and the tournament. When that queen hit, he instantly dropped to the floor in excitement.
"It's amazing, I pictured it in my mind, this is the tournament I told myself, 'do not donk it off, do not bluff it off,'" Wade told PokerNews just after finishing off his first World Poker Tour title. "I played a lot tighter this tournament than I usually do, and I think that really played to me making it a lot farther because sometimes I'll get a lot of chips and I'll just make a big bluff or just not get through."
Wade played sound poker at the final table, his first ever major poker title. He was playing for the biggest stakes of his life and had previously cashed for just over $300,000 lifetime, according to Hendon Mob. Still, he was able to keep his composure throughout while playing with a big stack during much of this five-day tournament.
"I was like just get there, just get there," Wade said of the final hand. "I didn't think I was going to lose, but I also didn't have a good feeling I was going to win either."
There wasn't much disparity in terms of money between first and third place, just $60,000. That may have helped Wade relax and eliminated any pressure from his mind once the final three players agreed to chop.
"Knowing that we were playing for $60k, that allowed me to relax a little bit. I was really, really wanting first place, so that had more effect on me at the time than the money did. I was able to pick a few spots that I wouldn't have done if the money was at $615k."
The original scheduled payout to the winner was to be $615,050, with the runner-up receiving $410,000, and $300,000 to third place. Chopping, as Wade suggested, gave everyone left in the tournament an opportunity to ease up and eliminate some pressure.
Although the pay jumps significantly dropped due to the chop, there was still much to play for. The winner, on top of receiving the largest payout, also receives airfare, accommodations, and entry into the December WPT World Championship at Wynn, a $15 million guaranteed prize pool, the largest in live tournament history.
Plus, Wade is now a member of the exclusive WPT Champions Club, joining legends of the game such as Daniel Negreanu, Darren Elias, and Phil Ivey. Congratulations to Corey Wade, winner of the 2022 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa.
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Photos courtesy of Drew Amato/WPT
