Mike Leah, George Tomescu Among Latest Big Winners in WPT World Championship Festival
Table Of Contents
The $40 million guaranteed World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship event hasn't even begun, but there's already been a number of big winners during the series at Wynn Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, the largest guaranteed prize pool in poker history kicks off, and everyone in the poker world is talking about it. But before looking ahead to that historic event, we look back to honor those who've performed at a high level, winning Wynn replica trophies over the past few days.
Canadian Leah Takes Down 8-Game
Mike Leah, one of the top Canadian tournament grinders ever, won yet another tournament this past week — the $2,200 8-Game. Doing so paid him $78,841, bringing his career cashes over $8.2 million, according to The Hendon Mob.
As is the case with most mixed game events, the champion had to defeat a difficult final table to come out ahead. Matthew Vengrin (seventh place for $10,950), David "Bakes" Baker (fifth place for $18,688), and Dzmitry Urbanovich (fourth place for $25,258) all reached the final table.
Leah defeated Luigi D'Santoro, a Pennsylvania native with minimal live tournament results, heads-up to win the title. The runner-up received $48,676 as a consolation prize, a career-best score. Leah, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, added another piece of hardware to his trophy case. He had to beat out a field of 146 entrants to secure the top prize out of the $291,000 pot.
$2,200 8-Game Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Leah | $78,841 |
| 2 | Luigi D'Santoro | $48,676 |
| 3 | Caleb Shumard | $34,018 |
| 4 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | $25,258 |
| 5 | David "Bakes" Baker | $18,688 |
| 6 | Alan Myerson | $14,016 |
| 7 | Matthew Vengrin | $10,950 |
| 8 | Jon Turner | $8,833 |
Lisa Costello Wins WPT Ladies Championship
Tomescu with a Massive Score
The $1,600 Mystery Bounty at Wynn attracted a huge field with 3,421 entrants all chasing the $500,000 first place prize, along with the mystery bounties that came with it. At the end of the day, however, nobody could outlast George Tomescu, who won a total of $564,202, including bounties, the biggest share of the $3,215,740 prize pool.
Much like every other event during the series thus far, the guarantee — $2 million — was smashed. Tomescu, a Romanian pro with just $280,000 in prior live tournament cashes, beat Jiacong Zhang ($324,347) heads-up at the very end. Both players went home with life-changing money, as did Jack Hardcastle in third place ($249,61) and fourth place finisher Matthew McEwan ($192,754).
$1,600 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Tomescu | $564,202* |
| 2 | Jiacong Zhang | $324,347 |
| 3 | Jack Hardcastle | $249,761 |
| 4 | Matthew McEwan | $192,754 |
| 5 | Todd Turoci | $148,507 |
| 6 | Fausto Valdez | $113,136 |
| 7 | David Levy | $85,014 |
| 8 | Dany Fuhs | $62,463 |
| 9 | Ubaid Habib | $44,396 |
*Indicates prize won includes mystery bounties.
Larson Wins Seniors Event
The $1,100 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em event at Wynn brought in 146 players aged 55 and above. One of those individuals is David Larson, who was the best of the bunch. Larson, a local player, received $141,385 for winning the tournament, a large chunk of the $780,850.
Renyong Hu was the runner-up, which paid $92,548. George Heim took third place for $71,182, while Scott Buller claimed fourth place for $55,784. Larson now has over $1.9 million in career live tournament cashes, and this is his largest score ever.
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Larson | $141,385 |
| 2 | Renyong Hu | $92,548 |
| 3 | George Heim | $71,182 |
| 4 | Scott Buller | $55,784 |
| 5 | Larry Gerek | $43,279 |
| 6 | Lawrence Greenberg | $32,941 |
| 7 | Ryan Biggar | $24,580 |
| 8 | Ira Friedman | $18,241 |
| 9 | Juli Black | $13,059 |
Remaining WPT World Championship Schedule
| Dates | Tournament | Buy-In | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 12-21 | WPT World Championship | $10,400 | $40,000,000 |
| Dec. 12-13 | HORSE Championship | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 13 | Pot-Limit Omaha | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 15 | No-Limit Hold’em Turbo ($500 Bounty) | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 16 | No-Limit Hold’em Progressive Bounty (PKO) | $3,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 17-18 | Limit Omaha/8 Championship | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 17-20 | No-Limit Hold’em | $3,000 | $3,000,000 |
| Dec. 17-18 | No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | $25,700 | |
| Dec. 18-19 | WPT Big One for One Drop | $1,000,000 | |
| Dec. 19-23 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,600 | $2,000,000 |
| Dec. 19-20 | Seniors High Roller (50+) | $10,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 19 | No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max | $3,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 20-21 | Dealers Choice Championship | $3,000 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 20-21 | WPT Alpha8 | $50,000 | |
| Dec. 21 | Pot-Limit Omaha | $10,500 | |
| Dec. 22 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,100 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 23 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,100 | $100,000 |
Multiple Big Winners Already Crowned in WPT World Championship Festival
WPT World Championship Festival Winners to Date
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $600 NLH $1M Gtd | 4,960 | $2,554,400 | Michael Rossitto | $366,698 |
| $600 Omaha 8-or-Better | 152 | $78,280 | John Cernuto | $20,073 |
| $10,500 NLH 8-Max | 77 | $770,000 | Ian Bradley | $240,625 |
| $1,100 PLO/NLH | 376 | $364,720 | Martin Kozlov | $74,373 |
| $1,100 Seniors NLH Championship | 805 | $780,850 | Dave Larson | $141,385 |
| $1,600 Mystery Bounty | 3,421 | $3,215,740 | George Tomescu | $564,202 |
| $2,200 8-Game | 146 | $291,000 | Mike Leah | $78,841 |
| $1,100 Ladies Championship | 457 | $443,290 | Lisa Costello | $85,297 |
*Image courtesy of Wynn Poker Room.
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In this Series
- 1 Award-Winning WPT World Championship Returning to Wynn in December
- 2 WPT World Championship at Wynn to Set Record w/ $40 Million Guarantee
- 3 Tennessee Home Game Grinder Qualifies Into WPT World Championship
- 4 Iraq War Veteran Qualifies for WPT World Championship on ClubWPT
- 5 Here's How to Qualify for the $40 Million Guaranteed WPT World Championship
- 6 Alaskan Gold Miner Among Latest To Qualify For WPT World Championship
- 7 Premier Meet-Up Game with Phil Ivey Will Kick Off the WPT World Championship at Wynn
- 8 World Poker Tour Reveals Live Streaming Schedule for WPT World Championship
- 9 Women in Poker Initiatives Will Be at the Forefront During WPT World Championship
- 10 Over $55M in Guarantees for WPT World Championship Series at Wynn from Nov. 29-Dec. 23
- 11 Cancer Survivor Qualifies for WPT World Championship In Las Vegas
- 12 "Johnnyhaha" Riesterer Wins Seat Into WPT World Championship In Las Vegas
- 13 ClubWPT Qualifier Luis Gutierrez Ready to Take on WPT World Championship
- 14 PN Pod Special Edition: Phil Ivey & Gus Hansen at 2023 WPT World Championship; Everything You Need to Know
- 15 Phil Ivey & Gus Hansen Drop Down to Low-Stakes Poker (For One Day)
- 16 Mexican Pro Jacobo Montoya Seeking Another Score in WPT World Championship
- 17 Multiple Big Winners Already Crowned at WPT World Championship Festival
- 18 Mike Leah, George Tomescu Among Latest Big Winners in WPT World Championship Festival
- 19 Did Wynn Figure Out the Perfect Bubble Stalling Solution During WPT Prime Championship?
- 20 Alan Keating Bags Big Stack on Day 1a of WPT World Championship
- 21 Lynn Gilmartin Spins Up a Stack on Day 1b of WPT World Championship
- 22 Meet Some of the ClubWPT Qualifiers Playing the WPT World Championship
- 23 $40 Million Guarantee Within Reach as WPT World Championship Approaches Day 1d
- 24 Kristen Foxen Turns a Full House But is Drawing Dead in WPT Ladies Cash Game
- 25 Class of 2023 Reflect on Joining the WPT Champions Club
- 26 "WPT's Long-Term Plan Playing Out" says Pliska After World Championship Overlay
- 27 Class of 2023 Reflect on Joining the WPT Champions Club
- 28 "WPT's Long-Term Plan Playing Out" says Pliska After World Championship Overlay
- 29 Garrett Adelstein Books Another Six-Figure Win in WPT Cash Game
- 30 What Players Should You Expect for the WPT $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop?
- 31 Aces Cracked to Bust the Bubble on Day 2 of WPT World Championship
- 32 Will the WPT World Championship Have a Repeat Winner?
- 33 Defending Champ Eliot Hudon Out; Naj Ajez Leads WPT World Championship
- 34 WATCH: Joe Hachem Folds Kings Near WPT World Championship Bubble
- 35 WPT x Daniel Arsham Celebrity Invitational Features Actor Neil Patrick Harris
- 36 Reality TV Star Princess Love Among 45 Left in WPT World Championship
- 37 Phil Ivey Busts on Day 1 of $1M WPT Big One for One Drop
- 38 Dan Smith Bags Chip Lead w/ 6 Left in WPT Big One for One Drop
- 39 Ben Jacobs Leads WPT World Championship Final 16; Moorman, Lichtenberger & Sepiol Alive
- 40 Mikita Badziakouski Ships $1 Million Buy-In WPT Big One for One Drop ($7.1 Million)
- 41 Daniel Lowery Caps Off Career Year With WPT Seniors Win Just Weeks After His 50th
- 42 PN Podcast: MI Player Kidnapped & Zip-Tied & Dan Sepiol Talks Winning WPT World Championship
- 43 Ren Lin Wins $50k WPT Alpha8 for $1,045,781; Jason Koon Runner-Up
- 44 Dan Sepiol Wins WPT World Championship ($5.3 Million) w/ Brilliant Final Table Performance
- 45 Lucky Chewy Catches Fire to Lead Stacked WPT World Championship Final Table
- 46 2023 WPT World Championship Hands of the Week: WSOP Champ Felted By Hall of Famer
- 47 Gamble, Weng & Coleman Win at WPT World Championship Festival; Leah Claims 2nd Trophy
- 48 Calvin Anderson Wins WPT Prime Championship for $1,386,280
- 49 Actor Neil Patrick Harris Takes Brutal Cooler in WPT Celebrity Poker Tournament
