Jesse Capps Goes from CSOP Charity Event Win to Day 6 of WSOP Main Event

Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S.

Chad Holloway PR & Media Manager

Jul 12, 2024 3 min read

From Hundreds to Millions?
Jesse Capps 2024 WSOP Main Event Journey

Jesse Capps is one of many players who won their way into the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event without putting up $10,000 of his own money. But the difference between most others is he's still standing on Day 6 of poker's world championship event.

The Las Vegas resident and one-time PokerNews live reporter won a Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) tournament during Super Bowl weekend in February, an event that benefited the All In for Epilepsy foundation. In doing so, he scored a seat to the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event.

At the time of publishing, following the second break of Day 6, PokerNews, Capps had just over 2 million chips with the blinds at 60,000/120,000. Only 100 of the record-setting 10,112 players remained, two days away from the final table.

Should Capps spin his stack up and reach the final table, he'd be guaranteed at least $1 million with a maximum payout of $10 million. Not a bad return on investment considering he earned his seat for just a few hundred bucks at the CSOP.

From Hundreds to Millions?

Jesse Capps after winning the CSOP event in February.

Charity Series of Poker founder Matt Stout, who also ran deep in the Main Event (190th place for $60,000), gave some props to the CSOP winner.

“It’s awesome to see Jesse deep in the WSOP Main Event," Stout said. "One of the reasons we occasionally like to spend $10,000 on a grand prize instead of the usual $5,000 cash is to give players a chance at poker’s biggest tournament. Plus, it’s great to get some extra eyes and awareness on the charities during the Main Event. Jesse won our All In for Epilepsy event and a seat into the Main event, so hopefully he will take his charitable endeavors and run it up to $10 million, which is always the dream.”

Capps entered the Main Event with just under $600,000 in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. He's now cashed in the Main Event three times in the past four years, with min or slightly better cashes in 2021 and 2023, and now an even deeper run in 2024.

One of Capps’ signature totems in the poker are little rubber duckies, something that harkens back to a breakout.

“My ex-girlfriend and I used to win little ducks in those claw machines, and when our relationship ended I wound up with them, so I started to give them away at the poker table,” Capps explained. “I became known for the ducks and before I knew it people started to bring me ducks and it became a thing. All of the ducks you see with me up the table right now are ducks that my friends have brought to me.”

Viewers might have also noticed Capps with a shot of Crown Royal. Since Day 2, he’s made it a tradition to order a single shot and take one or two small sips out of it each two-hour level. The shot has lasted him to the end of the night for the past week, and with a little luck might carry him through to the end of the final table.

“Yesterday my shot actually got tipped over when someone threw a duck at me, it bounced off my head, and knocked the cup down,” Capps said with a laugh.

While he's played and cashed the WSOP Main Event before — 836th in the 2023 WSOP Main Event for $25,000 and 951st in the 2021 WSOP Main Event for $15,000 — this is the first time he's made it so deep.

"I remember watching the Main Event in 2007 and seeing Hevad Khan winning pots and shouting, 'Bulldozer!' My friend and I always said if we made a deep run in the Main Event we'd do the same thing, and even though he's no longer playing, if I win a big pot I might have to let out a loud, 'Bulldooozzzzeeerrr!'"

Follow Capps' Run in the 2024 WSOP Main Event at PokerNews