Nick Walker Wins The 2017 WNYPC Opening Event For $17,404
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2014 Western New York Poker Challenge Main Event champion Nick Walker has done it again, winning the opening event on the 2017 WNYPC schedule at the Niagara Falls Poker Room Sunday night.
After four starting flights over two days at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Resort, 96 players returned to play down to a champion Sunday. The event drew a total of 638 entries, creating a $100,000 guarantee-smashing $160,617 prize pool with plans to pay the top 63.
The field reached the money fairly quickly Sunday and moved on to a final table of ten just before the dinner break. Matt Heiligenthaler became the first player up and over one-million chips at the final two tables and took over two-million and the lead into the final.
Heiligenthaler actually dominated play at the final table as well, and after Leo Kaplin fell 10th, John Brock took 9th, and David Battaglia bowed out 8th, his lead almost doubled.
John Fluder's run ended with a 7th-place finish and after Tim Campbell took sixth, and Joseph [Removed:340] fifth, talk of a chop ensued.
Heiligenthaler initially refused, but when Colin Reid pulled close to even through sheer attrition, a deal was struck.
Matt Heiligenthaler took $23,000 and Colin Reid earned $20,000. Sahar Khajavi got $18,000 and Nick Walker $15,000. They saved the trophy and an additional $5,124 for the winner, while setting aside $2,196 for the runner up.
Moments later, Reid took control of four-handed play, winning a huge flip against Heiligenthaler.
Heiligenthaler was the one in the danger zone after that, and soon ran two Broadway cards into Sahar Khajavi's kings to lose almost all of his chips. He busted unceremoniously on the next hand. They played three-handed for a while before striking another deal to chop the remaining money and flip for the title. Walker won the title and the trophy after playing solid enough to book the win all day long. It may have come as the result of a flip, but Walker was as deserving of the glory as any of the final three.
| Position | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Walker | $17,404 |
| 2 | Colin Reid | $22,326 |
| 3 | Sahar Khajavi | $20,404 |
| 4 | Matt Heiligenthaler | $23,000 |
| 5 | [Removed:339] | $7,629 |
| 6 | Tim Campbell | $5,734 |
| 7 | John Fluder | $4,819 |
| 8 | David Battaglia | $4,015 |
| 9 | John Brock | $3,212 |
Event #1 is over, but PokerNews' coverage of the 2017 WNYPC continues Monday with a $10,000 Guaranteed $150 buy-in No Limit Hold'em event beginning at 5 p.m.