The brand new event began on Saturday with 6,343 entrants and concluded yesterday after four days of play. Benny Chen brought the largest stack to the final table, which kicked off yesterday, but lost the chip lead almost straight away. He was second in chips when four players remained.
Four-handed play lasted 95 hands with each player taking turns at holding the lead. However, at the end of the night, it was Chen who was the last man standing and received the first prize of $1,198,780 and the coveted gold bracelet!
Final table results:
1. Benny Chen $1,198,780
2. Michael Bennington $741,903
3. Jonathan Gray $534,506
4. Justin Liberto $400,408
5. Dan Kelly $302,104
6. Chris Hunichen $229,575
7. Upeshka Desilva $175,714
8. Robert McVeigh $135,467
9. Theron Eichenberger $105,154
A prize pool of $2,847,390 was created thanks to 1,043 entries, and it took four long days of play to determine a winner, Justin Liberto who received the lion's share ($640,711). In addition to the prize money, the 26-year-old poker pro received his first gold bracelet. It was his 6th cash and second final table appearance at the World Series of Poker. He now has $1,199,624 in total earnings.
