The 2021 Jacksonville Winter Poker Open Main Event wrapped up recently, with Scott Stewart winning the main prize. Before this event, Stewart had a total of $2.2 million in lifetime earnings, but he had never won more than $105,245. This time, he managed to break a personal record, topping the field of 510 entries and winning a total of $177,817 as the main prize.
Tournament Play
He already had a pretty decent position upon entering Day 2 of playing poker, as he was fifth in chips out of 78 players who returned to poker tables. He managed to remain at the top of the list as players started hitting the rails, and even when the money bubble burst with a player on the 65th position, meaning that the top 64 players got paid. Stewart did not give up and continued grinding even more after that.
By the time there were only three tables left, Stewart was the ultimate chip leader, which means he was already aiming at the main trophy. As a matter of fact, Stewart himself played a big role in reducing the field to the final table, as he managed to send James Calderaro to the rail in the 16h place.
Some notable players who managed to survive the bubble but failed to make it to the final table were Justin Liberto, Dapo Ajayi, Byron Kaverman, Timothy Miles, Justin Zaki, Hamid Izadi, and others. The players who left the game just before the final table were Kelly Slay, Tyler Payne, Jason Block, Dustin Holladay, and Mitch Smith. In fact, Smith was the last one to do say goodbye to the tournament before the final table was created.
The Final Table Overview
Barbara Rogers from Lockhaven, PA, was the player with the shortest stack at that moment, so she was the first to hit the rail in the final table, as an eighth-placed player, winning a total of $22,491.
After her, it was time for Chuck Tabor from Charlotte, North Carolina, to leave the game in the seventh position, earning $28,917 for his effort. His ace-five suited were no match for Mauldin’s ace-queen.
The six-handed play ended with Luan Nguyen from Lawrenceville, Georgia, hitting the rail and earning a total of $37,454. The next one to follow Nguyen’s steps was Thad McNulty from Jacksonville, Florida, who managed to earn $49,113 for his effort.
The fourth place was reserved for Chris Perry from Tampa, Florida. Perry won a total of $65,178 for his effort. The last player to leave the game before the heads-up was Ken Stacy, who has been holding pretty well throughout the tournament, scoring a lot of eliminations. Stacky, who is from Bristol, Virginia, won a total of $87,394.
Scott Stewart’s heads-up opponent was Matt Mauldin, who had a slight disadvantage in chips. However, Stewart already had momentum, which he immediately used against Mauldin, not letting him come back and stifling Mauldin with his advantage. Soon after that, Stewart was leading 5:1 in chips, and Mauldin eventually had to settle for the consolation prize of $118,422.