Chase Bricker has won the biggest freeroll in poker history, scooping the $1million top prize in the ClubWPT Gold $5million Invitational Freeroll in Vegas, and bagging another $110,000 in bounties for good measure!
The poker community has been following the $5million freeroll for weeks now, ever since news of the 2000 Golden Tickets to the event broke.
Some players got in via satellite wins, some via social media contests, others invited to promote the WPT’s upcoming new sweepstakes-style online poker portal.
By the time the tournament began, some 1457 players were able to cash in their tickets for a free seat, most eyes on the $1million top prize but with plenty of other goodies to be won, as we’ll see a little later…
Things kicked off in suitably surreal fashion, with Jungleman Dan Cates appearing with an Oompa Loompa-style entourage…
…and then it was on to the poker itself, which pitted big-name pros, regs, recs, amateurs and all manner of player against each other.
Day 1 saw the likes of Poker Hall of Famer Kathy Liebert, WPT commentator legend Vince van Patten, poker-streaming WPT Global brand ambassador Brad Owen, along with a host of known and unknowns all fall by the wayside.
By day 3, we had a final table of nine, all guaranteed $20,000, and this is where the Mystery Bounty kicked in, with one of them rather cruel it has to be said:
Mystery Bounties:
$200,000
$50,000
$25,000 (x3)
$10,000 (x2)
$0
Daniyal Gheba struck first when he eliminated Jacob Stufflebean and immediately bagged the biggest bounty of all, worth $200,000. Gheba then pocketed another $25,000 bounty when he KO’d Eric Zheng.
There was to be a sad moment in an otherwise momentous run for Jason Christopher.
A three-way all-in saw Josh Guindon and Christopher at risk…
Gheba: A♣ 8♥
Christopher: Q♦ Q♣
Josh Guindon: K♦ Q♠
Flop: 10♥ 4♣ 2♣
Turn: 2♠
River: 6♣
…but although Christopher had netted a sizeable double-up and elimination, his Bounty draw was less satisfying… $000,000!
The real big money was still to appear, the top-heavy payouts deliberately designed that way, but in the meantime there was another monster prize waiting to be won…
Richard Wilson pulls the @ClubWPTGold @McLarenAuto GTS @WynnLasVegas @WynnPoker! 🏎️💨 pic.twitter.com/bc75sISYD2
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) December 16, 2024
Richard Lord later decided to take the $150,000 cash alternative, perhaps worried about insurance and garage costs for such a spectacular automobile.
Chase Bricker eliminated Tyler Hancock and Victor Avallone, in 6th and 5th respectively, before Avallone’s deep run ended when he ran 6♠ 6♦ into Gheba’s 6♥ 6♣
A double clash between Gheba and Bricker saw the former bust in 3rd spot, and heads-up lasted all of one hand, Bricker calling off his opponent’s big blind shove…
Bricker: A♥ Q♣
Christopher: A♠ 10♣
Flop: K♦ 5♦ 2♦
Turn: J♣
River: 3♦
That queen kicker gave Bricker the win, a $1,000,000 payday and an additional $110,000 in his back pocket in Mystery Bounty draws. Jason Christopher took the $250,000 runner-up prize in one of the most exciting and talked about events of the year.
ClubWPT Gold Invitational Freeroll Final Table Results
Place | Player | Prize |
1 | Chase Bricker | $1,000,000 |
2 | Jason Christopher | $250,000 |
3 | Daniyal Gheba | $125,000 |
4 | Victor Avallone | $75,000 |
5 | Patrick Eskandar | $50,000 |
6 | Tyler Hancock | $40,000 |
7 | Josh Guindon | $30,000 |
8 | Eric Zheng | $25,000 |
9 | Jacob Stufflebean | $20,000 |
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