2020 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
$1,700 WPO Main Event
$200,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 779
Prize Pool: $1,207,450
December 10-14, 2020
By any measure, the 2020 Winter Poker Open was a huge success and it was capped off by the $1,700 buy-in Main Event. The tournament turned out to be the biggest WPO Main Event in our history and recent Florida transfer Max Young captured the outright title along with $226,510.
The Main Event featured a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool with three starting flights. The guarantee was surpassed early on the first day and the three flights combined to put 779 entries into the Main Event for a huge prize pool worth $1,207,450. Those numbers represent two records; the biggest WPO Main Event field and prize pool in our history topping the 671 entries and $1,006,500 prize pool from 2017.
The 779 starters were whittled down to 125 players returning for Day 2 on a Sunday afternoon. Only 78 of those players could earn a piece of the prize pool and the money bubble burst shortly before the first break of the day. Tampa regular Peter Walsworth put the field in the money when he flopped the nut flush versus the second nut flush of Jonathan Marlow.
Max Young took the lead late in Day 2 and carried it to the seven-handed final table on Monday. He was followed closely by Walsworth with Fernando Rodriguez, Darin Thompson, Edgardo Rosario, Phil Hernz, and WSOP Circuit High Roller champ Romeo Mendoza rounding out the final table.
“I started running hot,” Young said of his Day 2 ride. “I felt really good late in the day and honestly wanted to play it out.”
“I hate sleeping on a big Day 3 like that.”
Young held on to his lead throughout the final table while players continued to drop, only giving it up once he was heads-up with Rosario for the title. He let the lead slide momentarily but soon took it back and locked up the WPO Main Event title along with the $226,510 top prize.
“I felt tuned in (at the final table),” Young said. “I’ll be back.”
This win adds to an already impressive list of accomplishments for Young. He is just shy of $2 million in career earnings along with two WSOP Circuit Main Event rings, a WPTDeepStacks San Diego title, a win on the Mid-States Poker Tour, and a Big Stax 1500 win in Pennsylvania. An Oregon native now calling Florida home, Young seems to pick up wins all around the country.
Congratulations to Max and we look forward to his return to defend his title.
Final table results:
1st: Max Young – $226,510 + Guitar Trophy
2nd: Edgardo Rosario – $158,828
3rd: Peter Walsworth – $102,211
4th: Fernando Rodriguez – $73,618
5th: Darin Thompson – $56,497
6th: Phil Hernz – $45,605
7th: Romeo Mendoza – $37,890
