Heavy-Hitting WPT Choctaw Main Event Final Table Set

Well, the World Poker Tour (WPT) Choctaw Main Event final table is certainly something. On Monday, the field was whittled from 35 down to the six players who will vie for the $361,600 first prize. Everyone remaining is guaranteed at least $75,000.

And what a final table it will be. Half of the players have a WPT title to their names, including chip leader James Mackey (10.550 million chips), who won this very event in 2016. Fourth in chips is Eric Afriat (2.875 million), who has won thrice: the 2014 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, the 2018 Borgata Winter Poker Open, and the 2020 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic. The short stack at the table is Erick Lindgren (1.975 million), who won the 2003 WPT Ultimate Poker Classic and the 2004 PartyPoker Million III.

Rounding out the final table are Adam Hendrix (8.775 million), Sebastien Aube (3.600 million), and Danny Marx (2.375 million).

Mackey began the day as the chip leader with 2.635 million chips, but didn’t start his real rise to where he is now until after the first break. Already at about half his ending stack with 13 players remaining, Mackey had A-K offsuit and raised to 160,000 pre-flop. Jose Montes three-bet to 350,000 and Mackey shoved for around 5 million. Montes called, putting his 1.910 million remaining chips at risk with Pocket Queens.

Mackey flopped two pair right off the bat and Montes couldn’t find another Queen or runner-runner straight, ending up eliminated in 13^th place. After the hand, Mackey was up to almost 7 million chips.

Mackey also knocked out the 12^th place finisher when his K-J bested William Beverley’s Q-6 all-in pre-flop. Beverley did hit a Queen on the flop, but Mackey found a King on the turn to win it. His stack was now over 8 million chips.

He didn’t eliminate any more players the rest of the way, but kept using his big stack to accumulate another 2 million chips to sit comfortably atop the field.

If this was like most tournaments, the final table would be contested today, but this is not most tournaments. The tourney is now on pause and will be resumed at the HyperX Arena Las Vegas at the Luxor on May 30. It is there that the television will catch all of the final table action for a later television broadcast.