Chance Kornuth was the chip leader going into Day 4 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Gardens Poker Championship and he remains in that position coming out of it with just six players remaining. Though the final table has been set, the six men must now wait until March 31st to play it out at the HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
It should be a heck of a final table when play resumes in two and a half months. Kornuth has 2.995 million chips, but two other players hit the 2 million mark: Day 2 leader Markus Gonsalves (2.370 million) and Tuan Phan (2.070 million). Jonathan Cohen is also in the seven-figure chip range with 1.615 million. The two short stacks are Qing Liu with 795,000 and Straton Wilhelm with 435,000.
There’s about half an hour remaining in Level 23, where the blinds and big blind ante are 15,000/25,000/25,000. Plenty of room to maneuver for everyone but the two short stacks.
Kornuth did much of the damage to his opponents on Monday, making good on his promise to be very active with his mountain of chips. He eliminated three of the eight players to hit the rail yesterday and overall put a lot of pressure on the other players.
He was actually up to more than 3.7 million at one point, but doubled-up Gonsalves to fall back a bit.
Kornuth has had a ton of success on the live tournament circuit, winning two World Series of Poker gold bracelets and more than $7 million, but a World Poker Tour title has remained elusive. He told WPT.com that winning the WPT Gardens Poker Championship would be “incredible.”
“I’ve always wanted to win a WPT,” he said. “A lot of my friends have and when the Tournament of Champions comes around you get the needles from your friends who have won one. It would mean a ton.”
The shift of some WPT final tables to Las Vegas has been criticized by many, including yours truly, but Kornuth is excited about it. It makes sense, considering he lives in Las Vegas.
“I have tons of friends who would come, so the potential of playing the final table in Vegas is extremely appealing to me. My friends would definitely come to party,” he said.
Even Tuan Phan, who considers the Gardens Casino his home base, thinks it’s cool that he and the other five players are headed to Vegas in March.
“It would be awesome. My friends and I go to Vegas a lot,” he told WPT.com before the final table had been determined.
All six players are now guaranteed to cash for at least $111,795. The first prize is $554,495.
2020 World Poker Tour Gardens Poker Championship – Final Table Chip Counts
- Chance Kornuth – 2,995,000
- Markus Gonsalves – 2,370,000
- Tuan Phan – 2,070,000
- Jonathan Cohen – 1,615,000
- Qing Liu – 795,000
- Straton Wilhelm – 435,000