Corey Wade Adds Name to WPT Champions Cup in Tampa; Tour Announces New Cruise
Fresh off crowning a champion Florida .
Corey Wade came out on top for $471,686 and adds his name to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup. This was the first WPT cash for the player from Cabot, Arkansas, and he made it count. Wade now s the tour’s Champions Club.
The final hand saw Wade behind when his opponent found a pair of Aces on the flop. However, Wade hit a pair of Queens and the river brought a third Queen for the victory.
“Feels absolutely amazing,” he said after the win. “This time I came through and got lucky on the river, but I won so I’m excited. It felt so good. I couldn’t help but clap one time. It was a surreal feeling.”
Along with the Tampa event, the tour also announced the return of the WPT Cruise as part of the Season XX schedule.
Welcome Offer
the World's Biggest Poker Room
Play All Your Favourite Games for Cash Prizes
Complete Daily Missions to Get Instant Rewards
Final table comeback for a WPT title
Entering the final table fifth out of six players remaining, Wade faced some tough work to find a win. Steven McKoy led with almost twice as many chips as Wade.
Wade emerged as Day 2 chip leader and continued rolling into the final table. With just six players remaining, Wade won some pots early including finding an Ace on the flop all-in with A-9 against an opponent’s 10-10.
That kept him alive and Wade went on to knock out four of the other five players remaining in the tournament. He eventually topped Fred Paradis in heads-up play. Along with the payout, he also picks up a complete tournament travel package for the WPT World Championship in December.
The new Tampa champion now has $781,767 in live tournament winnings. The win in Florida added to an already nice year. His previous best finish came at the World Series of Poker in June, where he took runner-up in a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event for $179,010.
WPT Tampa brought in 1,165 entries for a $3.7 million prize pool, easily topping the $3 million guarantee. Paradis earned $441,686 or runner-up after an altered payout agreement among the top three players. Here’s a look at all the final table payouts.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa
- Corey Wade – $471,686
- Fred Paradis – $441,686
- Brock Wilson – $411,678
- Steven McKoy – $226,000
- Seth Berger – $170,000
- David Tuthill – $130,000
The (AU)$5,400 WPT Australia at The Star Gold Coast is next up on the schedule from Sept. 23-27. The $10,400 Five Diamond World Poker Classic then heads to Las Vegas Oct. 19-23.
Caribbean cruise returns to the WPT schedule
In other WPT news, the company announced that the tour is returning to the high seas this year. In partnership with Virgin Voyages, WPT ambassadors Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme will host a six-day cruise through the Caribbean.
“Virgin Voyages is the perfect partner for the return of the WPT Cruise, as their complete reimagining of the cruise experience is very much aligned with the new face of WPT and our celebratory atmosphere of our 20-year anniversary,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in a news release. “WPT ambassadors Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme on board the Caribbean adventure will assure this will be an unforgettable experience and our most spectacular cruise to date.”
The Scarlet Lady cruise ship departs Miami on Nov. 11, and includes a cash games and tournament action. The trip includes two port days in the Caribbean. The first stop lands engers on the white-sand beaches of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
The second day includes docking in Bimini, Bahamas, for a full day-and-night experience at the Beach Club at Bimini. The experience includes a complete DJ-led “floatilla” pool party.
The tournament schedule is highlighted by the $500 Main Event and also includes a Mystery Bounty event. Here’s the full tournament schedule:
- $120 Daybreak No Limit Hold’em – Nov. 12
- $500 WPT Cruise Main Event – Nov. 14
- $330 Mystery Bounty No Limit Hold’em – Nov. 14
- $120 Survivor Tournament – Nov. 15
“I’m eagerly looking forward to my first WPT Cruise,” Owen said. “And what better to go along with a relaxing vacation, than some poker competition? I plan on playing in a good mix of cash games and will definitely fire the Main Event.”
* Images courtesy WPT