After four Day 1 flights with 499 entrants, 63 players advanced to Day 2 of the $1,100 Event #2 at the 2024 Pennsylvania State Poker Championship, hosted at Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia.
Sponsored by PokerStars, the event generated a prize pool of $479,040, culminating in a four-way deal to determine the winners.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Wexler | United States | *$58,555 |
| 2 | Kevin Roche | United States | *$59,763 |
| 3 | Jose Waybright | United States | *$57,546 |
| 4 | William Chisholm | United States | *$55,206 |
| 5 | Christopher Csik | United States | $22,480 |
| 6 | Julian Penza | United States | $18,740 |
| 7 | Ryan Tillmann | United States | $15,600 |
| 8 | Keith Crowder | United States | $12,490 |
| 9 | Joseph Iannacone | United States | $9,380 |
Wexler Gets the NAPT Gold Pass
After the chop, Jonas Wexler emerged as the chip leader, securing a prize of $58,780. Wexler, a seasoned player with over $1.2 million in poker earnings, is a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and boasts seven WSOP Circuit rings.
In addition to the cash prize, Wexler earned a coveted Gold Pass to the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas Main Event in November, including travel, accommodation, and entry into the $5,300 tournament.
Westchester, PA resident Kevin Roche, who was second in chips, winning $59,783, took home the most cash from the chop. Roche locked up a new high score and now has over $100,000 in tournament earnings.
Third was Jose Waybright, who more than tripled his career poker earnings after he won $57,546. It was a rollercoaster of a tournament for Waybright, who was on the brink of elimination several times throughout the two days of the tournament.
William Chisholm rounded out the final four and won $55,206 in his first live tournament cash. Chisholm was able to ride the momentum of spiking a king on the river, when his pocket kings ran into aces early into Day 2
Final Table Action
Prior to the final table, knockouts came fast and furious to start the day, with notables busting such as two-time WPT winner Bin Weng, World Series of Poker bracelet winners Tim Faro and Boris Kravets, and five-time WSOP Ring winner Brandon Mueller.
When the field merged onto one table, Joseph Iannacone was the first to be eliminated, finishing in ninth place after his ace-jack in the small blind lost to Roche’s ace-queen.
Keith Crowder, the chip leader entering Day 2, went out in eighth place, falling to Christopher Csik’s ace-jack. Ryan Tillmann finished seventh despite outflopping Jose Waybright’s pocket fives. The turn gave Waybright a set, leaving Tillman drawing dead by the river.
Chisholm rivered a straight to send Julian Penza and his set of sevens to the wrong side of the rail. Csik was the last to depart after running his ace-ten into queens, ultimately leading to the final four players coming to a payout agreement.