The World Poker Tour (WPT) added a new member to their Champions Club on Wednesday as Nitis Udornpim took down the WPT Maryland at Live! Casino title. The 25-year-old pro topped a strong field of 495 entries to win $319,415 in top prize and a ticket to WPT Tournament of Champions.
Udornpim entered the final table as a short stack but went on to steadily build his stack to make his way to the top. He faced tough competition at the FT as it had several big names, including WPT Champions Club members Anthony Zinno and Brian Altman. However, the talented pro battled hard and outlasted everyone at the FT to clinch the coveted WPT title. In heads-up, he faced Stephen Deutsch who fought well but could not go all the way, eventually finishing runner-up for $202,905.
Post his big win, Udornpim said the WPT Reporters. “It feels great to be a WPT champion. I couldn’t have run any better today, so I’m pretty excited with the result. It feels good to win a tournament in my home state. I moved here about a year ago and this had been my home casino ever since.”
Udornpim started Final Table with roughly 25 bigs and it took nearly an hour and a half before the first elimination came in Jeffrey Colpitts (6th) whose Qc 5s ran into Ad 10s of Stephen Deutsch. A few minutes latter, Deutsch sent Robert McLaughlin (5th) to the rail after his Qh 9s failed to improve against Kh Jc of the former. Deutsch continued his momentum and then eliminated three-time WPT Champion Anthony Zinno (4th) whose pocket eights could not hold against As Kh of Deutsch.
Down to three-handed, Udornpim’s heater began and he picked some crucial pots. Eventually, he earned a big double-up against Brian Altman. Udornpim raised with Ah Ad and Altman put in three-bet with Qc Qh and within a second both players had all the money in the middle. The board ran safe for Udornpim and he eliminated Atlman (3rd) to enter heads-up with Deutsch.
Both players entered heads-up with over 100 big blinds. Udornpim started off well and very soon took the commanding chip lead. By the time the final hand arose, he had 5:1 chip advantage. The last hand of the dual saw Udornpim shoving with As 3c and Deutsch called with Ks 9s. The board ran out 5s 4c 2h 4s Qd, giving the pot as well as the title to Udornpim who earned $319,415 in top prize.
Final Table Results
1st: Nitis Udornpim – $319,415
2nd: Stephen Deutsch – $202,905
3rd: Brian Altman – $149,515
4th: Anthony Zinno – $111,415
5th: Robert McLaughlin – $83,970
6th: Jeffrey Colpitts – $64,020