The $565 buy-in WPT500 at Aria presented by partypoker crowned a champion Wednesday, attracting a slew of big names and almost doubling the $1M guaranteed prize pool.
In all, 3,599 players made the short trip from the World Series of Poker action at the Rio to compete in the 6 day event.
The tournament featured five starting days plus a “turbo” starting flight, which started on the same day as Day 2.
Players could enter multiple days, with the top 10% of each day making the money and the top 5% moving on to Day 2. If players made Day 2 on multiple occasions, their largest chip stack could be carried forward.
World Poker Tour officials considered the format to be a huge success, attracting many top-flight pros and amassing a prize pool of $1.8 million.
Sean Yu, from California, took home $260,000 for his win, along with the inaugural WPT500 trophy and a free entry next year.
Notable final table cashes include two-time WSOP bracelet winner Scott Clements, who finished third for $120,500, and online and live pro Christian Harder, known as “charder30” online, with a 4th place cash and $90,000 prize.
