It’s been less than a decade since poker players have been able to play Texas Hold’em in Texas, but it’s clear that the turnout for the game is strong.
The Lodge Card Club, located near Austin, hosted a $400 “Mega Monster” event, which kicked off Aug. 3 with the first of 24 different rides.
The event featured an ambitious $1 million guarantee, which is risky considering the card room had to shell out nearly $300,000 in overlay for their May 2021 event.
But this time, the players appeared in droves and fired several shots. The event featured unlimited re-entries, and one player took full advantage, entering 29 times overall. Players can also advance to the second day more than once, by combining the top two bags while receiving a $1,000 bonus.
The field came in at 5,750 entries which nearly doubled the guaranteed prize pool to $1,943,500. The last 12 percent of each trip made starting money and was paid at least $500, with the last 5 percent of the field (246 players) advancing to day two.
The final eight players then regrouped on Monday to take on the champion. When the dust settled, it was Mexico’s Mauro Avila who took the title.
Avila, whose previous best result was the $9,279 he earned on a deep ride this summer WSOP Millionaire makercollected a whopping $250,000 to win.
Avila entered the final table with a short stack and in seventh place, but fought his way back into contention. After striking a deal with George Karvounis that left $20,000 and a trophy to play for, the two had it all on the front ante of over 156 big blinds.
Karvounis was looking good with K
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on the reading board k
j 2 jbut the river was a To give Avila’s A 10 The last pot of the tournament.
The Lodge Card Club, owned by poker pros Doug Polk, Andrew Niem, and Brad Owen, is the largest of more than 50 poker rooms to pop up in the past decade in Texas, allowing rooms to operate in a legal gray area where regulations vary by city and county. .
You can Watch the final schedule here.
Final table results
1. Mauro Avila – $250,000 USD*
2. George Karvunes – $245,000*
3 – Joshua Nuncio – $134,320
4. Joseph Roh – $88,712
5. Daniel Davila – $69,444
6- Nghia Nguyen – $54,134
7. Terry Morales – $42,292
8. Christian Ramirez – $33,834
* Based on prior agreement.
