Aaron Van Blarcum Wins WPT Legends of Poker ($474,390)

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Sep 05, 2019 3 min read Last updated Sep 06, 2019

While all of the buzz and attention at The Bicycle this week was focused on a certain cash game hand, there was still a tournament to played and a big one at that.

World Poker Tour Legends of Poker $5,000 Main Event wrapped up Wednesday night in Los Angeles, and Aaron Van Blarcum got through a field of 520 entries to win $474,390. Van Blarcum, who had about $75,000 in recorded live cashes, said he was taking his first shot in a WPT.

"It feels great," he told WPT staff. "Normally I just play cash games and that's it. I go to the tournaments, but never play the tournaments, so I just decided to give it a try. Winning this is going to make it where I play a lot more tournaments."

Official Final Table Results

_{*includes $15,000 Tournament of Champions seat}

The 520 entries pushed the prize pool to just shy of $2.4 million.

Much of the star power of the tournament faded away just before the official final table as well-known regulars Kitty Kuo, Brian Altman and Taylor Black were among those eliminated between seventh and 10th places. The latter would bubble the final day when, according to the live updates, he couldn't hold for his last 12 big blinds with K?9? against J?8? held by Gueorgui Gantchev in the big blind.

That left Gantchev leading a final table of six that guaranteed someone new would be added to the WPT Champions Club.

Worst to First for Van Blarcum

Van Blarcum, meanwhile, was in sixth but still had plenty of ammo with more than 40 big blinds. He'd make a big move up the counts just 23 hands in when he opened on the button with pocket jacks and Antonios Roungeris shoved 24 big blinds in holding pocket sevens. Van Blarcum's hand held up unimproved to score the first knockout and move to nearly 100 big blinds.

He won several more pots after that but his stack would go on a bit of a roller coaster as he was caught bluffing several times. However, he made up for it with some big value bets as well, enabling him to grab the chip lead.

After Jisup Hwang busted out, Van Blarcum would cement his lead when he three-bet in the big blind with A?K? against a button raise by Vahan Sudzhyan, who called. With Q?7?4?10? on the felt after a Van Blarcum bet and Sudzhyan call, Van Blarcum checked. Sudzhyan shoved all in for a little over 2 million into a pot of about 3 million and Van Blarcum called, pleased to see he didn't have a single card to sweat against 6?5?.

"I go to the tournaments, but never play the tournaments, so I just decided to give it a try."

With about half of the chips three-handed against Jared Griener and Gantchev, Van Blarcum found himself in great position. Griener had the shortest stack and managed one double but then limp-shoved sevens for just under 30 big blinds, only to run into Van Blarcum's nines.

Up about 4-to-1 heads up, Van Blarcum wrapped things in about 30 hands, but it didn't come easy. Gantchev doubled through him into a slight lead on 5?2?7?9? when his bottom two pair managed to hold against 8?7?.

However, Van Blarcum retook the lead and then found a dominating spot when he raised with tens, Gantchev three-bet, and Van Blarcum jammed for about 60 big blinds effective. Gantchev called it off with pocket fives but couldn't find a third nickel, so he had to settle for second and $306,625.

_{Photo courtesy of WPT}

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