Late Registration Closes in WPT Gardens Poker Championship; $1.7m Prize Pool

Day 1b of the World Poker Tour (WPT) $5,250 buy-in Gardens Poker Championship is closing out with less than a hundred players remaining and the payout information is now available after the close of late registration. With 346 total entries across the two starting flights for a prize pool of $1,678,100, 44 places will be paid with the eventual champion getting $357,380.

In addition to the six-figure top prize, the next WPT champion will get their name etched on the Mike Sexton Championship Trophy and will also take home a unique sculpture trophy designed by American artist Daniel Arsham. Not only that, but they will earn a $10,400 seat into the WPT World Championship at the Wynn in Las Vegas.

There were plenty of notables in the Day 1b field, including two-time WPT champions Alex Foxen, Alan Goehring and Season XVI Player of the Year Art Papazyan, who was eliminated as the night wound down as his top pair couldn’t fair against an opponent’s overpair.

Read About the Day 1a Action in the Garden Poker Championship!

More Familiar Faces in Day 1b

Day 1b saw many of the players who couldn’t make it to bag time in the first starting flight give the tournament another shot, including two-time WPT runner-up Steven Buckner and six-time WPT final tablist Ray Qartomy, as well as ambassador Brad Owen.

There were also plenty of new but familiar faces, including the aforementioned Foxen, who is after a third WPT title after taking down the 2018 WPT Los Angeles Poker Classic Rockstar Energy High Roller for $424,625 and later the 2019 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $1,694,995.

In true Foxen fashion, he built up an impressive chip tower throughout the day and, short of disaster, will enter Day 2 among the chip leaders.

Other players in the Day 1b field included WPT ambassador Andrew Neeme, Francis Anderson, Kenny Hallaert, Michael Wang, Daniel Rezaei, Utah all-time money leader Jared Griener and WPT Champions Club members Daniel Strelitz, Mohsin Charania and Ryan Tosoc.

Those who advance on Day 1b will join the 54 survivors from Day 1a for Day 2 on May 23, which will kick off at noon local time on Level 11 with blinds of 1,500/2,500/2,500.

The top 44 finishers are guaranteed a minimum cash of $10,160, but that pales in comparison to the $357,380 awaiting the eventual champion.

PokerNews will be back on-site tomorrow to continue bringing you stories from the WPT Gardens Poker Championship here in Southern California.

WPT Gardens Poker Championship Payout Information

_{*Images courtesy of WPT.}