Asher Conniff Claims WPT Title
Thursday, 30 April 2015
Sometimes fate can force the hand you're destined to play and when Asher Conniff accidentally registered for a WPT World Championship satellite, the poker gods certainly had something in store for him.
After logging into his online account with the intention of playing a Sunday Major, Conniff, whose handle is 'misclick', accidently found himself in a qualifier for the WPT finale in Atlantic City. Intent on making the best of his mistake, Conniff cruised through the tournament and made plans to cancel his holiday after winning a seat in the $15,400 tournament.
With his fate sealed, Conniff made the drive from his home in Brooklyn, New York, to AC's Borgata Casino late last week where he lined up alongside 238 pros for the final event of the WPT season. Flanked by the likes of Greg Merson, Daniel Negreanu and last year's champion, Keven Stammen, Conniff was able to weave his way past some stiff opposition to snag a seat at the final table.
Sat with the second largest stack when the cards began to fly, Conniff simply had to bide his time and wait while Tony Dunst, Ray Qartomy and Carlos Mortensen gradually drifted to the rail. With three players left, Conniff, who has previously tasted WPT success in Cyprus, managed to collect the remainder of Brian Yoon's chips before taking on Alexander Lakhov.
Thanks to a 5:1 chip advantage, Conniff was able to bring the match and the latest season of the WPT to a close within a few hands. After getting Lakhov to commit his chips with Th 6h pre-flop, Conniff made the call with As Qh and was able to collect his $973,683 top prize after the board ran out: 7h 5d 2s 4s Ks.
Having dispatched with his final opponent and rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Conniff stood as one of the most unlikely WPT World Champions in history.
WPT World Championship Final Result:
1. Asher Conniff - $973,683
2. Alexander Lakhov - $573,779
3. Brian Yoon - $330,358
4. Carlos Mortensen - $267,764
5. Ray Qartomy - $208,647
6. Tony Dunst - $173,873