Balakrishna Patur Wins the WPT L.A. Poker Classic ($1,015,000)
Balakrishna Patur defeated a star-studded final table which included the likes of Matas Cimbolas, James Carroll, Scott Hempel, Ka Kwan Lau, and Upeshka De Silva en route to winning the WPT L.A. Poker Classic for $1,015,000.
In addition to the seven-figure haul, Patur was also awarded a WPT Champions Trophy, a Remington trophy from Commerce Casino, a Hublot Big Bang Steel Watch, and a set of Baccarat Crystal.
Typically a seat into the WPT Tournament of Champions valued at $15,000 is added to the winner's prize as well. However, this year the WPT TOC has been scrapped due to the pandemic and instead the WPT added $15,000 in cash to Patur's ultimate haul.
WPT L.A. Poker Classic Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balakrishna Patur | United States | $1,015,000 |
| 2 | Matas Cimbolas | Lithuania | $600,060 |
| 3 | James Carroll | United States | $431,585 |
| 4 | Scott Hempel | Canada | $323,485 |
| 5 | Ka Kwan Lau | Hong Kong | $243,330 |
| 6 | Upeshka De Silva | United States | $185,330 |
Final Table Action
The final table was set more than a year ago but didn't play out until May 17 due to the worldwide COVID-19 health pandemic.
Patur entered the final table with the chip lead but that doesn't mean he went coast-to-coast. He was, however, near the top of the chips counts the entire day.
According to the WPT Blog, it took 30 hands for De Silva (sixth - $185,330) to become the first casualty at the final table when he jammed ace-deuce unsuccessfully into Patur's big slick.
The action remained five handed for more than 50 hands and a dinner break before the next elimination took place. Lau, who was short on chips, called off his short stack with ace-jack and didn't hold against the queen-seven held by Cimbolas to hit the rail in fifth place for $243,330.
Hempel was the next to go in fourth place for $323,485 when his tens didn't get there against Cimbolas' queens. James Carroll followed soon after in third place for $431,585 after running his king-nine into Patur's cowboys.
Patur began heads-up play with a small chip lead against Cimbolas before extending it to a 5:1 chip advantage. Cimbolas battled back before Patur extended the lead once again.
Cimbolas, who was vying for his second big WPT victory, had to settle for the healthy runner-up prize of $600,060 when his king-six didn't get there against ace-nine.
*Lead image and hand information courtesy of the WPT Blog.
