Daniel Strelitz Leads WPT LAPC Final Table

The 2017 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic Main Event drew a monster field of 521 entrants for the $10,000 buy-in. After five days of play only six players remain and Daniel Strelitz bagged a monster chip lead over the rest of the table with 6.48 million.

WSOP bracelet winners Simeon Naydenov enters the final table second in chips with 2.86 million and Jesse Martin brings 2.54 million. Jared Griener holds 1.89 million and WPT Commentator and Champion Mike Sexton has 1.16 million. Richard Tuhrim is the short stack with 680,000.

Strelitz has been chip leader since midway through Day 3. He will score the largest cash of his career should he finish third or higher.

Sexton is looking for his second WPT title in three months after 15 years of playing on the tour. “Overcoming Daniel (Strelitz’s) chip lead is going to be hard for anyone to do,” Sexton said to the WPT. “I was wowed by how good he was. He just dominated the table and he did the same thing today.”

Most of Martin’s success has been in Mixed and Limit Games, with the 2015 WSOP Limit Hold’em Championship bracelet to his credit. “When I was younger I played a lot more No Limit Hold’em tournaments,” Martin said to the WPT. “I don’t travel for them anymore. I will play them in town or I will play them at the World Series…I used to play between five and 10 a year but now I might play one a year, so I thought maybe I would never make a WPT final.”

All returning players have $191,490 locked up but all are gunning for the $1,001,110 first-place-prize and a seat to the season-ending Tournament of Champions.

Matt Berkey bubbled the TV Final Table in seventh place, Joe Serock went out in eighth and James Calderaro rounded out the nine-handed final table.

The final table kicks off at 4 pm PT and they’ll play down to a winner.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Daniel Strelitz – 6,485,000
2. Simeon Naydenov – 2,860,000
3. Jesse Martin – 2,540,000
4. Jared Griener – 1,895,000
5. Mike Sexton – 1,165,000
6. Richard Tuhrim – 680,000