With Todd Brunson, Layne Flack, Dennis Phillips, Scotty Nguyen, Tom McEvoy, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Ylon Schwartz and Chad Brown, who account for 23 WSOP bracelets, 298 WSOP cashes, five Circuit rings and almost $24 million in career earnings, the Choctaw main event field was a star-studded cast.
But none of these poker luminaries made it to the final table. Instead, the title went to 44-year-old Abraham Araya, a laid-off airline flight mechanic, who has more than made up for his job loss with his poker winnings. He won Choctaw’s T.J. Cloutier Poker Challenge last October for $83,659. Now he won $270,380. “Right now I can’t believe it. It didn’t sink in yet,” Araya said moments after his victory. “I can’t tell you how amazing this feeling is. It’s four or five years salary for an airline flight mechanic.”
When play was fourhanded, Jack Miller moved all-in with K-J and was called by Daniel Lowery’s A-7. A six-high straight ran out on the board, but Lowery’s seven gave him a higher straight and knocked Miller out in fourth place, which was good for $92,252.