Tran entered the final table as the short stack but the Sacramento-native went on a blistering heater at just the right time and smashed his way through all five of his opponents while friends and family cheered him on.
The savvy veteran earned $302,750 for outlasting 465 players and his second WPT title.
Tran earned his first WPT bracelet way back in 2007 when he actually made three final tables on the tour and earned marked cards Player of the Year honors.
Tran was also at the 2013 WSOP Main Event final table but played uncharacteristically passive and ended up finishing in fifth, despite entering play as the chip leader. He still received $2.1 million for his performance at the WSOP and combined with his win at WPT Rolling Thunder he’s now recorded $11.2 million earnings on the live tournament circuit.
Luu Finishes Fourth, Pham Takes Third
JC Tran at the WPT in 2007.
Another established poker player, Quoc Pham, fell to Tran in third place. Pham got all-in with 7♦ 6♦ but Tran snapped him off with Q♥ T♠ and saw it hold up.
Tran put the finishing touch on the tournament by beating Preston Harwell heads-up. Harwell entered heads-up play with the chip lead but it didn’t matter as Tran almost immediately took control and won seven consecutive hands at one point.
Here are the
- 1st: JC Tran - $302,750
- 2nd: Preston Harwell - $200,030
- 3rd: Quoc Pham - $127,140
- 4th: Mimi Luu - $100,240
- 5th: Benjamin Zamani - $80,130
- 6th: Ken Jorgensen - $60,180
