Blake Ellinghaus achieved the biggest result of his career this Wednesday (9) by winning the WPT bestbet Scramble Championship. The American overcame 294 entries in the $5,000 tournament and earned $294,900. In addition, the victory placed the player in the WPT Champions Club for the first time.
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Thus, before the win, Ellinghaus had only $140,000 in live earnings. However, the Illinois player showed consistency throughout almost the entire competition. He finished Day 1A with the second largest stack, repeated the position on Day 2, and later took the lead at the end of Day 3.
However, at the final table, Bryan Paris quickly gained ground and took the lead. Additionally, Jared Reinstein won an important pot against Ellinghaus, while Hugh Membrino also doubled his chips against the future champion. Even so, Ellinghaus fought back and eliminated Membrino in sixth place, which was worth $57,000 to the opponent.
Furthermore, Jared Reinstein eliminated Michael Macchia in fifth place and guaranteed at least six figures to the four survivors. However, Ellinghaus grew again and eliminated Skyler Dennis in fourth for $100,000. Then, the American used JJ against 99 to dispatch Bryan Paris in third place, which earned $135,000.
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Blake Ellinghaus | United States | $294,900 |
| 2nd | Jared Reinstein | United States | $184,000 |
| 3rd | Bryan Paris | United States | $135,000 |
| 4th | Skyler Dennis | United States | $100,000 |
| 5th | Michael Macchia | United States | $75,000 |
| 6th | Hugh Membrino | United States | $57,000 |
$580 Satellite ends with career title and biggest prize
Thus, besides the performance during the final, another detail made the achievement even more remarkable. Ellinghaus secured his spot through a $580 satellite and turned the qualification into the title of a $5,000 buy-in tournament. Thus, he reached the heads-up against Reinstein with a comfortable 6 to 1 chip lead.
However, Reinstein managed to double up and reduced the gap during the duel. Still, Ellinghaus maintained the lead and found the opportunity to end the match. In the decisive hand, he completed a straight on the river, put all the chips in the middle, and received the opponent’s call.
Finally, the victory guaranteed $294,900 for Blake Ellinghaus, while Jared Reinstein received $184,000 for the runner-up finish. With the result, Ellinghaus won his first World Poker Tour title and recorded, by a wide margin, the biggest prize of his live tournament career.
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