The final table of the World Poker Tour Venetian stop turned out to be a historic one. For the first time in tour history, three women made the final table of a WPT event. Daniela Rodriguez, Kyla England, and Kitty Kuo each had a chance to join Van Nguyen and Ema Zajmovic as the only women to etch their name on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup for taking down a WPT event.
Unfortunately for those three women – and the other two players at the final table on Wednesday – none of them were able to get out of the way of the final table freight train that was Chad Eveslage.
The event attracted 1,199 total runners to create a $5,545,375 prize pool. After five days of play, Eveslage and Mike Liang headed into the six-handed final table holding a combined 75% of the chips in play. It took them three hours to get heads up for the title with Eveslage responsible for all but one elimination.
After losing most of her stack when her 
was chased down by Rodriguez’s 
, Kuo managed to stick around for just nine more hands. Down to just three big blinds, Kuo moved all in from UTG while Eveslage and Tim McDermott each defended their blinds. The flop came 
and Eveslage and McDermott checked. After the 
turn, Eveslage bet 225,000 and McDermott called to see the 
river. Eveslage bet 225,000 again and this time McDermott folded. Kuo turned over 
while Eveslage showed 
to take the pot and eliminate Kuo in sixth.
Eveslage found his next victim just 20 hands later. Rodriguez opened to 300,000 from the cutoff before Eveslage moved all in from the small blind. Rodriguez called off the remainder of her 3,925,000 stack. Eveslage showed 
and Rodriguez turned over 
. Most of the drama was erased on the 
flop as Eveslage flopped bottom set and left Rodriguez drawing to running cards for Broadway. The 
turn left her drawing dead and as the 
completed the board, Rodriguez was out in fifth place.
It took over an hour before the next player was sent home and this time it was not Eveslage doing the deed. Action folded to McDermott in the small blind and he moved all in for 2,475,000 before Liang called from the big blind. McDermott showed 
while Liang was ahead with 
. The board ran out 
with Liang staying ahead the whole way and picking up a full house on the river to send McDermott to the cashier after being eliminated in fourth.
Just 20 minutes later, Eveslage went back to work sending players to the rail. Eveslage raised to 400,000 on the button and England moved all in for 6,325,000 and Eveslage called. England turned over 
and Eveslage showed 
. Nothing changed on the 
flop but the 
turn gave England a flush draw. The river was the however and England was unable to bring home the title and was eliminated in third place.
Heads up play began with Liang holding the slimmest of leads over Everslage. All of that changed on the second hand of heads up play. With the board showing [th
and 13.3 million already in the middle, Liang moved all in and Eveslage called. Liang showed but got bad news when Eveslage showed 
for a turned straight. That pot gave Eveslage 95.3% of the chips in play.
Liang did his best to rebuild his stack over the next 12 hands and eventually had more than 20 big blinds to work with. On the final hand of the night, Eveslage called from the small blind before Liang moved put his last 4,350,000 in the middle and Eveslage called. Liang held but Eveslage had and stayed ahead through the 
run out to eliminate Liang and claim his first WPT title and a $910,370 score.
The next World Poker Tour event is the $3,700 buy-in WPT Choctaw at the Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Oklahoma from July 23 – 27.
WPT Venetian Final Table Payouts
- Chad Eveslage – $910,370
- Mike Liang – $606,890
- Kyna England – $448,755
- Tim McDermott – $335,200
- Daniela Rodriguez – $252,945
- Kitty Kuo- $192,855
