by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jun 2, 2023 | Updated on Jun 2, 2023
Summary:
- The inaugural WPT500 Mexico City was taken down by Ian Shaw
- WPT ambassador Phil Ivey finished 4th in the WPT Mystery Bounty
- WPT500 Mexico City was the WPT’s first live tournament in the country
At the end of May, the World Poker Tour (WPT) traveled to Mexico for the first time in the tour’s history to host a live tournament, the WPT500 Mexico City.
The event adopted a hybrid format, also a first for the WPT, with the initial stages of the tournament happening online on WPT Global and the finale taking place at Fronton Mexico.
WPT500 Mexico City ended successfully, with Ian Shaw winning the tournament for $88,690.
WPT500 Mexico City – Final Table Results
WPT500 Mexico City featured multiple starting flights which ran on the WPT Global online platform. Day 1 survivors gathered together for the final action which was scheduled for May 30-31 at Fronton Mexico.
The $500 buy-in tournament had a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000, and the biggest slice went to Shaw after he defeated Juan Jose Cepeda Dirzo heads-up. The $88,690 score is Shaw’s biggest so far, pushing his total live earnings to more than $185,000. Dirzo’s 2nd-place finish came with a $59,000 payout.
Completing the final table were Santiago Gonzales (3rd, $44,000), Jonathan Miguel Aburto Solis (4th, $33,000), Angel Guillen (5th, $25,000), Cesar David Reynoso Arrendondo (6th, $18,700), Francisco Rios Vallejo (7th, $14,400), Pablo Giron (8th, $11,200)and Dylan Lask (9th, $8,800).
WPT Mystery Bounty
Adding another level of excitement to WPT’s first trip to Mexico was a Mystery Bounty tournament where players got the chance to compete with WPT ambassadors Phil Ivey and Brad Owen. WPT anchor Lynn Gilmartin also took a shot.
Own and Gilmartin failed to reach the money, but Ivey made it to the final table, finishing 4th for a total prize of $26,500, including bounties.
The $5,000 WPT Mystery Bounty featured a top bounty of $75,000 and Jean Duverger was the lucky player to claim it with just eight players remaining in the tournament. Duverger, a local sports commentator, asked Guillen to pull the envelope on his behalf and everyone shouted out in celebration as soon as the $75,000 appeared.
The WPT Mystery Bounty was ultimately won by Luis Gonzales for $62,100 in top prize. The Mexican player also racked up $47,500 in bounties to take home more than $100,000 in total prizes.
