Poker has been just a pastime for Victor Avallone for two decades, but on Sunday, December 15, the stakes become life-changing. As the Bristol, Connecticut native gets ready to take his seat at the final table of the ClubWPT Gold $5M Freeroll Invitational during the World Poker Tour World Championships (WPTWC), it’s not just the $1,000,000 first-place prize on the line—it’s a chance to rewrite his family’s future.
Avallone’s motivation goes far beyond personal gain. He’s playing for his soon-to-be retired mother, who is on the brink of losing her home. “I would use most of that money to help my mom buy a house,” he shared. “She’s retiring and doesn’t have much saved up, and we might be losing the property she’s staying in now. She sacrificed so much for me and my siblings, and I just think it’s deserved, you know.”
For Avallone, winning isn’t just about the money—it’s about giving back to the person who gave him everything.
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He’s already made a good start toward his goal. During the event, Avallone secured one of the two $100,000 mystery bounty prizes and has locked up $20,000 from the regular prize pool, giving him a solid financial boost even before the final table. His journey to this tournament began when he won a seat through a sign-up competition hosted by poker pro and coach Bart Hanson.
Avallone, however, still has his work cut out for him. Standing in his way are eight determined opponents, each with their eyes set on the $1,000,000 prize.
Leading the charge is grinder Daniyal Gheba. Born in Pakistan, Gheba moved to the United States twelve years ago, and seven years into his stay in the US, Gheba picked up poker, which has since become his profession. He ended Day 2 with 11,725,000 (94 big blinds), has more than double his closest rival, and just under a third of the chips in play.
Jacob Stufflebean sits in second with 5,175,000 (41 big blinds) and Patrick Eskandar rounds out the top three with a stack of 4,005,000 (32 big blinds). Alongside Avallone in the middle of the pack are Chase Bricker and Tyler Hancock. The three stacks are packed close together, with each hovering around the 25 big blind mark. Jason Christopher trails that trio slightly while Josh Guindon and Eric Zheng prop up the field and sit in the danger zone when play resumes at 4 p.m on Sunday.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | 11,725,000 | 94 |
| 2 | Jacob Stufflebean | United States | 5,175,000 | 41 |
| 3 | Patrick Eskandar | United States | 4,005,000 | 32 |
| 4 | Chase Bricker | United States | 3,175,000 | 25 |
| 5 | Victor Avallone | United States | 3,150,000 | 25 |
| 6 | Tyler Hancock | United States | 3,075,000 | 25 |
| 7 | Jason Christopher | United States | 2,850,000 | 23 |
| 8 | Josh Guindon | United States | 2,075,000 | 17 |
| 9 | Eric Zheng | United States | 1,225,000 | 10 |
Gheba told PokerNewsthat he plans to put his big stack to use to put players in uncomfortable ICM situations. When you look at the final payout table, it's no wonder Gheba is looking to exert as much pressure as possible. A staggering $750,000 separates the first and second-place payouts.
Alongside the final table prizes, a new set of final table bounties come into play. One player will bank a $200,000 bounty, with a $50,000 envelope also in the prize drum. Three $25Ks, two $10Ks and a misery bounty prize of $0 are also on the table.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 |
| 2 | $250,000 |
| 3 | $125,000 |
| 4 | $75,000 |
| 5 | $50,000 |
| 6 | $40,000 |
| 7 | $30,000 |
| 8 | $25,000 |
| 9 | $20,000 |
| Bounty | Amount |
|---|---|
| $200,000 | 1 |
| $50,000 | 1 |
| $25,000 | 3 |
| $10,000 | 2 |
| $0 | 1 |
At 10 a.m. on December 13, the ever-charismatic face of the WPT, Lynn Gilmartin, took centre stage to kick off the event. WPT CEO Adam Pliska, joined by key figures like Tony Dunst, Vince Van Patten and Matt Savage, followed with heartfelt thanks to the participants for their unwavering support.
Cards then went in the air, and the first story didn't take long to emerge. It was only fitting that the event's first elimination would be something truly remarkable and one that would be remembered for a long time.
Aaron Elam sent one player prematurely packing within the first orbit of play with a sickening bad beat. Elam, a world champion Halo player, picked up aces in the big blind and got his chips in the middle in a five-bet pot that also saw his opponent showdown aces.
Both players expected to chop the pot, but there was a glimmer of hope for the man aptly nicknamed "Ace" as he was freerolling to scoop the entire pot after the flop brought in two clubs. Elam, who held the A♣, then picked up the flush draw on the turn. The river brought in a fourth club, giving Elam the checkmark and the perfect start to the tournament.
The pot propelled Elam to a 228th-place finish, good for a $1,700 payout, and the gaming legend can thank his Halo skills for sending him to the freeroll as he defeated WPT Global ambassador Patrick 'Egption' Tardif in a Halo contest where a Golden Passport was up for grabs. Who ever said that video games were a waste of time?
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The initial field of 1,457 quickly began to near the 503 paid places, where the min-cash was $1,000. PokerNews Podcast co-host and two-time WSOP Online Player of the Year Mike Holtz was among those with a short stack on the stone bubble. In fact, his stack was so small that he was forced all-in from the big blind. Jack-four may have been good enough for Robbi Jade Lew once upon a time, but it marked the end of Holtz's journey as his less-than-ideal hole cards failed to prevail over Christopher Byers' aces and Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra's ace-ten.
When 290 players remained, the Mystery Bounties came out, which ranged from $500 to $100,000, and two six-figure envelopes were available to be won. Avallone took one of them, while the other went to Guindon, who joins the former on the final table on Sunday, December 15.
By the time the final card was dealt on Day 1, the field was reduced to 49 players, with Floyd Achtzehnter taking the overnight chip lead. WPT Champions Eli Elezra, Darryll Fish, and seasoned grinders Femi Fashakin and Nick Pupillo were among the cohort to make it over the first hurdle.
However, that quintet of players were sent to the wrong side of the rail as Day 2 rapidly progressed to the final table bubble.
The final hand of the second stage saw Ivan Tsao ship in his 1,500,000 stack. Big stack Gheba called from the small blind for the cards to go on their backs. Tsao tabled ace-five of hearts but was dominated by Gheba's ace-ten. A five came on the flop to give Tsao the lead, but Gheba found running clubs to make a flush and bring the curtain down on Day 2.
The finalists were then sent to do the media rounds before taking a well-earned rest ahead of the finale.
Stay tuned to PokerNews, as we'll bring you a recap on Sunday once a winner is determined.
*Images courtesy of the World Poker Tour.
