MUKUL PAHUJA WINS PALM BEACH KENNEL CLUB MAIN EVENT ($193,095)

West Palm Beach, Fla. (February 15, 2016) -- The third and final day of the Palm Beach Kennel Club Main Event got underway at noon with nine players gunning for the title. After seven levels of action and multiple lead changes Mukul Pahuja won his second Circuit Main Event, a seat in the Global Casino Championship and $193,095.

Pahuja came to the final table middle of the pack in chips against a final table that featured Adam Levy, Tristan Wade and Daniel Weinman. “It feels good, I’m still in a bit of shock though,” Pahuja said moments after winning.

“I just kind of sat back and watched the action. There were a lot big pots right from the get go today and then I got lucky at some point,” Pahuja said. “It was swingy here and there, got a little short and picked off a few bluffs.”

“(The table) Had some pros but the guys that didn’t have much tournament earnings were really tricky and really tough. They clearly played cash games and provided different challenges that I’m not used to seeing everyday playing tournaments. It was hard to pick spots because they wanted to play big pots from the start.”

The first casualty of the final table was Juan Mendoza after he shoved on the button holding pocket nines. Dalton Mills called with   , he spiked an ace on the river and ended Mendoza’s day.

Weinman, fresh off a win in the Cherokee Main Event in November, was the next to go. He moved his short stack all in with pocket sixes, Levy called with    and paired his ace on the flop. Weinman didn’t improve but added back-to-back final tables to his growing resume of tournament scores.

Less than an hour later, a short-stacked Wade three-bet shipped in the small blind holding pocket fours and Pahuja called from the big, tabling pocket nines. The board ran queen-high, neither player improved and Wade was eliminated.

Racing horse trainer Staffan Lind locked horns with Eric Bunch on a flop of    . Lind check-called his way to the river with    completing the board. Lind moved all in on the fourth spade and Bunch snap-called holding the   for the nut flush. Staffan tabled the   the second-best flush and bowed out in sixth place.

Josh Lowing grew short as the table went five-handed and he shoved preflop holding   . Levy snapped him off holding pocket jacks and the board ran      . Lowing came up empty and was sent to the cashier’s cage.

The table would play another two hours before losing another player. Pahuja and Mills went to a flop of    , Pahuja bet and Mills shoved. Pahuja called with top pair and Mills had   . The board completed   , Mills luck ran out and he was out in fourth place.

The final three players went on a dinner break and 30 minutes after returning Bunch went to a flop of    , moved all in holding    and Pahuja called with   . Almost as if Pahuja planned it, the board completed    and Bunch was eliminated.

Pahuja and Levy began heads-up play with Pahuja holding 9.8 million to Levy’s 2.8 million. The championship match-up was a short, friendly affair with Levy and Pahuja casually talking between hands. Levy doubled up once but couldn’t gain any more traction against Pahuja’s mountain of chips.

Twenty minutes after they started Pahuja opened on the button, Levy moved all in and Pahuja called. Levy tabled   , Pahuja had    and the board ran      . Pahuja’s tens held as the best hand, Levy was eliminated and Pahuja clinched his third career WSOP Circuit ring.

The next stop up on the WSOP Circuit schedule is Bally’s Las Vegas kicking of February 25 and running through March 7.

Final Table Payouts

  1. Mukul Pahuja - $193,095
  2. Adam Levy - $119,434
  3. Eric Bunch - $87,334
  4. Dalton Mills - $64,806
  5. Josh Lowing - $48,761
  6. Staffan Lind - $37,194
  7. Tristan Wade - $28,762
  8. Daniel Weinman - $22,546
  9. Juan Mendoza - $17,912