Kevin Eyster Wins 2015 WPT Bellagio Five Diamond for $1.58M

Almost three years after winning his first World Poker Tour title at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Florida, Kevin Eyster has done it again, this time by taking down the Five Diamond World Poker Classic held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The $10,400 WPT Main Event saw a total of 639 players turn out hoping to lift the coveted title, but following six days of action, it was Louisiana born Eyster who would eventually top the field to walk away with the event’s title, and its huge $1,587,382 first place prize.
Kevin Eyster has enjoyed a string of successes since turning pro in 2007, and in addition to his two WPT titles, last year he also won a WSOP bracelet at the $5k NL Six Handed event for $ 622,998. Following his latest victory in Nevada, Eyster now boasts $4,040,031 in live career earnings, to go with the $3,520,838 he has won online playing under the screen name ‘1SickDisease’.
The $10,400 WPT Bellagio Five Diamond featured a prize pool worth $6,198,300, and amongst the notable pros subsequently seeing a return on their investments was Billy Baxter in 56th ($21,074), Scott Seiver in 52nd ($23,554), Daniel Negreanu in 48th ($23,554), Isaac Haxton in 35th ($31,611), Fedor Holz in 30th ($31,611), Phil Laak in 22nd ($37,190), Paul Volpe in 12th ($68,181), and Lauren Roberts in 7th ($173,552).
After the final table of six had been reached, Ben Yu eliminated Cate Hall (5th) and then Jake Schwartz (4th), before Kevin Eyster (6-6) eliminated Yu (K-Q) in 3rd to force heads-up play between Eyster and Bill Jennings for the title. The two players were fairly even in chips at this stage, and it would then take 38 hands before the deciding hand was played with Jennings (K-9) re-raising all-in on an A-9-4-4 board. Eyster made the call with A-Q, and after a harmless 5 fell on the river Bill Jennings had to settle for a runner-up finish worth $929,745, while Eyster was crowned the 2015 WPT Bellagio Five Diamond champion.
Final Table Results:
1 Kevin Eyster $1,587,382
2 Bill Jennings $929,745
3 Ben Yu $607,433
4 Jake Schwartz $412,187
5 Cate Hall $291,320
6 Eddie Ochana $226,238