2016 WSOP: UK's Phillip McAllister Wins $3k NLHE Shootout

The UK has picked up a third gold bracelet at this year’s WSOP, after Phillip McAllister took down Event 42: $3,000 NL Hold’em Shootout for $267,720. A total of 400 players had entered the tournament to create a prize pool of $1,092,600, and three days later the Brit would eventually beat Kyle Montgomery heads-up to claim his first career bracelet.
At the start of 2016, McAllister landed his biggest ever score after finishing third at the PCA $5,300 Main Event for $356,020, and following an impressive victory in Las Vegas which now pushes his life-time earnings to $815,567, the 22-year old pro said:
“That gave me a fair amount of money doing so well in January. Coming in third allowed me to play a heavier schedule at the series this summer. I am really grateful for that, and for everything.”
The $3k NLHE Shootout event saw a number of notable pros enter the competition, including Faraz Jaka, Frankenberger, Andrew Lichtenberger, Michael Mizrachi, Joe Cada, Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Matusow, Phil Hellmuth, and Martin Jacobson. Amongst the players finishing in one of the ten money places was Stephen Chidwick (10th), Faraz Jaka (9th), and Maria Ho (4th).
McAllister’s then entered the heads-up phase of the tournament as chip leader, and thirty hands later the deciding hand was played with Kyle Montgomery check-raising all-in preflop holding 10-9, only to be called by McAllister with pocket queens. The 5-3-2-J-K board sealed the deal, and so Montgomery had to settle for a runner-up finish worth $165,450, while the Englishman walked away with coveted WSOP bracelet. Commenting on his run during the event, McAllister said:
“It’s really an unusual tournament since you have to win three sit n’ go’s. It’s not at all easy. But there is some luck involved. I got lucky with my table and seat draws. Of course, the last two tables are more difficult, but I also ran very well.. this is pretty amazing, the more I think about it.”
Tournament Results:
1: Phillip McAllister $267,720
2: Kyle Montgomery $165,450
3: Christopher Kruk $119,686
4: Maria Ho $87,487
5: Andreas Freund $64,628
6: Marcos Antunes $48,252
7: Jesse Yaginuma $36,416
8: Rhys Jones $27,783
9: Faraz Jaka $21,431
10: Stephen Chidwick $16,717