EPT Title Cements Stephen Songs Reputation as a Big Field Crusher

Stephen Song retreated to his rail, a wry smile across his face. He was heads-up for the 2024 EPT Barcelona title, covering his opponent – respected British tournament pro Andrew Hulme – and the pair had all the chips in the middle. His ace-seven off suit was behind Hulmes pocket eights, but Song ha been running hot all day. So it wasnt a complete shock when the turn brought Song a gutshot straight, delivering him the win and a 1,290,386 ($1.425M) payday – the largest of his career.

Song bested a field of 1,975 entries, the fourth-largest in EPT history, according to PokerStars. But for those who have followed Songs career over the past five years, seeing him deep in a large-field event was as much of a surprise as seeing him bink the turn. Song has made a habit of repeatedly fading the field in some of the toughest large-field events on the calendar, earning him a reputation as one of the best on the modern landscape to do so.

Feel free to debate whether Song has officially earned a coveted Poker Triple Crown (WPT, EPT, WSOP titles) but wherever you land on that issue, theres no doubt that for each of his major titles, he swam through a sea of would-be sharks to get to shore. In 2019, when won his WSOP gold bracelet in a $1,000 NLHE event for $341,854 (his largest at the time), he was the last player standing in a field of 2,477. His WPT Prime Championship title was won from a field twice that size when he outlasted the 5,430 entries, including runner-up Lara Eisenberg, at Wynn Las Vegas in Season 22 for his previous high score of $712,650.

Those are just the top of the resume titles. Throw in there a third-place finish in the 2021 WSOP $1,500 ‘The Closer’ event (1,903 entries), a final table in the 2018 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open (1,244 entries) and finishing in 57th in this years record-setting WSOP Main Event (10,112 entries) – putting him in the top .5% of the field. It was also his second career top-100 finish in the Main Event.

Song’s results position him among the most prolific big-field crushers in modern poker history, standing among some of the giants of the game.

Joe McKeehen knows something about making a deep run in the Main Event. And having a reputation as an elite big-field crusher. First thing first, the 2015 WSOP Main Event winner took home more than $7.6 million for topping the 6,420-person field. Sure, you could mistakenly claim that anyone who tops the modern Main Event is automatically in this big field crusher category, but youve got to have more than that to make it so.

Of course, McKeehen has plenty more: a runner-up finish in the inaugural WSOP Monster Stack for $820,863 (7,862 entries), a third-place finish in the 2018 WSOP Millionaire Maker ($538,276, 7361 entries), and two of his five World Poker Tour final table appearances coming after he outlasted more than 1,000 runners.

When it comes to WSOP Main Event winners, you can put Joe Cada in there, too. The 2009 Main Event winner (6,494 entries, $8.5 million) made his second run to the final table nine years later, finishing in fifth place (out of 7,874 entries) for another $2,150,000. Immediately after busting out of the Main Event in 2018, he put $1,500 of his seven-figure payday to work in that years edition of ‘The Closer’ and proceeded to fade another 3,120 entry field to earn his fourth gold bracelet.

While he hasnt actually won a WSOP Main Event, a nod to two-time modern-day Main Event final tablist (2009,2017) and longtime pro Antoine Saout from France who made nearly $5.5 million between his third and fifth place finish respectively. Add to that pair of EPT Main Event final tables (2016, 2022) both with more than 1,000 entries, and it feels like Saout can make a run in nearly every important event he enters.

Its natural to think about Sin City, the WSOP, and the Main Event as an epicenter when talking about the biggest fields of any calendar year. But dont discount the massive fields that come out in Florida whenever a major tour comes to town. Thats something three-time WPT champion Brian Altman would never do as Altman has made a career devouring the 1K+ fields in Florida.

Four of Altmans top-10 all-time scores are from the big fields in Florida including his top prize of $723,008 in the 2015 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open (1,027 runners). When he won the same event in 2020 there were just 843 runners, but his third title came less than a year later in the 1,165-entry field of WPT Tampa Championship. Altman also managed to additional official WPT final tables with more than 1,000 runners in each event.

But perhaps one of the closest comp to Songs recent success is that of Andrew Moreno. Like Song, Moreno plays almost exclusively in tournaments with $10,000 buy-ins and under, with a recent outstanding track record in the larger field marquee events. Case in point, his breakout result – a victory chop in the 2021 $10,000 Wynn Millions for $1.46 million in a field of 1,328. One year later to the day, in nearly the exact same spot, Moreno finished as the runner-up in the $3,500 Wynn Championship for another $460K (1,428 entries). This year, Moreno returned to the Wynn and in essentially the same tournament, the $10,400 Wynn Summer Championship, Moreno made another deep run, this time bowing out in 13th out of 1,440 entries. for just under $140,000.

And now, to this group of elite big-field crushers, we can safely add Stephen Song. Even before his EPT Barcelona victory, people were singing Song’s tournament praises. But now, with an EPT title – arguably one of the toughest major titles in poker to achieve against one of the biggest fields in the tour’s history – Song has built a resume that not only cements him as an ever-present large-field threat to win it all, but a must-watch superstar for years to come.

FAQ

Can you win real money at WPT Global?

Can you win real money at WPT Global?

Yes, you can win real money at WPT Global. WPT Global also offer the chance to win seats in any number of exciting live tournaments.

How many decks are used in poker?

how many decks are used in poker?

In most popular poker variants, such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha, a standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. Each deck contains four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) and consists of 13 ranks (Ace, 2 through 10, and the face cards: Jack, Queen, and King).

However, it’s important to note that the number of decks used in poker can vary depending on the specific game or variation being played. For example, some poker tournaments or cash games may use multiple decks to speed up the gameplay or reduce the frequency of card shuffling. In such cases, it is common to use two or more decks that are shuffled together.

What is the bonus code for WPT Global Poker 2023?

What is the bonus code for WPT Global Poker 2023?

We’ll save you time. The best bonus code for WPT Global is WPT777. By entering the bonus code, players will get a welcome bonus 100% up to $1,200 on the first deposit. The minimum deposit is $20.

What is the best WPT Global bonus code?

What is the best World Poker Tour bonus code?

Use the WPT Global bonus code WPT777 when registering to get a 100% deposit bonus up to $1200 plus a $100 No Deposit poker bonus.

What is the WPT bonus code?

What is the WPT bonus code?

The WPT bonus code is WPT777. Use this code at WPTglobal.com to get up to $1200 poker bonus. This code has been approved by WPT Global and gives new users the maximum new user offer.

This site only collects related articles. Viewing the original, please copy and open the following link:EPT Title Cements Stephen Songs Reputation as a Big Field Crusher

🔥 🎹 WPT Global 🎸
🎪 news 🎹 🎶 poker-players 🎼
😏 Featured 🎹
# Article Title Keyword Article Link Article Details