Sam Barnhart Wins WSOPC Tunica Main Event
This week the WSOPC was back into action. Sam Barnhart has won the 2025 WSOPC Main Event at Harrah’s Tunica, after outlasting a field of 480 players.
It appeared as though Kurt Jewell, a former WSOPC Tunica Main Event winner, might win the event for a second time, but instead that honor went to Sam Barnhart. It was an outstanding effort from the player from Little Rock, Arkansas, considering that he started the Main Event final table sixth in chips.
There was a change from last years $5,150 entry fee for the tournament. The reduced $1,600 buy-in attracted a much larger field, generating a total prize pool of $698,400.
By the end of Day 1 there was just 111 players remaining in the tournament, and the final table was decided by the completion of Day 2.
The first player to get eliminated at the final table was John Holley in 9th place, taking home $13,789 for his efforts. He was followed by Kurt Jewell in 8th place, after he shoved all-in pre-flop with As-6s and was called by Barnhart's Ad-Kd which held up.
Next to get eliminated in 7th place was Preston Derden, who had been playing short stacked for much of the final table. Unfortunately for him he ran into pocket aces and was resigned to the rail.
Sam Barnhart with AJ then eliminated John Nguyen with 44. Nguyen actually started the day as the chip leader but was crippled in a monster pot which he couldn't manage to recover from. Barnhart then picked up pocket aces and sent Marcos Palacios to the rail in 5th place, taking home $37,422 for his efforts.
Brian Burney and Mary Harden were the next to get knocked out at the final table, and the heads-up play was to be decided between Sam Barnhart (6.03 million in chips) and Jesse White (3.57 million in chips).
It didn’t take very long for the Heads-up match to finish, when White 3bet shoved with Jc-10c and was snap called from Barnhart with pocket kings. The flop came down 7s-5h-4s. The turn and river card didn’t improve White’s hand, bringing the WSOPC Tunica Main Event to a conclusion, and Sam Barnhar was crowned the WSOPC Tunica Main Event champion. In addition to taking home $148,612 for his efforts, Barnhart also picked up the winners Main Event ring.