In a multi-way chip, Benton Davis takes the trophy in our final event here at BestBet. Congratulations to Benton and all of our winners from the last ten days.
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Event #8 - $300 NLH Closer
Event #7 - $600 NLH Series Title Event - Final DayEvent #7 - $600 NLH Series Title Event - Day 1D TurboEvent #7 - $600 NLH Series Title Event - Day 1CEvent #7 - $600 NLH Series Title Event - Day 1B
125 Entries$30,625 Prize Pool$7,976 for First
583 Entries$286,500 Prize Pool$46,565 for First
85 Entries— Prize Pool— for First
172 Entries— Prize Pool— for First
172 Entries— Prize Pool— for First
Live Reporting
After a partial chop, our final three players in the title event played for $6,000, the trip to the PokerAtlas Title Event in Vegas, and the coveted Atlas Trophy. This was an incredible event and we loved every minute of our time here at bestbet. Congratulations to all of our winners and we look forward to seeing you next year.
Full Payouts
1st. Joao Marcos Alves — $46,565
2nd. Caleb Powell — $34,951
3rd. Andrew Difeo — $32,901
4th. Stephen Hughes — $19,724
5th. James Harris — $14,867
6th. Douglas Schoen — $11,335
7th. Blake Ellinghaus — $8,741
8th. Andrea Zedo — $6,820
9th. Hunter Wroten — $5,385
10th. Gil Levy — $5,385
11th. Matthew Tate — $4,302
12th. Shannon Scalice — $4,302
13th. Nicholas Stiles — $3,479
14th. Wendy Lu — $3,479
15th. Travis Simpson — $2,848
16th. Mark Perrott — $2,848
17th. Brian Hooser — $2,361
18th. Kyle Trammell — $2,361
19th. Ricardo Gonzalez — $2,361
20th. Michael Scalice — $2,361
21st. Chanthou Chau — $1,981
22nd. Keith Romanovitz — $1,981
23rd. David Worsham — $1,981
24th. Erik Nowosielski — $1,981
25th. David Trager — $1,684
26th. Robert Bloom — $1,684
27th. David Hughes — $1,684
28th. Mark Marcellus — $1,684
29th. Jie Liu — $1,684
30th. Stanley Bishop — $1,684
31st. Charles Kinard — $1,684
32nd. Liang Zhao — $1,684
33rd. Robert Moses — $1,450
34th. Tung Chan — $1,450
35th. Carlos Pereira — $1,450
36th. Caleb Larsen — $1,450
37th. Jeram Quin Capinpin — $1,450
38th. Kirk Chui — $1,450
39th. Kenneth Baker — $1,450
40th. Steven Tournas — $1,450
41st. Scott Michener — $1,264
42nd. Naim Abdullah — $1,264
43rd. Gregory Kimball — $1,264
44th. Sean Etheridge — $1,264
45th. Christopher McNally — $1,264
46th. Charles Chan — $1,264
47th. Richard Hammond — $1,264
48th. Tammer Ilcaffas — $1,264
49th. Joshua Gerjevic — $1,117
50th. Corey Zedo — $1,117
51st. Charles Johnson — $1,117
52nd. Debra Head — $1,117
53rd. Nicole Jammal — $1,117
54th. Kelly Andrews — $1,117
55th. Stephen Strout — $1,117
56th. William Beecher — $1,117
57th. Luke Fraga — $1,001
58th. David Tuthill — $1,001
59th. Bradley Peterson — $1,001
60th. Michael Kelly — $1,001
61st. Daniel Vonk — $1,001
62nd. Joseph Burns III — $1,001
63rd. Pablo Valdivieso — $1,001
64th. Charles Warnock — $1,001
65th. Donald McGee Jr. — $909
66th. Iva Cabero — $909
67th. John Connors Jr. — $909
68th. Nicholas Raio — $909
69th. Rashad Green — $909
70th. Justin Bold — $909
71st. Frank Turi — $909
72nd. Alexander Sosa — $909
73rd. Andrew Difeo — $1,800 (Double Bag Bonus)
Seat 1: Joao Marcos Alves (1,200,000)
Joao Marcos Alves hails from St Augustine and has been playing poker for 15 years. He began his poker journey in home games, which laid the foundation for his experience in the game. Alves's biggest result to date is a $5,000 tournament win. Outside of poker, he is a business owner.
Seat 2: James Harris (450,000)
James Harris is from Jacksonville, Florida, and has been playing poker for a decade. He began his poker journey in home games, which sparked his interest in the competitive side of the game. Harris's most notable achievement in poker came when he placed 234th out of 4,000 participants in the WSOP Seniors event in 2026. Outside of poker, he works as a Technical Trainer for JEA.
Seat 3: Blake Ellinghaus (600,000)
Blake Ellinghaus, hailing from Plainfield, Illinois, has been playing poker for seven years. He began his poker journey in live home games held in a garage. Earlier this year, Blake achieved his biggest result by taking first place in a Daytona event, earning approximately $35,000. When he's not at the poker table, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, taking her on walks and vacations.
Seat 4: Caleb Powell (2,700,000)
Caleb Powell, from Jacksonville, Florida, and has been playing poker for a decade. He initially got into the game through live games and has since transitioned to playing full-time, having previously worked as a dealer. Powell's most significant achievement in his poker career so far is a $120,000 win in Las Vegas.
Seat 5: Douglas Schoen (780,000)
Douglas Schoen lives in Daytona Beach and has been playing poker for seven years. He initially got into the game through the Orlando Felt pub scene and local tournaments. His most significant achievement in poker came when he secured a second-place finish at the June 2025 Summer Series in Daytona Beach, earning over $24,000. Schoen transitioned from a career as a derivatives trader to working as a poker dealer in Orange City.
Seat 6: Andrea Zedo (560,000)
Andrea Zedo, hailing from Maitland, FL, has been playing poker since 2007. She began her poker journey in home games, gradually honing her skills over the years. Her most notable achievement to date is a significant result in the $10,000 Mystery Bounty event in Orange City. Outside of poker, Andrea works as an Account Executive. Despite her accomplishments, she humorously notes that she hasn't won enough money to earn a nickname yet.
Seat 7: Stephen Hughes (230,000)
Stephen Hughes, from Fernandina Beach, Florida, and has been honing his poker skills for 20 years. He initially began his poker journey by playing tournaments but eventually transitioned to cash games, although he still participates in tournaments occasionally. Hughes's most notable poker achievement is a $52,000 tournament win.
Seat 8: Hunter Wroten (450,000)
Hunter Wroten hails from St. Augustine, Florida, and has been playing poker since 2004. Primarily an online player, Wroten achieved his biggest result in live poker by winning the bestbet $400 opener, earning $72,000. Outside of poker, he owns a landscape installation company.
Seat 9: Andrew DiFeo (3,700,000)
Andrew DiFeo, hailing from Saint Augustine, has been playing tournament poker for two years. Although he dabbled in the game during his college days, it wasn't until recently that he began to pursue it more seriously. DiFeo's most notable achievement came when he secured nearly $70,000 in a Venetian tournament, concluding with a heads-up chop for the first place prize.
Outside of poker, DiFeo works as a car dealer, primarily representing the Hyundai brand. Known among his friends as a go-to source for the latest in the tournament scene, he is as passionate about following poker as others are about the NFL.
We have reached the final table of the PokerAtlas Title Event, with over $50,000 for first place, including a trip to Vegas and an entry in to the Poker Atlas Championship event in December.
Faces Of bestbet: Title Event Final Table
We have reached the final table of The Closer, with the Title Event very close to a final table as well. Good luck players, get that trophy!
Final Table Payouts
1st - $7,976
2nd - $5,328
3rd - $3,697
4th - $2,642
5th - $1,948
6th - $1,482
7th - $1,165
8th - $947
9th - $798
This is it folks, the last big photo gallery of the series. Thanks for everything bestbet!
*photo credit for the image of our reporter working - Clouds
Faces Of bestbet: The Closer
We had 125 players at the close of registration for The Closer here in St. Augustine. While the Title Event plays down to it's conclusion, The Closer is a great chance for a series saver for some players who ran bad in the series. Spirits were high and most of the players are used to having their photos taken so we got some good ones that will be in a gallery in the next hour or so.
Day two of the Title Event. Our time here grows thin. We will miss Florida and the constant thunderstorms that we never get in Vegas. The staff and players have been amazing. One more gallery, two final table photos and two winner's photos tonight, and we all fly home in the morning. We're already looking forward to coming back next year and we'll see some of you at the WSOP in a few days!
Faces Of bestbet: Title Event Day Two
We will finish of the Title Event today and for those of you who aren't in day two, or who bust out early in day two, The Closer starts at 1pm with registration available until 3:15. the closer features a $300 buy in and a $25,000 guarantee.
Chips are in bags and players are headed home from Flight 1C to get some much needed sleep before the big day tomorrow when they will be fighting for their share of the $286,500 prize pool.
More pics from the final turbo flight of the PokerAtlas title event.
Faces Of bestbet: Title Event Flight 1D
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