Sports

Evanston Native Wins $8.8 Million In Epic WSOP Final

After 10 hours and 199 hands, John Cynn came on top after the longest heads-up contest on record for the World Series of Poker Main Event.

LAS VEGAS, NV — An Evanston native won $8.8 million dollars richer as he became the the 2018 World Series of Poker champion. John Cynn won the no-limit Texas Hold 'em event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday. Cynn won against opponent Tony Miles after playing one-on-one for more than 10 hours.

The pair played 199 hands against one another, according to the World Series of Poker, in the longest heads-up contest on record for the main event.

Cynn, an Indiana University alum who now lives in Indianapolis, barely missed out on the final table and its $1 million minimum prize money when he finished in 11th place in the 2016 edition of the tournament.

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“To make 11th is insane on its own. And then to win, that’s literally something that you dream of, but just never expect to happen," he told the World Series of Poker website. "Right now, I do feel pretty overwhelmed. All the emotions times 10.”

The 2018 World Series of Poker main event attracted the second largest field in the history of the tournament with over 7,800 entrants.

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Patch editor Rebecca Bream contributed
Top photo via YouTube/ESPN

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