Antonio Vargas emerged victorious at the Colorado Poker State Championship, the latest stop on Season 16 of a major U.S. poker tour. Held at Bally’s Casino in Blackhawk, the $1,110 buy-in Championship Event attracted 875 entries, generating a prize pool of $847,250.
Vargas, who entered Day 2 as the chip leader, maintained his momentum through twelve hours of play to secure the title and a $141,255 payout. His win came after a heads-up deal with Zach Whitney, who earned $120,109 for his runner-up finish. The win also earned Vargas 1,800 Player of the Year points.
“It’s truly amazing,” Vargas said after the tournament. “I came very close in this event last year, so to be able to close this one out, words can’t describe it.”
This win marked a major breakthrough for Vargas, who had previously finished third in a similar event earlier this year.
Final Table Results – Colorado Poker State Championship
| Place | Player | Prize | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Vargas | $141,255* | 1,800 |
| 2 | Zach Whitney | $120,109* | 1,600 |
| 3 | Rich Dixon | $73,371 | 1,500 |
| 4 | Rahul Lal | $54,779 | 1,400 |
| 5 | Thomas Fuller | $41,499 | 1,300 |
| 6 | John Schroer | $31,539 | 1,200 |
| 7 | Cody Mondeau | $24,070 | 1,100 |
| 8 | Andrew Dea | $19,085 | 1,000 |
| 9 | Erik Macias | $14,940 | 900 |
*Indicates heads-up deal
Notable Cashes
Several other players also made deep runs, including:
- Isiah Easter (11th – $11,620)
- Eric Maier (15th – $9,960)
- Edward Konarske (21st – $6,972)
- Nader Wahdan (34th – $3,652)
- Taylor Fortini (43rd – $2,988)
- Jason Brin (49th – $2,656)
Key Hand
A pivotal hand in the final stages saw Vargas eliminate Rich Dixon. On a K♠9♠5♠ flop, both players checked. The 7♦ on the turn prompted a bet of 500,000 from Dixon, which Vargas check-raised to 1,700,000. Dixon called. The river brought the K♣, and Vargas fired another 1,700,000. Dixon called again, revealing KxQx for trips, but Vargas showed 8♠6♠ for a flopped flush, sealing Dixon’s fate.
Dixon had earlier claimed victory in another event during the series, earning his first gold card and a $11,974 payout.
