Dan Smith Wins 2013 World Poker Tour Five Diamond Main Event

2012 POY runner-up Dan Smith topped a field of 449 entries in the 2013 World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic $10,300 no-limit hold’em main event to capture his first WPT title and the $1,161,135 first-place prize. This was the third seven-figure score of the 24-year-old’s career and it brought his lifetime live tournament earnings to more than $5.3 million.

In addition to the money and the title Smith also earned 1,800 Card Player Player of the Year points, which moved him into 61st place in the overall POY standings. This was his first title and second final table of 2013, after having won six titles and made nine final tables in 2012 to garner POY-qualified earnings of $3,673,806 for the year.

Smith entered the final table with the chip lead, but at one point during three-handed play was by far the shortest stack. He was able to find a few key double ups through and eventual third-place finisher Eddy Sabat, who earned $436,160 and 1,200 at his second final table of the year. Sabat now sits in 62st place in the POY standings, just one spot back from Smith, in the overall standings as a result.

Smith took a gigantic lead of roughly 6-to-1 into heads-up play with 51-year-old Gary Benson from Sydney, Australia, and nine hands later it was all over. On the final hand Benson moved all-in with the 44 and Smith quickly called with the K10. The board ran out 109597, securing the win for Smith and sending Benson home with $672,685 and 1,500 POY points. This was benson’s fourth final table of 2013 and as a result he climbed to 39th place in the overall standings with 2,240 points and year-to-date earnings of $867,706.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the televised final table:

Photo courtesy of WPT / Joe Giron.