Matt Montgomery Wins Inaugural WPTDeepStacks Fresno Main Event

Matt Montgomery (pictured) topped a field of 258 entries to win the Season 5 WPTDeepStacks Fresno Main Event amidst a lively final table crowd on Monday at Club One Casino. The resident of nearby Visalia, California earned his first WPTDeepStacks title and $70,650 in first-place prize money, which included a $3,000 championship prize package.

“Going into today I really liked my seat draw, I had all of the deep stacks to my right, all of the short stacks to my left, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I made a misstep early on when I made a three-bet that I probably shouldn’t have and ran into aces, but I was able to get it back. You’ve just go to stay focused, and have faith, and we got there,” said Montgomery when he was asked about his smooth run at the top of the chip standings at the final table.

Montgomery also really pushed the action when play got short-handed at the final table this evening. “Once we got short-handed that’s my forte, that’s kind of my specialty, and once we got down there I felt much more confident,” said Montgomery.

“It was definitely the best tournament I’ve ever been a part of, partially because I won. But I had a really good time and I thought the structure was great, a lot of play for the price. Club One did a great job, you guys did a great job; all in all it was a great experience,” said Montgomery when he was asked about playing in his first WPTDeepStacks event at Club One Casino.

He was also excited about playing in the WPTDeepStacks Championship up in Calgary in December. “I’ve never been to Canada, so I might go skiing, I might go snowboarding, who knows. I can’t wait to play the Main Event up there, it’s going to be a blast,” said Montgomery.

Season 5 WPTDS Fresno Final Table Results

1: Matt Montgomery – $70,650*
2: Delmiro Toledo – $47,590
3: Phil Ortiz – $30,445
4: Ronnie Saephan – $18,520
5: Kyle Kirkland – $14,300
6: Mario Lopez – $11,850
7: Kosal Ok – $9,950
8: Elizabeth Tedder – $8,315
9: Ashkun Lajevardi – $6,765

*: Includes a $3,000 WPTDS Championship Package

The all-in pots started coming early and often thanks to high blinds and antes when play began. WPTDeepStacks Fresno Player of the Series Ashkun Lajevardi was the first player to fall in ninth place shortly after play began.

There were a few double ups before Elizabeth Tedder finished in eighth place, and then a few more doubles before Kosal Ok took seventh place.

Mario Lopez then took sixth place at the fifth WPTDeepStacks final table of his career, and Kyle Kirkland finished a deep run in fifth place a few hands later.

The final four players then went to their first break in play, and when they returned the fast pace of action continued. Ronnie Saephan took fourth place after that, and he was followed to the rail by Phil Ortiz in third place.

That set up a final battle between Matt Montgomery, who took 3,475,000 into the final battle against Delmiro Toledo’s stack of 2,975,000. Toledo was able to double up once during heads-up play, but Montgomery increased his chip lead again before the final hand.

On the final hand, the board read when Toledo got the last of his chips into the middle, and Montgomery had him covered on the button. The two players then flipped over their cards.

Montgomery: 
Toledo: 

River: 

Toledo was eliminated on the hand in second place, good for $47,590, and Montgomery was the WPTDeepStacks Fresno champion. Montgomery took home the top prize of $70,650, which includes a $3,000 Championship prize package, and he also took home the WPTDeepStacks trophy.

Congratulations to the newest WPTDeepStacks champion, Matt Montgomery!

That concludes our coverage from WPTDeepStacks Fresno. Thanks to Club One Casino for hosting a great inaugural stop on the tour.

Up Next for WPTDeepStacks in North America

The next stop for Season 5 of the WPTDeepStacks schedule in North America is WPTDS Tampa. The tournament series kicks off June 7, and the Main Event starts on June 14. The WPTDS Tampa $1,100 Main Event boasts a $300,000 guarantee.