Quentin Jones Wins First WPTDeepStacks Title at Tampa Main Event

Quentin Jones (pictured) topped a field of 620 entries to win the Season 5 WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event on Monday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Jones earned his first WPTDeepStacks title, and $116,435 in first-place prize money, which included a $3,000 championship prize package. Jones won his way into this tournament when he topped the field in the $350 preliminary event earlier in the tournament series, and he turned that freeroll into a big payday.

“It feels great, it’s an amazing feeling. I’m happy to be here playing at the WPTDeepStacks, and you’ll definitely see me back again,” said Jones right after the victory.

He also had this to say when he was asked about the positive momentum he carried into the Main Event after his preliminary tournament victory. “I’ve been playing well all weekend, running well. It’s just an amazing feeling. Hands holding up, and that’s all you can ask in poker, to play well and have your hands hold up, and that’s what happened for me this weekend. I’m happy and honored to be able to take down two trophies in the same week. I’ll definitely be playing more WPTDeepStacks tournaments now, and it feels great,” said Jones.

Jones overcame a big chip-disadvantage at the start of the heads-up final to score the comeback victory against the back-to-back runner-up in this Main Event Michael Cohen. Here is what Jones had to say about that final match. “Really, Mike is a very tough opponent, and really all I wanted to do was play big hands with him. I knew once I doubled up with the A-10 when I flopped a straight I knew that was really a game-changer right there. That put me back at 4.5 million, and there was only 15.5 million in play so Mike still had a big chip lead so I just tried to do what I could to get close to even. Once I got the chip lead I just tried to lean on him. Anytime I picked up big hands and he raised on me I just came over the top,” said Jones.

Jones is also one of the nicest poker players you will ever encounter. He had a calm and courteous personality throughout the entirety of the tournament no matter where he was in the chip standings. Jones said that is just his natural disposition after the final table. “I’m just a laid back guy just naturally. I don’t really talk trash, I just try to let my cards speak for themselves. It’s fun, at the end of the day I just come out and just have fun. I’m doing something that I enjoy doing, and that’s just part of my demeanor,” said Jones.

Season 5 WPTDS Tampa Final Table Results

1: Quentin Jones – $116,435*
2: Michael Cohen – $79,350
3: Justin Donato – $51,180
4: Chaz Wexler – $36,860
5: Charles Kahrs – $28,290
6: Joshua Garber – $22,835
7: Rex Clinkscales – $18,970
8: John O’Neal – $15,120
9: Christopher Agnello – $11,340

*: Includes a $3,000 WPTDS Championship Package

There was a lot of action early at the final table with both double ups and eliminations coming quickly. Christopher Agnello was the first player out in ninth place, and then John O’Neal exited in eighth place before the first level of play was over.

There were then five doubles up before last year’s defending WPTDeepStacks Tampa champion and Season 4 Player of the Year Rex Clinkscales hit the rail in seventh place.

Joshua Garber finished in sixth place a short time later, and then we lost Charles Kahrs in fifth, Chaz Wexler in fourth, and Justin Donato in third during an action-packed level of play.

Last year’s runner-up Michael Cohen was the one dealing out a lot of those knockout blows, and he had grown his chip lead to 12.1 million at the start of heads-up play against Quentin Jones, who held 3.4 million. Jones was able to double up early in the match, and then he started chipping up to take the chip lead from there.

On the final hand, Cohen was all in preflop for 4.15 million, and Jones called to cover him on the button. The two players then flipped over their cards.

Jones: 
Cohen: 

Board: 

Cohen was eliminated in second place for the second year in a row, and he took home $79,350 in prize money. That made Jones the WPTDeepStacks Tampa champion, and he took home $116,435 (including the $3,000 Championship prize package), the WPTDeepStacks trophy, and the Seminole Hard Rock guitar trophy.

Congratulations to our new WPTDeepStacks champion – Quentin Jones!

That concludes our coverage from WPTDeepStacks Tampa. Thanks to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for hosting another great 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 Houston. The Main Event starts on September 26th and the final table will wrap things up on October 1st.