Kevin Li Goes from Short Stack to Bracelet Winner in WSOP Tournament of Champions
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Nine months after winning his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit ring at a stop in Calgary, Canada's Kevin Li is now also a WSOP bracelet winner after taking down the Tournament of Champions for $200,000.
The WSOP Tournament of Champions, which took place at Commerce Casino in Southern California, was a freeroll event eligible for all bracelet and Circuit ring winners from the 2024 WSOP season.
Everyone at the final table was, by definition, accomplished on the WSOP side of things. But two players at the final table also happened to be World Poker Tour (WPT) champions. Dan Sepiol won the 2023 WPT World Championship for $5.2 million, while reigning champion Scott Stewart took down last year's event for $2.5 million.
WSOP Tournament of Champions Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Li | Canada | $200,000 |
| 2 | Shawn Rice | United States | $140,000 |
| 3 | Don Ciaglo | United States | $100,000 |
| 4 | Dan Sepiol | United States | $70,000 |
| 5 | Karapet Galstyan | United States | $50,000 |
| 6 | Maxwell Young | United States | $37,000 |
| 7 | Yang Xu | United States | $28,000 |
| 8 | Kevin Lemmer | United States | $21,000 |
| 9 | Scott Stewart | United States | $16,100 |
Sepiol Fares Best of WPT World Champions
The final table action, which was live-streamed by Bally Live Poker, kicked off with Harveys Lake Tahoe Circuit ring winner Don Ciaglo in front of big stacks Dan Sepiol and Yang Xu, while Kevin Lemmer and eventual champion Kevin Li were both toward the bottom of the pack.
Scott Stewart was the first to go and the reigning WPT champ did so in brutal fashion. Stewart flipped with pocket queens against ace-king and was teased with a turned set before his opponent rivered Broadway.
Next out was Lemmer, who ran queen-eight into pocket jacks and couldn't improve despite flopping a straight draw. The final table dwindled further from there with the eliminations of Yang Xu and nine-time Circuit ring winner Maxwell Young.
Sepiol, who qualified by winning the 2024 WSOP $1,500 Shootout, bowed out in fourth place as his ace-ten was pipped by Li's ace-jack, while start-of-day chip leader Ciaglo was next out as he ran a weak ace into rockets.
Li entered heads-up play with a small chip lead over Rice and the two battled for more than an hour before Li's king-queen pipped Rice's king-four and Li faded a chop as he secured the victory.
The $200,000 score is a career-best for Li, who had less than $50,000 in Hendon Mob earnings ahead of the event and who won his maiden Circuit ring in a Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha event at WSOPC Calgary in August 2024.
The Tournament of Champions is part of the larger WSOP Circuit Commerce stop that culminates with the currently underway $1,700 Main Event.
Check out the full final table stream on YouTube.
*Photos courtesy Bally Live Poker via YouTube
