David Dongwoo Ko has claimed victory in the 2024 World Poker Tour Montreal $3,500 CAD no-limit hold’em main event, held at the Playground Poker Club in Quebec. The 23-year-old from Burnaby, British Columbia, outlasted a field of 882 entries to win his first WPT title and a top prize of $319,217 USD.
This win marks Ko’s largest tournament payout, surpassing his previous best of $50,800 from a £450 World Series of Poker International Circuit event. With this win, the three-time WSOPC ring winner now boasts nearly $400,000 in total tournament earnings.
“I really wanted to prove to myself and to the world that I can compete in these higher-level tournaments, and today I think I did,” Ko said to WPT reporters. “Being a WPT Champion is something that will last forever, you know, so that just by itself means a lot.”
Ko faced more than just tough competition at the final table. A storm caused a power outage, halting play for over two hours. Play resumed at 11:00 PM local time, allowing Ko to continue his path to victory.
The event included three starting flights and three more days of competition. The top 111 players shared a $2,071,642 USD prize pool, with six-figure payouts for the final four finishers. Notable deep runs included Mike Leah (57th), Xuan Liu (54th), WPT commentator Tony Dunst (34th), and three-time WPT champion Eric Afriat (19th).
Ko began the final day as the chipleader among the last six players. He ultimately faced David Stavila in heads-up play for the championship title.
The decisive hand came when Ko limped from the button with K
3. Stavila raised to 1,800,000 from the big blind with Q6, and Ko called. The flop revealed 1082
, giving both players flush draws. The turn brought the 9, completing both flushes. After Stavila checked, Ko bet 2,450,000. Stavila called, and the river was the 3
. Stavila checked again, Ko bet 7,200,000, and Stavila check-raised all-in for 16,025,000. Ko snap-called, securing the title with his flush over Stavila’s. Stavila collected $205,520 as the runner-up.
Final Table Results
| Result | Player | Prize |
| 1 | David Ko | $319,217 |
| 2 | Dan Stavila | $205,520 |
| 3 | Tommy Nguyen | $150,470 |
| 4 | Rayan Chamas | $113,770 |
| 5 | Tamer Alkamli | $85,878 |
| 6 | Charles Kassin | $65,326 |
| 7 | Nektarios Papadedes | $50,646 |
| 8 | Michael Smith | $38,902 |
| 9 | Jamie Brent | $30,828 |
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