Play started on 26 August in the first WPT Alpha8 stop in Florida. The latest high roller tournament series featured a $100,000 event, in which nine players returned to Day 2 to crown a champion. Game resumed on Level 12 (500/2,500/5,000) and it took one elimination to reach the official, eight-handed final table. It was Bill Perkins, who got eliminated as bubble boy; the dollar millionaire hedge fund manager lost with A-4 to Isaac Haxton’s A-8 hand.
The Final Table seat draw was as follows:
Seat 1: Daniel Alaei – 293,500
Seat 2: Isaac Haxton – 276,000
Seat 3: Jeff Gross – 120,500
Seat 4: Steven Silverman – 392,500
Seat 5: Joseph Cheong -100,000
Seat 6: JC Tran – 94,000
Seat 7: Jason Mercier – 363,500
Seat 8: Matt Glantz – 441,500
Even though making it to the finale, the eight players could not rest assured that it was a payday for them, as only the top four finishes offered prizes.
First out was Jason Mercier; first, he lost a major pot to Matt Glantz and then WSOP Main Event November Nine chipleader JC Tran doubled up through him in a lucky hand, his A-Ts hand improving to a flush after going preflop all-in, while Mercier held pocket aces. Mercier was left with only 15 BBs and he pushed with J-T soon afterwards. Daniel Alaei called with A-6 and cracked Mercier’s hand on the turn and river of the T-K-J-6-6 board.
Alaei was out in 7th place, losing with A-7 to Haxton’s nines, and Joseph Cheong followed in 6th, shoving on the
5 
9 6 flop with 6 
5 and Jeff Gross calling with Q 4 to get his flush on the T turn. The 3 on the river did not help Cheong.
The paying places were reached on Level 17 (2,000/8,000/16,000). Shortstack Haxton went all-in from the CO with 396,000, holding tens, and Tran called with A-Q. A queen arrived on the otherwise nezutral board and Haxton was out in 5th.
In the four-handed play, Glantz kept dropping down until he moved all-in from the SB with
T 8 . Gross called from the BB with A 
6 and his hand held out. Still, it was him who got eliminated in 3rd place on Level 18 (3,000/10,000/20,000), losing with K-T to Silverman’s A-K.Steven Silverman – 1,091,000
JC Tran – 1,009,000
In the last hand of the first WPT Alpha8 tournament, Silverman shoved preflop from the Button and Tran called with his remaining 300,000 in chips.
Silverman:
Q 9 Tran: Q 8
Q 8 Board: 8 T 5 9 Q
8 T 5 9 Q Silverman won the tournament with top two pairs.
Steven ’Zugwat’ Silverman booked his second best live tournament result so far, after his EPT Grand Final $25,000 High Roller victory for $1,016,745. JC Tran also took down an impressive score in preparation for the world championship finale in November.
The end results are as follows:
1st: Steven Silverman – $891,660
2nd: JC Tran – $526,890
3rd: Jeff Gross – $364,770
4th: Matt Glantz – $243,180
