Mike Leah Wins WPT Falls View Main Event for $359,342

If you plan on scrolling through Canadian pro Mike Leah’s tournament cashing list, give yourself an extra half hour or so – his incredible record of ‘in the money’ finishes added to yesterday when he took down the WPT Falls View Main Event for $359,342 - taking his career total over the $6.5million mark and a well-earned place in the WPT Champion Club.

With three wins in the past four years in the $1100 side event, Leah went into the series in confident mood…

…but when that didn’t work out he set his sights instead on the WPT FallsView biggie, the Main Event which would have the added bonus of a $15,000 seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions…

With a record-breaking 517 entries for the CAD$5000 buy-in event it wouldn’t be an easy task, but Leah kept his fans and followers updated throughout a deep run – coming in to the 3rd and final day of play sitting 3rd in chips…

At the same time as his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team were downing Tampa Bay 4-3, Mike ‘GoLeafsGo’ Leah was separating the men from the boys at the table, taking out Tregoubov, Muraca and then Eldridge on the final table bubble…

…but Ryan Yu was matching him blow-for-blow, the pair inevitably left to fight it out heads-up for the WPT title with Yu holding a more than 2-1 chip lead, although that was quickly whittled down with a series of strange plays by the Toronto man, the finale coming only 8 hands in when Leah snagged a river five to pair his hand and the massive trophy and payday were his…as well as a spot in the WPT Champion Club.

“Winning a WPT has been near the top of my goal list for a long time,” said Leah after his victory, “especially getting so close almost exactly three years ago when I lost to Anthony Zinno heads up at LAPC, so I've been pretty hungry to get back here again since that.”

He added:

"To do it here, where I've had so much success winning three tournaments already, is pretty cool. So close to home, in my home country, it's a pretty special tournament to win. I don't think it's fully sunk in yet.”

Final table results

* includes a $15,000 seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions