The local player took home $141,255 after outlasting a field of 875 entries at Bally’s Black Hawk
Antonio Vargas claimed the top spot at the MSPT Colorado Poker State Championship two days ago, securing his first title in the series and the biggest payday of his career. The Commerce City local walked away with $141,255 after outlasting a field of 875 entries at Bally’s Black Hawk.
Vargas had previously come close to a win at the same venue in early 2024, finishing third. This time, he completed the run and described the moment as “truly amazing” after falling just short the year prior.
The $1,110 buy-in tournament crushed its $500,000 guarantee by generating an $847,250 prize pool. The top 98 finishers made the money, with payouts starting at $2,158. Several familiar names made deep runs, including Beau Wilshire, Justin Lynch, Anthony Scarborough, and Colin Gordon, who exited just short of the final table in 10th place.
Vargas entered the final nine with one of the larger stacks and stayed patient while early eliminations came quickly. Erik Macias, Andrew Dea, and Cody Mondeau were the first to fall. John Schroer, Thomas Fuller, and Rahul Lal followed in the middle of the pack.
Three-handed play is where Vargas turned up the pressure. A key hand saw him hold 8♠6♠ and flop a flush on a K♠9♠5♠ board against Rich Dixon’s K-Q. That hand catapulted Vargas into the lead, and he then eliminated Dixon in third place after his A♠3♠ held up against K♣J♥.
With a near 2-to-1 chip advantage heading into heads-up play against Zack Whitney, both players opted for an ICM chop shortly before 1:00 AM. Vargas took the title and the lion’s share of the prize pool, while Whitney collected $120,190—almost doubling his career earnings. It also marked Vargas’s fifth win at Bally’s Black Hawk, cementing his local dominance.
