California Player Finished Third in World Series of Poker Main Event for $4 Million

The $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event wrapped on Monday with a player from Thousand Oaks, California, finishing among the top three. Adam Walton took the bronze medal and scored $4 million in an event that attracted a record-setting 10,043 entries and a $93.4 million prize pool.

The win brings his total live tournament winnings to almost $5 million. The 40-year-old was born in Tacoma, Washington, and now lives in Henderson, Nevada, but also lived in the Golden State. Despite the disappointment of not finding the ultimate prize, the $12.1 million and championship bracelet won by Daniel Weinman, Walton was pleased with how things turned out.

“Obviously you want to finish it off, but it’s been a great experience,” he said on PokerGO afterward. “Both guys have been great, so we’re going to have a cool champion. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Journey to the WSOP Final Table

With plenty of experience at the tables, Walton proved a formidable player at the final table. His biggest tournament cash came last year in a $3,000 event at the World Poker Tour World Championship, where he took second place for $283,072. He also scored a nice win in 2021 in a $1,000 UltimateStack at the Venetian for $106,901.

This also wasn’t Walton’s first nice finish in the Main Event. He took 42nd  in 2021 for $163,900 before busting out on his birthday.

After majoring in teaching/kinesiology at Pacific Lutheran University, Walton launched into a poker career in 2003. The WSOP finish now adds a huge bullet point to his poker record. He applied plenty of pressure on Day 8 as play neared the final table, and surged later in the day after catching several nice hands.

Walton came into the final table of nine as chip leader, but had some ground to make up at the final three. As play began Monday, winning hands were rare for Walton early and he couldn’t seem to get any traction as Weinman and Steven Jones continued raking pots.

That changed about 45 minutes into the action after grabbing a nice pot with pocket Aces. A couple more pots then went his way, moving him to second in chips. However, a huge hand just a few hands later would end his Main Event journey.

Hitting the Rail

With blinds at 1.25 million/2.5 million, Steven Jones raised to 6 million from the button and received a call from Walton. Weinman raised to 27 million from the big blind and Jones folded.

Walton instantly moved all of his 29.5 million chips in the pot and was also instantly called. Weinman tabled AhAd to Walton’s 8s8c. The flop brought 7c5h3c with the 9s coming on the turn, at least making an inside-straight draw possible for Walton. But the Kc on the river ended his tournament in third place.

The elimination gave Weinman about 75% of the chips in play and helped the player from Atlanta, Georgia, go on to win the title. Jones would finish runner-up for $6.5 million.

Much of Walton’s final table run included a boisterous crowd on the rail and he was thankful for the support. He said the money wouldn’t change his life, but he did plan on buying a boat.

“I’ve got a great group of friends,” he said. “I was glad everyone was able to come out and enjoy the experience with me. It’s not every year that this happens, so it was a great time.”

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