Long-time poker pro Will Failla (often referred to by his nickname of Will “the Thrill”) is no stranger to deep runs in major poker tournaments. However, up to this point in his career the East Coast native had been shut-out when it comes to claiming victory in a major tournament… that was until last night when “The Thrill” won the WPT Legends of Poker Main Event, and over $750k in prize-money.
Failla is not only admired and respected in the poker community, but is also one of poker’s genuine nice people, evidenced by his huge rail at the final table of the Legends of Poker. After entering the final table as the chip-leader, a few early hiccups saw Failla drop down the chip counts, only to make a massive comeback before going on to win the tournament.
One of those early hiccups occurred when Failla flopped trips to Josh Pollack’s Full House, but somehow avoided getting all the money in the middle –which would have crippled Failla—leaving him in good enough position to grind his stack back up.
Failla’s first step in his recovery was eliminating the short-stacked Owais Ahmed in 6th place; the 2011 WSOP bracelet winner and $50k Players Championship final table member was considered one of the most dangerous and accomplished players at the table.
Here is a look at the final table payouts from the 2011 WPT Legends of Poker Main Event:
* 1st: Will Failla – $758,085
* 2nd: Ken Aldridge – $365,800
* 3rd: Jeff Vertes – $186,400
* 4th: Joshua Pollock – $128,500
* 5th: Adam Aronson – $102,800
* 6th: Owais Ahmed – $77,100
