Youngest person ever to win the World Series of Poker Main Event
World Series of Poker® Crowns Youngest-Ever Main Event Champion Joseph Cada, 21, of Shelby Township, Mich., Wins Poker’s Most Prestigious Prize and More than $8.5 Million
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 10, 2009) – A 21-year-old online poker phenom from Michigan today became the youngest person ever to win the game’s largest, longest-running, richest and most prestigious tournament: the World Series of Poker Main Event. Joseph Cada, whose previous poker winnings enabled him to pay cash for his first home at age 19, added more than $8.5 million to his bankroll with the record-setting win.
Cada, of Shelby Township, took the title by outlasting Darvin Moon, a 46-year-old self-employed logger from Western Maryland. With his victory, Cada dethroned last year’s champion, Peter Eastgate, as the youngest-ever Main Event winner.
Nine days shy of his 22nd birthday, this was the first World Series of Poker that Cada was eligible to play.
“I’ve dreamed of winning this tournament, and to do it the first year out of the gate is unbelievable,” Cada said after his victory. “This is just amazing.”
The heads-up competition for the championship went back and forth throughout the night, with the chip leading changing multiple times. Cada finally clinched the win about 2 a.m. Pacific, after 87 hands. Moon moved all in with Queen of Diamonds/Jack of Diamonds, but Cada’s pair of nines held up for the $8.5 million top prize.
Moon took home a consolation prize of more than $5.1 million for his second-place finish.
“It’s only money,” Moon said with a smile after the event. “The more you win, the more you owe to the government. I play for the game.”
ESPN will air its coverage of the World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table today (November 10) at 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific.
About the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2009, the event attracted 60,875 entrants from 115 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded over $174 million in prize money. The creation of the new delayed Main Event final table more than doubled ratings on ESPN year over year. The WSOP in December 2008 was named the 7th most admired sports brand in North America by the Turnkey Sports Survey, trailing only the older and more established NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and PGA Tour among sports properties. In addition, the WSOP has experienced groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker EuropeSM. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit our website at www.worldseriesofpoker.com or www.twitter.com/wsop.
Loading ...