Shawn Daniels took down the event and added his first WPT title
Shawn Daniels is the newest member of the WPT Champions Club after securing victory at the WPT Rolling Thunder. The California poker pro topped a field of 404 players in the $3,500 buy-in event, earning $257,600 for his first World Poker Tour title. His win came after an intense final table battle at Thunder Valley Poker Room, where he overcame a tough heads-up challenge from Harvey Castro.
The tournament reached its final six players on Tuesday, with the remaining contenders returning the following day to fight for the title. Among them was Eric Afriat, a three-time WPT champion hoping to tie Darren Elias for the all-time record with a fourth title.
Afriat made a deep run, outlasting Benjamin Primus, David Ha, and Paul Richardson before exiting in third place with $122,000. His performance marked another strong showing, as he has now finished in the top three of a WPT event three times in the past year.
That left Daniels and Castro to battle for the championship. Castro, the start-of-day chip leader, had the advantage early on, holding more than twice as many chips as Daniels when heads-up play began.
However, the momentum quickly shifted. A key hand saw Daniels check-raise on the river with a full house, luring Castro into a sizable bet with only king-high. That move helped Daniels take control, building a commanding 5-1 chip lead.
Despite facing a major deficit, Castro fought back. He doubled up multiple times and even claimed the chip lead at one point. The back-and-forth nature of the match created a tense final stretch, with both players repeatedly trading control.
The duel continued for an extended period, despite relatively shallow stacks. Ultimately, Daniels sealed the win after making trip sixes against Castro’s queen-high.
With this victory, Daniels added a WPT title to his poker resume, bringing his career live earnings to over $3 million. Castro, meanwhile, took home $165,000 for his runner-up finish.
