$400 becomes over $34,000 as Galloway pulls off a major win at the tables
James Galloway ended a wild day of Houston poker action after outlasting 1,276 players to win the Champions Club Winter Poker Open $400 Mystery Bounty championship. He would end the tournament in a heads-up battle with Jonathan Park after he flopped a pair that would hold up against Park’s flush draw. Galloway would take home $38,128 and the champions trophy, while Park would earn $24,378 for second place.
Galloway has been on a great run since he took down a $300 No-Limit event at The Lodge for $25,581 in March of last year, followed by a win at the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em – Six-Max for $176,720 at the same establishment.
Derek Normand held the chip lead at the final table, with Park close behind. The action was frantic from the start as several players were sent to the rail within the first level. Ben Thomas (9th for $4,200) and Sanad Dahbour (8th for $5,100) were the first two eliminated, both by Surrinder Ahluwalia.
Jason Gooch would finish seventh ($6,200), followed by Tai Vo in sixth place ($7,800). Subsequently, Normand’s chip lead wouldn’t hold up, and he would end the night in fifth place ($9,900). Ahluwalia was then eliminated by Galloway in fourth place ($12,600). Mustapha ‘Moe’ Tokko would go home in third place ($18,804), setting up the showdown between Park and Galloway.
It took just 20 minutes for Galloway to widen his chip lead to almost 3:1 before all the chips were pushed in on an all-diamond flop, with Park holding the jack of diamonds. Galloway’s pair of fives would hold up, and he would win the pot to eliminate Park as the runner-up and take the championship.
