1,943 entries helped drive the prize pool to over $1.3 million
Mallory Klaus emerged victorious in the Trailblazer Poker Tour’s $1,000,000 guaranteed event at Texas Card House in Dallas, overcoming a tough final table to claim the title and $211,745 in prize money. The $800 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 1,943 entries, pushing the total prize pool to $1,360,100.
Despite starting the final table as the short stack, Klaus managed to navigate her way through a competitive field, securing 540 Card Player Player of the Year points along the way. Her win places her inside the top 100 in the 2025 POY race standings presented by Global Poker.
Craig Varnell, a World Series of Poker bracelet winner and World Poker Tour champion, was one of the notable players at the final table but exited in eighth place for $25,629. His Q-J suited was unable to hold up against the Q-10 suited of Sebastien Guinand, who would later fall to Klaus in fifth place. Holding A-A against A-J, Klaus won the crucial hand when neither player connected with the board, sending Guinand to the rail with $55,760.
Zak Baron entered three-handed play as the chip leader after eliminating Scot Fahrenbruch in fourth place for $74,700. However, Klaus gained momentum by knocking out Elan Lepovic, who moved all-in with middle pair on the flop but ran into Klaus’s pocket kings. Lepovic finished third, taking home $100,685.
The heads-up battle between Klaus and Baron lasted for several hours, but Klaus steadily built a lead. The final hand saw Baron shove with Q-7, only for Klaus to call with J-9. The board favored Klaus, giving her two pair and sealing the victory. Baron finished as the runner-up, earning $146,080.
