Benny Chen is a restaurant manager in Prince Edward Island, who enjoys playing poker in his free time. Chen registered in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Millionaire Maker No Limit Hold’em event, alongside over 6,300 other poker players. But Chen was the last man sitting at the poker table, and walked away nearly $1.2 million richer than when he sat down at the table.
The WSOP Millionaire Maker was expected to be a large tournament, and became one of the largest non-main events in WSOP history. The tournament required a $1,500 buy-in that promised a minimum $1 million payout, and players were invited to reenter on the second day of the event if they went bust on the first day.
Chen was one of the players who took advantage of the reentry option, and used his poker experience to advance through the elimination rounds for a seat at the final table. Once he made it to the final round, Chen engaged in a lengthy heads-up battle with Michael Bennington, a fellow amateur poker player who kept the Canadian on his toes. Prior to the Millionaire Maker, Chen participated in WSOP cash tournaments with tough competitors, and his highest payout was worth approximately $11,000.
But the Millionaire Maker was an event of its own, and Chen finally succeeded in defeating Bennington for the $1.2 million grand prize. The victory placed Chen within the WSOP record books as the 26th player in history to win a million dollars in a WSOP tournament without participating in one of the main events. Chen also became the second Canadian to win a gold bracelet at the 44th WSOP tournament, but more Canadians will participate in future matchups.
All in all, Chen took a few days off work to appreciate his passion for poker inside the Rio All Suite Casino in Las Vegas. The gamble certainly became a life-changing payout.
