The World Poker Tour returned to bestbet Jacksonville in November as thousands of players packed the tables across 20 preliminary events. Another 358 players entered the $3,500 Fall Poker Scramble to create a $1.1 million prize pool with a $250K first-place prize that went to Jared Jaffee of Brooklyn.
Hot off the heels of his Heartland Poker Tour win at Daytona Beach Kennel Club, Cong Pham entered Day 3 of the main event with the chip lead. It seemed like remarkable back-to-back wins were inevitable for Cong, but once Day 3 began he exited almost as quickly as he entered and Jaffee would go into the final table with a strong chip lead.
He and eventual runner-up Blake Pervis each eliminated two players at the final table and entered heads-up play with nearly even chipstacks. Jaffee, who maintained a strong stack throughout most of the event, had the edge when Blake’s pocket aces were all-in against Jaffee’s 
, looking for a flush after the flop. The turn was a blank, but the 
on the river delivered another big payday to the pro from the north, putting his career total at more than $1.5 million.
In one of the undercard events, Brian Arbaugh picked up the biggest win of his career, taking $41K home to Ohio after conquering the 621-player field of the $350 Event 7.
And in what was one of the toughest fields of the series, amateur Scott Mauer bested players that included pros such as John Racener, Darryll Fish and Mark Rose to claim $27K in the $1,070 NLHE Event 17.
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— Email Charles Allison anteupcharles@gmail.com.
