The 2024 World Poker Tour Prime Voyage Championship boasted a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000 with a buy-in of $1,100. Surpassing expectations, the event drew in 968 entries, effectively doubling the guarantee and generating a final prize pool of $968,000. The lion’s share of this substantial sum was claimed by Gregory De Faria from Brazil, who emerged victorious as the champion, pocketing $155,400. Remarkably, this triumph marked a significant leap for De Faria, whose previous largest recorded win had been just under $4,000.
De Faria’s victory also earned him 912 Card Player Player of the Year points, propelling him closer to the top 150 in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.
The tournament unfolded over three starting flights spanning from April 1 to 3, with qualifiers converging into a unified field on April 4 to vie for the title. Day 2 saw 122 players advancing, each guaranteed a minimum payout of $2,000.
The event attracted a constellation of renowned players, including Princess Love (61st), Calvin Anderson (55th), Dylan Wilkerson (21st), Jesse Sylvia (19th), and Darren Rabinowitz (10th).
Notable eliminations included Ryan Riess, champion of the 2013 World Series of Poker main event and the 2017 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, who exited in ninth place ($14,600) after his A-2 fell short against Nico Betbese’s K-J.
Lukas Zaskodny finished in eighth place ($18,500) after losing a preflop showdown. Gustavo Carmona secured seventh place ($24,000) but was halted by De Faria’s superior hand.
Allison Hollander’s journey concluded in sixth place ($31,000) when her K-Q was bested by Brandon Takao’s A-7 suited, narrowing the field to five.
In a pivotal hand, Brian Monigold’s pocket sevens clashed with A-Q suited, resulting in Monigold’s elimination in fifth place ($41,000). Trent Hopper seized the lead after his pocket queens prevailed against Takao’s A-2 (4th – $54,000).
De Faria continued his momentum by eliminating Betbese in third place ($72,000), reclaiming the lead heading into the heads-up battle. After Bestbese’s departure, De Faria faced off against Hopper in the final showdown. De Faria clinched victory with a flush, holding Q♥ 9♥, while Hopper settled for second place, earning $97,000.
