The 2024 World Poker Tour Cambodia Championship’s $3,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event attracted a staggering 760 entries, surpassing the $1 million guarantee and generating a substantial $2,432,760 prize pool. After rigorous competition during two starting flights and three days at the NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh, Germany’s Konstantin Held emerged as the victor, claiming the title and the top prize of $361,310.
This triumph marked a significant milestone for Held, whose previous highest cash was a six-figure sum earned with a sixth-place finish in the 2023 European Poker Tour Paris main event, securing $261,080. With this victory, Held’s total recorded tournament earnings now exceed $763,000.
The top three finishers negotiated a deal redistributing the prize money, leaving the title, the trophy, and a $10,400 seat into the season-ending WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas up for grabs. Held faced off against Joshua McCully in the heads-up battle for these coveted prizes.
Expressing his elation, Held shared with WPT reporters, “Over the moon. Honestly, over the moon. It has been an insane journey to end up heads up with a good friend of mine. We just enjoyed our time. We were all having a blast. And the experience here was great. I love the venue. I think NagaWorld is great. It’s been amazing to come to Cambodia.”
Held earned 1,368 Card Player Player of the Year points, his first POY-qualified score of the year, propelling him to fifth place in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.
The money bubble burst for the top 95 finishers, with the final five receiving six-figure payouts. Starting the last day as the chip leader among the remaining nine players, Held extended his lead by eliminating Jianfeng Sun (7th – $69,678) and staging a comeback against Kyle Bao Diep (6th – $90,532) with A-7 suited besting A-K suited.
The action continued as Amit Kaushik (5th – $118,906) bowed out in an all-in against Joshua McCully’s K-Q. Motoyoshi Okamura (4th – $157,858) faced a challenging hand with his A-6 against McCully’s pocket queens.
The final three players struck a deal, with the remaining prize money reworked as follows:
- Konstantin Held – $350,910
- Florent Remi – $302,019
- Joshua McCully – $277,291
McCully ultimately outpaced and eliminated Remi in third place, sealing the win with a flush-over-flush scenario. Despite McCully’s initial chip lead, Held made a comeback in the final showdown. In the last hand, McCully’s 9Diamond Suit7Club Suit faced Held’s KHeart Suit5Spade Suit. The board favored Held, running out JHeart Suit4Heart Suit2Diamond Suit10Diamond Suit6Diamond Suit, securing both the pot and the championship title for Held.
