Sean Yu, WPT500 Winner: "I will donate a portion of my winnings to charity and church."

The inaugural #WPT500 $1 Million Guaranteed tournament took place at @ARIA Resort & Casino July 4-9 and was a huge success, with a total of 3,599 entries and a $1,799,500 prize pool. RankingHero was proud to be a part of this innovative and exciting event. The winner @Sean Yu was one of over 250 players who signed up for our promotional Last Longer competition and wore the RankingHero patch during the Main Event.

Sean, Congratulations on your victory!
How did you start playing poker? Is it a big part of your life?

I started to play poker (mostly 5 card draw poker) with my friends back in high school (home games). I started playing Texas Hold'em in 1997 while in the military. Yes, poker is a big part of my life and I am very passionate about this game.

Do you play online? Tournaments only or cash games?

I played on-line back before black friday but mostly live. I play both cash and tournaments, but mostly concentrating on tournament poker since the beginning of this year.

What did you think of the organisation WPT500, a brand new style of tournament?

I think the WPT500 is awesome! They have done a great job so far and it seems like they are marketing to the lower buy in audience. Brilliant!!! I thought the tournament structure is also great. I am very used to 30-40 min levels with deep starting stacks approx 12,000-15,000 starting chips. Multiple starting flights make it very attractive for players and the total prize pool. Excellent tournament!!!

Is there a key hand that helped you win this event?

Early in Day 2, I was all-in with AK vs TT which was big. Then towards the end with 3 tables left, I won a 4 million plus pot with KK vs QQ. At the final table, 6 handed I was once again all in with AQ vs 66 vs 9T and tripled up. Down to 3 handed, I won a huge pot with 89dd vs AA. And of course the last winning hand with T7dd vs AKdd against Kareem.

What now? Are you going to play more big tournaments? Spend it? Save it?

Definitely I am planning on playing some medium to bigger buy in tournaments, but I will be smart about it, donating a portion of my winnings to charity and church.