Five days ago 22-year-old Swiss Hotel Management grad Hugo Pingray was just another face in a 7,862 entry field for the World Series of Poker event 51 – the inaugural Monster Stack – and one of the smaller stacks to boot.
By late Monday night Las Vegas time he was an instant millionaire and the holder of a WSOP winner’s bracelet.
The young Swiss is on his first visit to Las Vegas, there specifically to gain experience playing in poker’s biggest tournament after honing his poker skills whilst at hotel management school in Switzerland.
He is now $1,327,083 wealthier after taking down the $1,500 buy-in NLHE competition, second only to the WSOP Main Event in size, having won the lion’s share of the $10,613,700 prize pool.
The response to the Monster Stack, which gives players more chips than usual to start with, was so massive that two starting flights had to be organised (see previous reports).
The cash barrier broke for the 792 survivors who made it through Day 2, and by Monday the massive field was down to just 9 players:
Hugo Pingray
Joe McKeehen
Sea