EPT Title Cements Stephen Song’s Reputation as a Big Field Crusher

Stephen Song retreated to his rail, a wry smile across his face. He was heads-up for the 2024 EPT Barcelona title, covering his opponent – respected British tournament pro Andrew Hulme – and the pair had all the chips in the middle. His ace-seven off suit was behind Hulme’s pocket eights, but Song had been running hot all day. So it wasn’t a complete shock when the turn brought Song a gutshot straight, delivering him the win and a €1,290,386 ($1.425M) payday – the largest of his career.

Song bested a field of 1,975 entries, the fourth-largest in EPT history, according to PokerStars. But for those who have followed Song’s career over the past five years, seeing him deep in a large-field event was as much of a surprise as seeing him bink the turn. Song has made a habit of repeatedly fading the field in some of the toughest large-field events on the calendar, earning him a reputation as one of the best on the modern landscape to do so.

Feel free to debate whether Song has officially earned a coveted Poker Triple Crown (WPT, EPT, WSOP titles) but wherever you land on that issue, there’s no doubt that for each of his major titles, he swam through a sea of would-be sharks to get to shore. In 2019, when won his WSOP gold bracelet in a $1,000 NLHE event for $341,854 (his largest at the time), he was the last player standing in a field of 2,477. His WPT Prime Championship title was won from a field twice that size when he outlasted the 5,430 entries, including runner-up Lara Eisenberg, at Wynn Las Vegas in Season 22 for his previous high score of $712,650.

Those are just the top of the resume titles. Throw in there a third-place finish in the 2021 WSOP $1,500 ‘The Closer’ event (1,903 entries), a final table in the 2018 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open (1,244 entries) and finishing in 57th in this year’s record-setting WSOP Main Event (10,112 entries) – putting him in the top .5% of the field. It was also his second career top-100 finish in the Main Event.

Song’s results position him among the most prolific big-field crushers in modern poker history, standing among some of the giants of the game.

Joe McKeehen knows something about making a deep run in the Main Event. And having a reputation as an elite big-field crusher. First thing first, the 2015 WSOP Main Event winner took home more than $7.6 million for topping the 6,420-person field. Sure, you could mistakenly claim that anyone who tops the modern Main Event is automatically in this big field crusher category, but you’ve got to have more than that to make it so.

Of course, McKeehen has plenty more: a runner-up finish in the inaugural WSOP Monster Stack for $820,863 (7,862 entries), a third-place finish in the 2018 WSOP Millionaire Maker ($538,276, 7361 entries), and two of his five World Poker Tour final table appearances coming after he outlasted more than 1,000 runners.

When it comes to WSOP Main Event winners, you can put Joe Cada in there, too. The 2009 Main Event winner (6,494 entries, $8.5 million) made his second run to the final table nine years later, finishing in fifth place (out of 7,874 entries) for another $2,150,000. Immediately after busting out of the Main Event in 2018, he put $1,500 of his seven-figure payday to work in that year’s edition of ‘The Closer’ and proceeded to fade another 3,120 entry field to earn his fourth gold bracelet.

While he hasn’t actually won a WSOP Main Event, a nod to two-time modern-day Main Event final tablist (2009,2017) and longtime pro Antoine Saout from France who made nearly $5.5 million between his third and fifth place finish respectively. Add to that pair of EPT Main Event final tables (2016, 2022) both with more than 1,000 entries, and it feels like Saout can make a run in nearly every important event he enters.

It’s natural to think about Sin City, the WSOP, and the Main Event as an epicenter when talking about the biggest fields of any calendar year. But don’t discount the massive fields that come out in Florida whenever a major tour comes to town. That’s something three-time WPT champion Brian Altman would never do as Altman has made a career devouring the 1K+ fields in Florida.

Four of Altman’s top-10 all-time scores are from the big fields in Florida including his top prize of $723,008 in the 2015 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open (1,027 runners). When he won the same event in 2020 there were just 843 runners, but his third title came less than a year later in the 1,165-entry field of WPT Tampa Championship. Altman also managed to additional official WPT final tables with more than 1,000 runners in each event.

But perhaps one of the closest comp to Song’s recent success is that of Andrew Moreno. Like Song, Moreno plays almost exclusively in tournaments with $10,000 buy-ins and under, with a recent outstanding track record in the larger field marquee events. Case in point, his breakout result – a victory chop in the 2021 $10,000 Wynn Millions for $1.46 million in a field of 1,328. One year later to the day, in nearly the exact same spot, Moreno finished as the runner-up in the $3,500 Wynn Championship for another $460K (1,428 entries). This year, Moreno returned to the Wynn and in essentially the same tournament, the $10,400 Wynn Summer Championship, Moreno made another deep run, this time bowing out in 13th out of 1,440 entries. for just under $140,000.

And now, to this group of elite big-field crushers, we can safely add Stephen Song. Even before his EPT Barcelona victory, people were singing Song’s tournament praises. But now, with an EPT title – arguably one of the toughest major titles in poker to achieve against one of the biggest fields in the tour’s history – Song has built a resume that not only cements him as an ever-present large-field threat to win it all, but a must-watch superstar for years to come.

FAQ

What is the bonus code for SPIN105?

1. Cash Giraffe. Cash Giraffe is an Android game app that lets you earn real money without making deposits. The app is similar to Mistplay and pays you to download and try new games.

What casino app pays real money no deposit USA?

To name a few of those casino apps that pay real money with no deposit, there is: PokerStars Casino - $100 Bonus Play. BetMGM Casino - $25 No Deposit Bonus. Borgata Casino - $20 No Deposit Bonus.

Where is WPT World Championship 2024?

Where is WPT 2024? The 2024 WPT World Championship will take place at Wynn Las Vegas. A complete schedule for the festival will be finalized and announced in the coming months. For the latest updates on this event and all other World Poker Tour happenings, visit WPT.com. To learn more about the venue, check out WynnLasVegas.com.

What casinos offer freeplay for new members?

Most USA casinos offer no deposit free spins to new players. When you find a free spins casino with a no deposit bonus, you can play slot games for free and keep the money you win if the reels give you the combinations you hope for.

What online casino has the best no deposit welcome bonus?

Here at 888casino, we want you to start with a WIN! We’re giving you 88 FREE SPINS to play top online casino games, NO DEPOSIT NEEDED. This offer is just a taste of the 888casino Hot Promotions coming your way, including BIG Bonuses, FAB Free Spins and FANTASTIC FreePlay.