Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst hoists second NAPT trophy

Here is the headline and opening paragraph from the press release issued by the Mohegan Sun in regards to Vanessa Selbst’s unbelievable performance at the PokerStars NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event where she successfully defended her title to become the first two-time NAPT Champion -an amazing and remarkable feat considering the tour has held a total of four tournaments to date! The press release sums it all up perfectly:

UNCASVILLE, CT - Exactly one year and two days ago, Vanessa Selbst was posing for her winner’s photos behind a mountain of chips, just moments after winning the inaugural PokerStars.net NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event title.  Fast forward one year and two days later: Same venue. Same event. Same champion.

“For some reason, Connecticut and poker agrees with me,” said Selbst. “It’s so incredible, I can’t even describe it. Every time I leave law school to go and play a poker tournament, I have a joke that my friends expect me to win because I’ve literally just won every tournament that I’ve played in Connecticut the past two years… I have no words to describe how I feel right now. To be able to defend the title is amazing. They both meant tremendous things for different reasons, but this (the repeat) is really, really important to me.”

Selbst not only had to get through NAPT Los Angeles winner Joe Tehan -looking to make a bit of his own history-but also former hedge fund manager Dan Shak, who has turned out to be quite the poker player. In fact it was Shak that would stand between Selbst and the NAPT record books as the two met in heads-up play for the title.

Shak entered heads-up play with nearly 75% of the chips in play, but Selbst slowly and methodically chipped-up and eventually doubled through Shak holding pocket Kings on a K-A-x board while Shak held KQ. From there Selbst sailed to the title and to her second consecutive NAPT Mohegan Sun Championship.
Here is a look at the final table payouts from the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event:
1: Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst - $450,000
2: Dan Shak - $254,000
3: Tyler Kenney - $170,000
4: Thomas Hoglund Jr. - $120,000
5: Vincent Rubianes - $90,000
6: Joe Tehan - $70,000
7: Aaron Overton - $50,000
8: Steve O’Dwyer - $32,330

Other notable cashes:

Team PokerStars Pros Victor Ramdin (USA) and Greg DeBora (Canada) both cashed in the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event. Ramdin finished 31st ($10,500) and DeBora 49th ($7,500).  Other notable money winners include Jacobo Fernandez (11th - $21,000), Nenad Medic (15th - $14,000), Olivier Busquet (17th - $12,000), Eric Froehlich (23rd - $12,000), Adam Junglen (29th - $10,500), Lee Markholt (42nd - $7,500) and last year’s NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event runner-up Mike Beasley (56th - $7,500).