Lorenz Schöllhorn Wins WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship

The 2024 World Poker Tour Prime Gold Coast Championship $2,000 AUD ($1,300 USD) buy-in no-limit hold’em event 1,395 entries to the The Star across three starting flights. After five total days of play, Switzerland’s Lorenz Schöllhorn emerged victorious with the title and the top prize of $257,729.

This was the first recorded live tournament title for Schöllhorn, whose previous top score was a 31st-place showing in a $1,100 pot-limit Omaha event at the 2023 WPT World Championship festival at Wynn Las Vegas for $2,913.

Schöllhorn was awarded 960 Card Player Player of the Year points as the champion of this event, enough to move him within reach of the top 150 in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

The top 175 finishers earned a share of the more than $1.6 million in prize money, with six-figure USD payouts for the top three finishers. Schöllhorn held the chip lead when the final nine players combined onto a single table. He added to that advantage by busting Martin Ward (9th) in the first hand at the final table.

Schöllhorn’s next knockout didn’t come until he picked up pocket tens against the Q-10 of Michael Fraser, who had shoved from under the gun with four remaining. Schöllhorn’s pair held up to send Fraser packing with $95,069 for his efforts.

Travis Endersby’s run came to an end when his kings and nines with an eight kicker ran into the fives full of nines held by Schöllhorn. Endersby earned $127,173 as the third-place finisher.

With that, heads-up play was set. Schöllhorn held better than a 2:1 chip lead over Andres Vasquez to start. He remained solidly ahead by the time the final hand of the tournament was dealt. With blinds of 250,000-500,000 and a big blind ante of 500,000, Vasquez raised to 1,250,000 on the button with JJ. Schöllhorn defended his big blind with KJ and the flop came down 1085. Schöllhorn checked and Vasquez bet 1,650,000. Schöllhorn check-raised to 4,800,000, prompting Vasquez to move all-in with his overpair to the board. Schöllhorn called with his flush draw and overcard to Vasquez’s pair of jacks. The 9 turn changed nothing, but the 9 river gave Schöllhorn a winning flush and the title.

Vasquez was awarded $171,782 as the runner-up finisher, his largest tournament score yet.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Photo credit: World Poker Tour.