UFC Fighter Colby Covington Wins First Poker Trophy

The famous MMA fighter, Colby Covington, won his first poker trophy earlier this week.

Colby Covington Wins Tournament, Takes Home First Poker Trophy

Covington entered Event 22 at the 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open taking place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The $1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 event attracted a total of 84 entries. The prize pool generated by the buy-in hit $81,480.

Although plenty of seasoned poker veterans attended the event, in the end, Covington was the big winner. Taking first place in the tournament got the famous fighter the grand prize of $25,875. What’s more, Covington also collected his first poker trophy.

Focusing on the final results, 11th place was taken by Mark Dickstein, who collected a $2,400 prize. Sean Remz took 10th place and went home with a $2,625 prize. The same prize was collected by Jake Liebeskind who was eliminated and took the ninth position. The player that ranked eighth was Damjan Radanov, who collected a $2,850 prize. Just above him, taking seventh place was Errol Massey who went home with $3,380. Aaron Schaff was the player that took sixth place and went home with $4,075, while Tony Cousineau collected $5,095 for taking fifth place.

The Famous MMA Fighter Played against Seasoned Veterans

One of Covington’s biggest adversaries was Phil Hui. Only recently, Hui won the $600 H.O.R.S.E. What’s more, as a seasoned veteran, Hui currently has five Seminole Hard Rock Trophies, three WSOP bracelets and has raked more than $3.6 million from poker tournaments. However, this time, the tables have turned and Hui took fourth place, collecting a $6,680 prize.

When it comes to the top three, Salvatore Pipitone was the player that ranked third and went home with $9,985. Just a step away from the winner’s place was David Shmuel. He was eliminated and took second place in Event 22. This brought him a hefty $15,890 prize.

Covington Shares His Excitement

Only recently, Covington came close to the top places in another tournament. He participated in Event 1, which set the record for the largest poker tournament in Florida by attracting an entry field of 7,703 players. However, at that tournament, Covington got to seventh place, which granted him a $48,298 prize.

“It’s a surreal feeling. It’s been a long journey to finally get a trophy here at Seminole Hard Rock. This is my home casino, and I love playing here.”

Colby Covington, winner of Event 22 of the 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open

Sharing his excitement, the MMA fighter said that he wanted to “prove that wasn’t just a fluke.” Covington added that he also wanted to prove that he can play with some of the best poker players in the world. After winning Event 22, he described the feeling as “surreal.”

“I don’t ever get emotional when playing cards or fighting, and I just play my best game every time I come out,”

added Covington

Although some poker players lose their temper, this was not the case for Covington. He pointed out that after fighting for some of the highest levels of pay-per-view in places like Madison Square Garden, he learned not to get emotional when fighting or playing cards.