The World Poker Tour crowned a new champion early this morning, as Shawn Cunix emerged as the winner of the WPT Jacksonville Main Event in Florida.

Cunix entered the six-player final table in Jacksonville with the chip lead, and managed to stay put until he had overcome such qualified opponents as Will Failla and the WPT's own expert commentator, Tony Dunst.

Cunix, who has a number of medium-sized cashes amounting to a total of $796,576 on his resume, ended up beaten James Calderaro heads-up for the title.

On the final hand of the tournament, Cunix shoved with pocket threes and Calderaro called with . Cunix flopped a set and evaded his opponent's draws and secured himself his first WPT title.

The win will give him a career-high first prize, worth $400,600. The first place finish also comes with a $25,000 buy-in for the WPT World Championship, set to be played in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks.

"It means a lot. If you put passion into anything, you are capable of unbelievable stuff. It goes to show that with passion you can achieve almost everything," a clearly emotional Cunix said to the WPT website after his win.

Cunix played almost the entire event with his arm in a sling, after he had injured himself while saving his son from an oncoming truck two weeks ago.

The dramatic experience followed by a WPT win within a few weeks was both humbling and inspiring, he said.

"It has been the most humbling experience of my life. My son never saw his dad lying down. I went from that hospital bed to fight and say 'I'll never quit', and for him to see that means more for me than I can ever describe."

Meanwhile, 2011 WPT Legends of Poker winner, Will Failla, finished in sixth and will also have reason to celebrate.

Failla's win brought him $54,706 and will mean that he is now topping the WPT Season X Player of the Year leader board with 2,050 points.