'How I'm wired': Potomac winner refused to lose in three-way deal

Propst late-registered on Day 1 and immediately found himself on a familiar poker roller coaster.

“I built a big stack early and then lost a couple really big pots,” he said. “But my table was great, and I just knew I had to stay patient.”

Edgar Propst wasn't leaving without the trophy.

By the end of the night, patience paid off. He bagged a top-ten stack, but Day 2 delivered more of the same swings.

“I instantly lost like half my stack,” Propst said. “Then I’d get it back two or three hands later. That was the whole tournament.”

One key flip helped him find his footing, and confidence followed him in from just two weeks earlier, when he captured his first WSOP Circuit ring in Pompano Beach.

“I believe momentum in poker is massive,” he said. “A lot of flips went my way, but I also think I played really solid.”

Pushing back on a chop

As the field narrowed and the final table took shape, the story shifted from survival to something more personal. With a top-heavy payout structure and serious money at stake, chop discussions started early, and Propst quickly became the loudest voice pushing back. He had no intentions of leaving without the trophy in hand.

“I’m a competitor,” he said. “I was a Division I track and field athlete. I just felt like I had an edge, and I didn’t want to give up free equity.”

Again and again, he drew a clear line.

“I’m willing to look at numbers three-handed or heads up,” he told the table. “But I wanted everyone to earn it.”

Matt Sherman held a narrow lead when the final three struck a unique deal.

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That stance held firm until Cody Walker exited in fourth place, bringing the tournament down to three. Only then did the remaining players run the numbers. When they did, Matt Sherman held a narrow lead, roughly two big blinds, with Propst right behind and Liam Schmidt in third.

Even then, nothing was guaranteed.

“If they weren’t going to give up the win, I was absolutely going to play it out,” Propst said. “I probably wouldn’t have chopped heads up either. That’s just how I’m wired.”

In the end, a three-way chop was reached. Despite being second in chips by only a few blinds, Propst negotiated his way into the official win, taking the trophy and the top payout.

“It was late, and the deal was good,” he said. “And we took the win.”