February 13-15
Times that winner Edgar Propst was elected to the University of Nebraska Student-Athlete Honor Roll.
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1ST
Edgar Propst
$109,787
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2ND
Matthew Sherman
$105,413
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3RD
Liam Schmidt
$85,839
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4TH
Cody Walker
$39,847
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5TH
Jimmy Born
$30,351
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6TH
Mukul Pahuja
$23,658
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7TH
Valentin Lita
$17,121
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8TH
Michael Vagnerini
$14,399
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9TH
Chris Mullooly
$11,830
Edgar Propst doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not. He’ll tell you straight up he’s a cash-game player first, tournament player second.
That’s exactly why this one meant so much.
“I only play a few tournaments a year,” Propst told us. “I’m a cash guy. The strategy is different, the mindset is different, and it’s still pretty new to me.”
That didn’t stop him from navigating a massive field in the $600 Opener at the Potomac Winter Poker Open, where 1,635 entries piled in to MGM National Harbor to kick off the series.
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.”
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.”
Let's make a deal
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.”
