Las Vegas, November 20, and the Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) was back in town for its 2024 Championship. This time there was a $50,000 first prize up top, but viewers could be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu as poker pro Maria Ho made CPT history by once again claiming the top spot at the PokerGO Studio.
Ho previously notched a win at CPT Game Night I back in March, after which she told PokerOrg, “The less experienced players [at the CPT] are the most unpredictable, even if they’re not as strategically or fundamentally sound… You never know what two cards somebody’s gonna flip over.”
Ahead of last night’s tournament, Ho was happy to share with us her two secrets for success in CPT events. And while they certainly seem to have been effective, they’re unlikely to figure in any upcoming strategy guides. Key takeaways? Tequila, and not overthinking it.
Ho tops 59-strong field
As ever, the line-up for this CPT event featured star names from the worlds of professional sports, streaming, social media and more.
Former NBA players Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers rubbed shoulders and swapped chips with streamers such as Ninja, influencers like Maverick Baker and Tana Mongeau, as well as numerous names from the worlds of showbiz, music, hockey, football and more. Contortionist and YouTuber Sofie Dossi, whose previous CPT appearance saw her emerge from a small box at the table, was also back for more and this time ended up making a deep run, only to suffer a brutal bad beat when it mattered the most (see below).
Well-known names with more of an established poker pedigree included GGPoker ambassador Alex Botez, Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau, former CPT winners Nemo Zhou and Princess Love, and of course the eventual winner Maria Ho, who added to her career tally of over $5M in recorded tournament earnings.
While the standard of player overall was somewhat different to the usual crowd you’re likely to find in the PokerGO Studio, commentator Alan Keating made an interesting point to roving reporter Joey Ingram: despite the celebrity names, this is actually closer to ‘normal’ poker than you’ll find at a big buy-in event filled with pros.
Sick run-out sees Ho make it a double
The final table brought together a fascinating selection of people from across the celebrity spectrum, including YouTubers CJ So Cool, Sofie Dossi and Hila Klein, TikTokers Bryce Hall and Lena Ayad, NFL veterans Adrian Peterson and Hayes Pullard, comedian and Impractical Jokers star Brian Quinn, and poker royalty Maria Ho.
A key hand arose during three-handed play, with Ho as chip-leader, Sofie Dossi second in chips and Brian Quinn as the shortest of short stacks with just half a big blind.
ICM be damned, Dossi got all her chips in holding 
versus Ho’s 
. The 
flop gave Dossi an immediate Broadway straight.
“You flopped a straight, don’t worry,” Ho told Dossi, “You’re almost there, I’m like, less than 1% to win.”
Barring a sick runner-runner, Dossi was about to lock-up second place, and $20,000, at the very least. Cue the sick runner-runner: the 
on the turn and the 
on the river gave Ho the full house and almost all the chips in play.
With contortionist Dossi bent out of shape and sent to the rail, it was then a formality for an apologetic Ho - tequila or not - to take down the $50,000 first prize and a second CPT title.
It seems the plan worked!
Celebrity Poker Tour 2024 Championship final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Ho | $50,000 |
| 2 | Brian Quinn | $20,000 |
| 3 | Sofie Dossi | $10,000 |
| 4 | CJ So Cool | $5,000 |
| 5 | Hayes Pullard | $4,000 |
| 6 | Adrian Peterson | $3,500 |
| 7 | Lena Ayad | $2,500 |
| 8 | Bryce Hall | $2,500 |
| 9 | Hila Klein | $2,500 |
Watch the full stream of the CPT 2024 Championship here.
