WSOP-C Commerce

Event #18 $400 NLH DoubleStack Closer WINNER Chris Whittaker

Stay-at-home dad Chris Whittaker doesn't get to play many tournaments, but after catching fire late, he eliminated the last four opponents of the day to more ten times his career live tournament earnings of $4,741, taking home the $45,015 first place prize and the final gold WSOP Circuit ring of the season in Event #18: $400 Double Stack Closer.

"I only get to play about four or five events a year, a couple during the Circuit and a couple during the summer," Whittaker told PokerOrg immediately following the win, "My wife is a full time lawyer and I'm a stay at home dad so I don't get to do much play but she's at home with the kids working on a big project and let me come."  

Whittaker started his run to the ring when he got into a three-way tussle with Thomas Villa and Bijan Ataian. Whittaker was all in with pocket tens, Villa was the short stack with nine-eight of diamonds, and Ataian covered both players with king-queen off. 

The board ran out jack-high, Villa hit the rail in sixth place for $8,475, and Whittaker found a triple into the chip lead, before Ataian got some back to even the stacks when he sent George Kalfayan home in fifth place for $11,367. 

The only ring winner at the table, Rick Mechammil, then got the last of his 3,000,000 chips into the middle with king-jack off but ran square into the ace-jack of Whittaker and hit the rail in fourth place for $15,478 after he failed to improve. 

Ataian and Whittaker then played pot for roughly 80% of the chips in play with Ataian holding ace-ten off against the pocket sevens of Whittaker, who flopped a set to take a massive chip lead into the heads-up match with James "Jimmy" Borland. 

The heads-up match lasted just a few hands before Borland found himself all in with king-ten against Whittaker's ace-eight. A ten on the flop looked to give Borland life, but running aces sent him home in second place for $30,015. 

Complete Final Table Payouts: 

• 1st: Chris Whittaker - $45,015
• 2nd: James "Jimmy" Borland - $30,015
• 3rd: Bijan Ataian - $21,395
• 4th: Rick Mechammil -  $15,478
• 5th: George Kalfayan - $11,367
• 6th: Thomas Villa - $8,475
• 7th: James Hwang - $6,418
• 8th: James Pei - $4,937
• 9th: Miranda Sebastian - $3,859
• 10th: Rey Roca - $3,066

This concludes coverage from the 2025 WSOP Los Angeles circuit stop and the 2024/2025 WSOP Circuit season. From the team at PokerOrg, a big thanks to all our partner casinos, the WSOP, and, of course, all the ring winners from this year!

Bijan Ataian was all in for roughly 10,000,000 from the button, and Chris Whittaker had called with a covering stack from the big blind. 

• Ataian -
• Whittaker -

The flop fell and Whittaker flopped a set to take a commanding lead. 

The turn gave Ataian outs, but when the river fell, the he missed and hit the rail in third place for $21,395. 

Whittaker now takes a sizable chip lead of 26,000,000 to 7,700,000 into the heads-up match with James Borland. 

Event #18 $400 NLH DoubleStack Closer - Rick Mechammil

Rick Mechammil was all in for roughly 3,000,000, and Bijan Ataian had called. 

Mechammil -

Ataian -

The board ran out and Ataian flopped a pair and rivered trips to send Mechammil to the rail, who yelled, "King of the fourth place," as he was collecting his $15,478 prize. 

Event #18: $400 Double Stack Closer is on another break, and here are the chip counts for the final four players. 

• James Borland - 3,300,000
• Chris Whittaker - 17,500,000
• Rick Mechammil - 5,200,000
• Bijan Ataian - 7,600,000