Blake Ellinghaus Wins Event 1: Almighty Stack at the Daytona Beach Poker Open

After four days of play and seven starting flights, Event 1: $400 Almighty Stack No Limit Hold’em at the Daytona Beach Poker Open has crowned its champion. Blake Ellinghaus of Plainfield, Illinois topped a field of 556 entries to capture the title and $34,147 from the $186,260 prize pool.

The tournament began with seven starting flights that produced 73 players returning for Day 2, all chasing the opening marquee title of the series. Ellinghaus had already established himself as a major contender after bagging the overall chip lead during Flight 1C, and he continued to build throughout Day 2 as the field narrowed.

The nine-handed final table featured Blake Ellinghaus, Zachary McCabe, Kirk Chui, Larry Johnson, John Hoffman, Guy Caudill, Keith Romanovit, Mike Fine, and Eric Sandhaus. Sandhaus was the first to fall in 9th place, followed by Fine in 8th and Romanovit in 7th. Caudill exited in 6th place, while Hoffman finished 5th and Johnson’s run ended in 4th.

Fan favorite Kirk Chui made an impressive run before being eliminated in 3rd place, setting up a heads-up match between Ellinghaus and Zachary McCabe of Maitland, Florida.

During heads-up play, a pivotal river hand helped swing momentum Ellinghaus’ way when he made two pair with J♦2♦ on a 6♥ J♠ 2♠ A♥ J♥ board against McCabe’s 6♠6♣, allowing him to take a commanding chip lead.

The final hand played out on a flop of 7♠ 6♥ K♦, where both players got their chips in the middle. Ellinghaus held K♣3♠ against McCabe’s Q♠7♣. The 8♦ on the turn changed nothing, and when the 9♦ hit the river, Ellinghaus’ pair of kings held to secure the pot and the championship. McCabe earned $24,019 for his runner-up finish.

Ellinghaus has been steadily building a résumé of deep tournament runs across the regional circuit. Earlier this month he finished 3rd in the bestbet 100K in Jacksonville for $20,869, and earlier this year he also recorded an 8th-place finish in the Daytona Beach GAPT Championship. His past results also include a runner-up finish in the bestbet Summer Swing in St. Augustine for $30,500 and a 5th-place finish in the Moneymaker Poker Tour Main Event at Daytona Beach in 2025.

With this victory, Ellinghaus adds a Daytona Beach Poker Open title to his list of accomplishments and claims the opening marquee event of the series as the festival continues toward the $250,000 Guaranteed Main Event later in the schedule.