Blake Ellinghaus has joined the World Poker Tour Champions Club after winning the WPT bestbet Scramble Championship in Jacksonville for $294,900.
Ellinghaus defeated Jared Reinstein heads-up to claim his first WPT title after navigating a 294-entry field at bestbet Jacksonville. His victory also puts his name on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup alongside some of the biggest winners in World Poker Tour history.
Ellinghaus Wins First WPT Title in Jacksonville
The $5,000 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship comfortably surpassed its $1 million guarantee. The 294 entries generated a final prize pool of $1,337,700, with 37 players reaching the money and a minimum cash worth $9,100.
Ellinghaus eventually found himself heads-up against Reinstein with the title at stake. Victory earned him $294,900, while Reinstein collected $184,000 for finishing second.
Bryan Paris completed the top three and earned $135,000. Skyler Dennis, Michael Macchia and Hugh Membrino occupied the remaining places at the six-handed final table.
For Ellinghaus, the significance extended beyond the biggest payout of the tournament. Becoming a WPT champion gives him a permanent place on a trophy containing names from across more than two decades of the tour.
“It’s the coolest accomplishment in poker that you can think of,” Ellinghaus said following his victory. “To be on a trophy with all of the legends of the game. I’m so happy.”
WPT bestbet Scramble Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blake Ellinghaus | $294,900 |
| 2 | Jared Reinstein | $184,000 |
| 3 | Bryan Paris | $135,000 |
| 4 | Skyler Dennis | $100,000 |
| 5 | Michael Macchia | $75,000 |
| 6 | Hugh Membrino | $57,000 |
The result continues a busy 24th season for the World Poker Tour. It also arrives less than a week after WPT Tokyo 2026 was cancelled amid uncertainty surrounding Japan’s domestic tournament regulations.
That cancellation will not slow the tour’s immediate schedule. WPT now heads to Australia for another major festival, with Sydney taking over as the next destination.
WPT Season 24 Heads to Australia
The Star Sydney is already hosting a 21-day festival that will build towards two major WPT tournaments later this month.
The AUD $1,500 WPT Prime Australia Championship runs from September 17 to 22. It will be followed by the AUD $5,000 WPT Australia Championship from September 24 to 30.
That gives the World Poker Tour little downtime after Ellinghaus’ victory in Florida. The WPT Australia festival in Sydney is already underway, with the two headline championships still to come.
For Ellinghaus, however, Jacksonville will be difficult to top. He leaves bestbet with $294,900, his first World Poker Tour title and his name permanently added to the WPT Champions Cup.
