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Aug. 6—LAS VEGAS — He's a Ferris High School grad, a Spokane native, and now, Lucas Jumalon is $10 million richer.
The 22-year-old won the biggest event in the poker world on Wednesday night in a fierce battle with Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti at the Horseshoe Casino and Resort.
Despite the intensity of their heads-up matchup, it took Jumalon barely more than an hour to eliminate Saaskilahti and take home $10 million at the final table of the World Series of Poker's Main Event. The tournament started with more than 9,000 players.
"Poker's given me so much," Jumalon said. "And I've met so many people through poker and in life, and I'm just so, so thankful to have everybody here. I couldn't have dreamt up a better moment."
Jumalon not only had family, like his mother, Robin Jumalon, and father, Butch Jumalon, supporting him, but at least 30 or so friends from his days in high school at Ferris, from his time at Grand Canyon University, and even from casinos like the Black Pearl and Lilac Lanes in Spokane. All of them came out to support.
Before Jumalon arrived at the Horseshoe on Wednesday, six men in black suits with briefcases in both hands strolled into the Main Event's final table, accompanied by heavily armed guards. Inside the briefcases was $10 million. The money was then dumped in the middle of the poker table and arranged into a pyramid for Saaskilahti and Lucas to stare at during the game.
About 30 minutes later, Jumalon showed up in a crisp white polo, ready to play his game.
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His father, Butch, who's a good player in his own right, said he's over the moon to see his son make it this far. That doesn't mean going heads-up with a wildcard like Saaskilahti didn't spook him.
"This is like standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the next wind gust to come," Butch said. "Because that's just poker."
Leading up to the game, Jumalon's support team started chanting "Lucas, Lucas, Lucas," while Saaskilahti's supporters returned once more to the familiar chant of "ole, ole, ole." Jumalon's friends and family were all wearing black shirts, while Saaskilahti's team stood in contrast, dressed in all white.
Because of the fires that have claimed more than 800 homes in Spokane County, the Jumalon crew yelled out different phrases saluting the Lilac City. Between "Spo-Spo-Spokane!" and "Let's go Spokane!" and "Spokane Red Cross," the city 800 miles as the crow flies from Sin City was well-represented Wednesday night. Jumalon, who eliminated three players on Tuesday, went into the night with 328 million chips and 109 big blinds. Saaskilahti, meanwhile, had 225 million and 75 big blinds. The big blind was 3 million chips to start.
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, the 2025 World Series of Poker's Main Event Winner and nine-time bracelet winner, kicked off the game with a quick and straight-to-the-point opening speech.
"Let's shuffle up and deal," he said.
And so, the game began.
Jumalon and Saaskilahti went tit-for-tat to start the game and remained relatively even. With a pot of 35 million on the line around 6:45 p.m., the rail along the poker table was dead silent. When the pot was increased to 57 million, Saaskilahti folded.
Minutes later, a two of hearts, a six of diamonds, an eight of clubs and a nine of diamonds were on the board, with 20 million chips in the pot. After a long pause, Jumalon bet 30 million to see what Saaskilahti would do. Saaskilahti folded.
Chants of "We Love Lucas!" broke out soon after. In the following hand, Jumalon folded. At this point Jumalon sat at 357 million chips, while Saaskilahti had 196 million. The big blind was then upped to 4 million.
At 7:03 p.m., a pot of 68 million already looked like a hefty amount, until the Finn raised it by another 37 million. For a moment, unless that person was a camera man or someone who's seen this event a million times, everyone inside the Horseshoe held their breath. With a 10 of clubs, a seven of hearts, an ace of spades, a king of spades and an ace of clubs on the board, it was Jumalon's 10 that ultimately took the pot. Jumalon bounced his holdings to 418 million chips, while Saaskilahti had 135 million.
Even with a bit of a lead, Jumalon was smart enough not to feel too safe.
"I was terrified," Jumalon said. "Channeling the inner Mike Tyson, this is a little cheesy, but like he used to say, 'he was terrified that he was going to die in the ring before he would go out and fight his opponent.' And I was terrified he (Saaskilahti) was going to kill me today."
And he had a right to be.
Around 7:20 p.m., Lucas 3-bet to 131 million before the first three cards were revealed to up the pot to 145 million. Saaskilahti took off his glasses and tried to stare into the soul of Jumalon. An unflinching Jumalon remained unphased as Saaskilahti went all-in.
A four of spades, a queen of diamonds and an ace of diamonds came off the flop. Both Jumalon and Saaskilahti had an ace. Then the nine of diamonds came that Jumalon needed for a two-pair. Jumalon smiled and tried not to look too giddy as Saaskilahti began to sweat, nervously waiting for the last card.
The last card was a six of diamonds, which gave the Finn what he needed: a flush.
Jumalon's smile faded immediately as the man from Finalnd fist pumped and stoked up his crowd waving white flags with a blue cross sprawled acrossthe front. The Spokane kid dropped to 287 million chips, while Saaskilahti's pile grew to 266 million.
"Today could be over quick," Butch Jumalon told a Spokesman-Review reporter earlier in the day. "He (Lucas) could have pocket aces. The other guy's got pocket kings, and they go all-in pre-flop, and it could be over in a heartbeat. But then there's no guarantee that his pocket aces are going to hold."
Thankfully for him, that was not the case.
A hand or two later, Jumalon bet 40 million when there was a four of clubs, an ace of spades, a king of spades and a jack of spades on the board. The pot was worth 60 million. Chants of "Lucas, Lucas, Lucas" erupted as Saaskilahti called. After another bet, the pot jumped to 100 million. The last card, or the river, was a six of spades. Only one of them needed a spade to win the hand with another flush.
Saaskilahti checked next, and Jumalon weighed his options. Jumalon bet 180 million chips and made the Finn sigh and rub his face. After taking a drink of a $9 bottle of Fiji water, he tried to crack into Jumalon's psyche once again with 280 million chips on the line.
"Do you have it?" Saaskilahti asked.
There was no answer from the Ferris grad. The Finn deliberated for minutes, but it must've felt like hours to Jumalon, who refused to crack under the pressure. Saaskilahti stalled and rubbed his hands together, but Jumalon remained motionless, just staring down at the table. The Finn wanted a sign from Jumalon, anything that would tell him it was a bluff, but he got nothing in return. Eventually, Saaskilahti called.
It would be his undoing.
Jumalon had a queen of spades for a flush. Saaskilahti chips plummeted to 34 million, with 8.5 big blinds, while the 22-year-old from Spokane had a whopping 519 million.
"Phenomenal opponent," Jumalon said of Saaskilahti. "I thought (that hand) would push him over the edge."
In the next hand, before any cards were on the board, Jumalon raised to 38 million chips to force Saaskilahti to go all-in. Jumalon had a king of spades and a six of diamonds. Saaskilahti had an ace of spades and a seven of diamonds.
A jack of spades, a six of spades, and an eight of diamonds came off the flop. The turn gave Jumalon what he needed: a six for trips.
It was over. Jumalon had won.
The friends and family of Jumalon burst out into a roar. He grabbed bundles of cash, put them up to his face, and yelled, "lets go baby!" after shaking hands with Saaskilahti, who smiled on from the rail.
As Jumalon spoke about what an incredible opportunity all of this has been, the crowd from Spokane shouted three numbers over and over again:
"509!"
Continue reading...
The 22-year-old won the biggest event in the poker world on Wednesday night in a fierce battle with Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti at the Horseshoe Casino and Resort.
Despite the intensity of their heads-up matchup, it took Jumalon barely more than an hour to eliminate Saaskilahti and take home $10 million at the final table of the World Series of Poker's Main Event. The tournament started with more than 9,000 players.
"Poker's given me so much," Jumalon said. "And I've met so many people through poker and in life, and I'm just so, so thankful to have everybody here. I couldn't have dreamt up a better moment."
Jumalon not only had family, like his mother, Robin Jumalon, and father, Butch Jumalon, supporting him, but at least 30 or so friends from his days in high school at Ferris, from his time at Grand Canyon University, and even from casinos like the Black Pearl and Lilac Lanes in Spokane. All of them came out to support.
Before Jumalon arrived at the Horseshoe on Wednesday, six men in black suits with briefcases in both hands strolled into the Main Event's final table, accompanied by heavily armed guards. Inside the briefcases was $10 million. The money was then dumped in the middle of the poker table and arranged into a pyramid for Saaskilahti and Lucas to stare at during the game.
About 30 minutes later, Jumalon showed up in a crisp white polo, ready to play his game.
Advertisement
His father, Butch, who's a good player in his own right, said he's over the moon to see his son make it this far. That doesn't mean going heads-up with a wildcard like Saaskilahti didn't spook him.
"This is like standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the next wind gust to come," Butch said. "Because that's just poker."
Leading up to the game, Jumalon's support team started chanting "Lucas, Lucas, Lucas," while Saaskilahti's supporters returned once more to the familiar chant of "ole, ole, ole." Jumalon's friends and family were all wearing black shirts, while Saaskilahti's team stood in contrast, dressed in all white.
Because of the fires that have claimed more than 800 homes in Spokane County, the Jumalon crew yelled out different phrases saluting the Lilac City. Between "Spo-Spo-Spokane!" and "Let's go Spokane!" and "Spokane Red Cross," the city 800 miles as the crow flies from Sin City was well-represented Wednesday night. Jumalon, who eliminated three players on Tuesday, went into the night with 328 million chips and 109 big blinds. Saaskilahti, meanwhile, had 225 million and 75 big blinds. The big blind was 3 million chips to start.
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, the 2025 World Series of Poker's Main Event Winner and nine-time bracelet winner, kicked off the game with a quick and straight-to-the-point opening speech.
"Let's shuffle up and deal," he said.
And so, the game began.
Jumalon and Saaskilahti went tit-for-tat to start the game and remained relatively even. With a pot of 35 million on the line around 6:45 p.m., the rail along the poker table was dead silent. When the pot was increased to 57 million, Saaskilahti folded.
Minutes later, a two of hearts, a six of diamonds, an eight of clubs and a nine of diamonds were on the board, with 20 million chips in the pot. After a long pause, Jumalon bet 30 million to see what Saaskilahti would do. Saaskilahti folded.
Chants of "We Love Lucas!" broke out soon after. In the following hand, Jumalon folded. At this point Jumalon sat at 357 million chips, while Saaskilahti had 196 million. The big blind was then upped to 4 million.
At 7:03 p.m., a pot of 68 million already looked like a hefty amount, until the Finn raised it by another 37 million. For a moment, unless that person was a camera man or someone who's seen this event a million times, everyone inside the Horseshoe held their breath. With a 10 of clubs, a seven of hearts, an ace of spades, a king of spades and an ace of clubs on the board, it was Jumalon's 10 that ultimately took the pot. Jumalon bounced his holdings to 418 million chips, while Saaskilahti had 135 million.
Even with a bit of a lead, Jumalon was smart enough not to feel too safe.
"I was terrified," Jumalon said. "Channeling the inner Mike Tyson, this is a little cheesy, but like he used to say, 'he was terrified that he was going to die in the ring before he would go out and fight his opponent.' And I was terrified he (Saaskilahti) was going to kill me today."
And he had a right to be.
Around 7:20 p.m., Lucas 3-bet to 131 million before the first three cards were revealed to up the pot to 145 million. Saaskilahti took off his glasses and tried to stare into the soul of Jumalon. An unflinching Jumalon remained unphased as Saaskilahti went all-in.
A four of spades, a queen of diamonds and an ace of diamonds came off the flop. Both Jumalon and Saaskilahti had an ace. Then the nine of diamonds came that Jumalon needed for a two-pair. Jumalon smiled and tried not to look too giddy as Saaskilahti began to sweat, nervously waiting for the last card.
The last card was a six of diamonds, which gave the Finn what he needed: a flush.
Jumalon's smile faded immediately as the man from Finalnd fist pumped and stoked up his crowd waving white flags with a blue cross sprawled acrossthe front. The Spokane kid dropped to 287 million chips, while Saaskilahti's pile grew to 266 million.
"Today could be over quick," Butch Jumalon told a Spokesman-Review reporter earlier in the day. "He (Lucas) could have pocket aces. The other guy's got pocket kings, and they go all-in pre-flop, and it could be over in a heartbeat. But then there's no guarantee that his pocket aces are going to hold."
Thankfully for him, that was not the case.
A hand or two later, Jumalon bet 40 million when there was a four of clubs, an ace of spades, a king of spades and a jack of spades on the board. The pot was worth 60 million. Chants of "Lucas, Lucas, Lucas" erupted as Saaskilahti called. After another bet, the pot jumped to 100 million. The last card, or the river, was a six of spades. Only one of them needed a spade to win the hand with another flush.
Saaskilahti checked next, and Jumalon weighed his options. Jumalon bet 180 million chips and made the Finn sigh and rub his face. After taking a drink of a $9 bottle of Fiji water, he tried to crack into Jumalon's psyche once again with 280 million chips on the line.
"Do you have it?" Saaskilahti asked.
There was no answer from the Ferris grad. The Finn deliberated for minutes, but it must've felt like hours to Jumalon, who refused to crack under the pressure. Saaskilahti stalled and rubbed his hands together, but Jumalon remained motionless, just staring down at the table. The Finn wanted a sign from Jumalon, anything that would tell him it was a bluff, but he got nothing in return. Eventually, Saaskilahti called.
It would be his undoing.
Jumalon had a queen of spades for a flush. Saaskilahti chips plummeted to 34 million, with 8.5 big blinds, while the 22-year-old from Spokane had a whopping 519 million.
"Phenomenal opponent," Jumalon said of Saaskilahti. "I thought (that hand) would push him over the edge."
In the next hand, before any cards were on the board, Jumalon raised to 38 million chips to force Saaskilahti to go all-in. Jumalon had a king of spades and a six of diamonds. Saaskilahti had an ace of spades and a seven of diamonds.
A jack of spades, a six of spades, and an eight of diamonds came off the flop. The turn gave Jumalon what he needed: a six for trips.
It was over. Jumalon had won.
The friends and family of Jumalon burst out into a roar. He grabbed bundles of cash, put them up to his face, and yelled, "lets go baby!" after shaking hands with Saaskilahti, who smiled on from the rail.
As Jumalon spoke about what an incredible opportunity all of this has been, the crowd from Spokane shouted three numbers over and over again:
"509!"
Continue reading...
