Shrikant Pillamarapu Wins WPT Prime Lodge After Straight Flush Cracks Nut Flush
The shortest stack at the final table turned a heads-up cooler against Kenneth Quattrocchi into $138,127 and a WPT World Championship seat.
- Pillamarapu won $138,127 in cash and a $10,400 WPT World Championship entry after an ICM deal.
- The $1,100 tournament drew 1,074 entries, paid 137 players and created a $1.05 million prize pool.
- Pillamarapu started the final table with 25 big blinds, the shortest stack among the final nine.
- His river straight flush left Quattrocchi with two big blinds after Quattrocchi called with the nut flush.
- Quattrocchi finished second for $126,733 after a later double-up could not reverse the match.
Shrikant Pillamarapu won the $1,100 WPT Prime Lodge Championship at Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas, after a heads-up straight-flush-over-nut-flush cooler against Kenneth Quattrocchi. The win paid Pillamarapu $138,127 in cash following an ICM deal and included a $10,400 entry to the season-ending WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
The World Poker Tour lists Pillamarapu as only the second winner of the WPT Prime Lodge Championship title. Its results page displays a first-place value of $148,527 because it includes the championship seat, while Quattrocchi received $126,733 as runner-up.
The tournament drew 1,074 entries for a $1.05 million prize pool, with 137 players paid. WPT live updates, however, separately referred to a 1,084-player field during heads-up play, creating a discrepancy with the final event totals reported elsewhere.
Pillamarapu began the nine-handed final table as the shortest stack with 25 big blinds, while Pranay Reddy Patlolla led with 118. Before this victory, Pillamarapu had a single recorded cash worth $381.
His route to the title included eliminating Patlolla in eighth when pocket aces beat kings, then sending Vladyslav Shovkovyi out in sixth with pocket jacks against ace-seven. Pillamarapu also eliminated Preston Duron in fourth, winning with ace-deuce against pocket eights. David “The Dragon” Pham, who had about $11 million in career tournament earnings, finished fifth for $43,500.
Quattrocchi started heads-up with the lead, holding about 24.4 million chips to Pillamarapu’s 15.9 million. The match tightened before the decisive Hand #192, played with blinds at 200,000/400,000.
Quattrocchi opened to 1 million and called Pillamarapu’s three-bet to 2 million. He made the nut flush with ace-five of clubs, but the K-9-8-T-Q board, whose final four cards were clubs, also gave Pillamarapu a straight flush through his jack of clubs.
Pillamarapu moved all-in for 14.1 million on the river and Quattrocchi called. The pot left Pillamarapu with 40.4 million chips and Quattrocchi with 800,000, or two big blinds. Quattrocchi later doubled up, but Pillamarapu ended the tournament in Hand #244 when his set of fives beat Quattrocchi’s all-in hand.
The heads-up ICM agreement replaced the originally scheduled payouts with the $138,127 cash award for Pillamarapu, plus the World Championship entry, and $126,733 for Quattrocchi.
Earlier coverage
- WPT Prime Lodge Championship Reaches Day 1B in Austin Oct 9, 2026
- World Poker Tour Returns to Commerce Casino for 2027 L.A. Poker Classic Sep 29, 2026
- WPT Adds $3 Million Super Gold Million at Wynn Las Vegas Sep 15, 2026
- WPT Sets 85-Plus Events and $20 Million Guarantees for Wynn World Championship Sep 15, 2026
