Shrikant Pillamarapu Wins WPT Prime Lodge Championship After Heads-Up Chop in Texas

Shrikant Pillamarapu entered the final table of the WPT Prime Lodge Championship as the shortest stack, but he turned that disadvantage into a winning performance. On October 14, 2026, he secured the title and a $148,527 first-place prize after a heads-up chop with Kenneth Quattrocchi at The Lodge Card Club in Texas.

The $1,100 buy-in tournament carried a $1 million guarantee, drawing a large field to the popular Texas card room. The final table featured dramatic moments, including a correct fold of an ace-high flush and a player busting one hand after declining a three-way ICM deal.

Key facts

A comeback from the short stack

Pillamarapu returned to the final table with 25 big blinds, a small stack but still enough to maneuver. He quickly went to work, spinning his chips up through a series of well-timed plays. The most pivotal hand came when Quattrocchi held A♣5♣ on a board of K♦9♣8♣10♣, giving him an ace-high flush. Pillamarapu, holding A♦J♣ for an open-ended straight flush draw, hit the Q♣ on the river to complete a straight flush.

Pillamarapu moved all in for maximum value against Quattrocchi, who had a slightly larger stack. After a long tank, Quattrocchi correctly folded, preserving his tournament life. The fold kept Quattrocchi in contention, but it also gave Pillamarapu the momentum he needed.

The chop that changed everything

When three players remained, the tournament staff presented an ICM chop offer to Quattrocchi, Pillamarapu, and David Urban. Urban, the shortest stack at that point, rejected the deal and chose to play on. On the very next hand, Urban picked up Q♦Q♣ and got all his chips in against Quattrocchi’s A♥7♦. The flop brought an ace, and Urban was eliminated in third place for $75,000 — about $10,000 less than he would have received in the chop.

The decision to decline the deal cost Urban a significant sum and highlighted the risks of turning down a favorable ICM offer in deep tournament play. For video poker and poker strategy readers, the hand serves as a case study in evaluating chop offers under tournament pressure.

Heads-up play and final results

After Urban’s exit, Quattrocchi held the chip lead, but he and Pillamarapu agreed to a chop before playing down to a winner. Pillamarapu then took over the lead and finished the tournament by winning a race. The champion received $148,527 plus a $10,400 seat into the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December. Quattrocchi took home $126,733 as the runner-up.

The final table results were:

• Shrikant Pillamarapu — $148,527 + $10,400 WPT World Championship seat
• Kenneth Quattrocchi — $126,733
• David Urban — $75,000

What this means for poker players

The WPT Prime Lodge Championship is part of the growing poker scene in Texas, where card rooms like The Lodge have attracted major tour stops. For players interested in tournament strategy, Pillamarapu’s comeback from the shortest stack to a title win demonstrates the importance of staying patient and picking the right spots, especially when ICM considerations come into play.

The hand where Quattrocchi folded an ace-high flush to a straight flush also shows that even strong hands can be let go when the board texture and opponent’s range suggest danger. Video poker and poker strategy fans can study this hand as an example of disciplined fold under extreme tournament pressure.

Source: PokerNews — https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/10/wpt-prime-lodge-championship-final-table-52599.htm