Waxman wins 2011 WPT Poker Event

Americans might have a hard time playing online poker these days, but they are doing well in live poker play.

Matthew Waxman this week became the first American poker player to win the World Poker Tour’s Grand Prix de Paris. This puts Waxman into the club of players who belong to the prestigious WPT Champions Club.

The event marked Waxman’s 11th WPT event, but this was his first final table and he played it well, taking home the more than $729,000 cash prize.

Entrance into the WPT Champions Club affords all WPT champions exclusive benefits, VIP treatment at WPT events and a WPT personal concierge. Waxman has also automatically won a seat to the Season X WPT World Championship at the Bellagio Casino Resort in Las Vegas in 2012.

Waxman, a 26-year-old player from Florida, outlasted an international field of 312 players, many of whom are former WPT champions.

Aside from Waxman, the other four top finishers included Hugo Lemaire, Fred Magen, Byron Kaverman and Mikko Sundell.