Harvey Castro Wins WPT Prime Lodge Championship After Commanding Run in Austin

A Final Day to Remember

When play resumed on Monday, just 11 players remained, each eyeing the six-figure first-place prize and the seat at the World Championship. Early bust-outs from Thuan Lam, Javier Zarco, and David Sollee thinned the field before the televised final table was set.

From the first orbit, Castro made it clear he wasn’t backing down. 

The Austin regular drew first blood by eliminating Hai Pham in ninth place on a board of Q♦ 8♠ K♣ 4♥, his K♠ 6♦ outkicking Pham’s two pair from Q♠ 8♦ to seize momentum. From there, the pace picked up, Martin Torres, Rafael Reis, and Nicholas Scott all fell as Castro continued to build a commanding stack.

Veteran Esther Taylor mounted a deep run of her own, but with the board revealing 4♦ 4♠ 3♦ 10♠ 7♥ on hand #161, her K♠ J♥ couldn’t overcome Joshua Stewart’s A♠ K♥, ending her night in fourth for $79,000.

Shifts, Surges, and Showdowns

Three-handed play between Castro, Stewart, and Steve Hwang delivered the day’s biggest swings. 

At Hand #135, Hwang temporarily stole the spotlight when his pocket jacks (J♥ J♣) cracked Stewart’s kings (K♠ K♣) to move into the chip lead, but Castro answered immediately, reclaiming control and then dispatching Hwang in third when his Ace high (A♣ Q♥) made a straight against Hwang’s A♠ 2♣ in #194.

That set the stage for a heads-up duel between Castro and Stewart, with Castro holding roughly a 2:1 chip advantage. Stewart doubled once with a flush, but the hometown favorite never lost composure or the lead.

The Title Hand

On Hand #209, Stewart moved all-in for his final 12.2 million with J♦ 10♣, and Castro instantly called holding 9♠ 9♦.

The board ran K♠ Q♠ Q♦ Q♥ 6♥, giving Castro a full house, queens full of nines, and sealing his first WPT title in emphatic style.

As confetti fell and applause echoed through the Lodge Card Club, Castro’s grin said it all. A dominant wire-to-wire performance had turned into the biggest score of his career and one of the signature wins of the 2025 season.

What’s Next?

Castro’s win adds another chapter to Texas’s fast-growing poker scene and guarantees him a seat among the elite at Wynn Las Vegas this December. 

With the WPT Prime season still rolling, you can expect more fireworks before the year is out.