WPT® bestbet Scramble Championship 2025: Full Recap & Final Results
The $5,000 WPT® bestbet Scramble Championship drew 327 entries to Jacksonville, building a seven-figure prize pool and producing one of the sharpest final tables of the season.
The Jacksonville stop is part of the WPT® Championship-season schedule, a series that runs alongside WPT® Global’s online qualification system, that awards seats into WPT® Prime and Main Tour festivals throughout the year.
After four days of pressure, precision, and well-timed aggression, Connor Rash closed it out for $315,350, the title, and his seat to the WPT® World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
First 3 Days
Across the first three days, the field knocked out several of the tour’s most experienced regulars. Dylan Smith surged early and held the Day 2 lead, while Connor Rash kept climbing with steady pressure and clean river decisions.
The bubble burst in dramatic fashion when a set was cracked by a turned flush, and former champions like Brian Altman, James Carroll, Art Peacock, Mike Vanier, and Nick Yunis all missed the final table.
By the time play condensed to six, Rash held 177 big blinds, Smith sat on 100, and proven grinders like Byron Kaverman and Jessica Dawley rounded out a strong, balanced lineup.
Rash Takes Control of the Final Table
From the moment play reached six-handed, Rash shaped the entire final table.
He mixed relentless preflop aggression with timely river decisions, forcing strong players into mistakes and building a stack that carried him to the trophy.
As a result, Rash won this final table by controlling the table dynamic, not by winning a few lucky all-ins.
After Ahern’s failed river bluff tightened the whole table, Rash dictated the pace with disciplined aggression that forced everyone into fold-or-jam mode. Dizer and Kaverman fell in spots shaped more by that pressure than by the cards themselves.
Heads-up, Smith made the right moves to claw back, but Rash’s range awareness and pot-control kept him safe. The victory was less about run-good and more about understanding leverage, stack depth, and how to make strong players uncomfortable.
The Championship Hand
On Hand #138, the final board came: T♠ 7♥ 5♠ J♥ K♦
The money went in on the turn:
- Smith: 7♥5♣ (two pair)
- Rash: 9♠8♥ (straight draw)
The K♦ river left the board unpaired. Rash’s jack-high straight held, securing the title and his $10,400 seat at the World Championship, along with his name on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup.
Connor Rash and Dylan Smith were the last two contenders.
Final Table Results
Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Connor Rash | $315,350 + WPT WC Seat |
| 2 | Dylan Smith | $200,000 |
| 3 | Byron Kaverman | $150,000 |
| 4 | Russell Dizer | $112,000 |
| 5 | Matthew Ahern | $85,000 |
| 6 | Jessica Dawley | $65,000 |
Post Event
The Jacksonville stop is known for producing technically sharp, high-IQ tables, and this year’s final lived up to that reputation. Rash’s breakout victory adds another fresh name to WPT®’s growing list of first-time champions this season.
His win also comes during a year when WPT® Global’s satellite system has expanded player access across multiple WPT® Prime and Main Tour stops, strengthening the connection between online and live pathways in 2025.
While Jacksonville was not fed directly through WPT® Global satellites, the broader ecosystem continues to deliver new entrants into major WPT® events.
With the WPT World Championship approaching, he now joins a field that includes marquee winners from Prime, DeepStacks, and World stops, a testament to how deep and competitive the 2025 season has become.
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