The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is one of the biggest events on the competitive poker circuit and is watched by millions of poker fans, players, celebrities and punters all over the world. The event draws a massive crowd as one of the top spectator sports in the world, with thousands turning up to watch the event at the venue, while others watch the action unfold on their computers via live steaming sites or at local bars via pay per view. Attendance and interest seems to have been even higher this year, and many believe the increase is directly related to the fact that online slots (and other games) are now legal in the state of New Jersey, with Pennsylvania soon to follow.

This year's main event, held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, saw a total prize pool of $74,015,600, drawing close to eight thousand players to compete over a gruelling ten days of non-stop knock out no limit Hold'em poker. This year represents the second largest field in the tournaments history, which is partly why the prize pool was so significant.

This year's $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event saw one of the most heated contests unfold in the history of the WSOP. Each player at the final table earned a guaranteed $1 million, with a bigger chunk going to second place finisher and of course, the largest portion for the final winner of the main event. After the dust had settled, only two poker kings were left to duke it out to the end, Tony Miles and John Cynn, both true poker champions in their own right.

In an epic battle that could have easily been the climatic finale in an intense movie, John Cynn Walked away as the ultimate victor to become the 2018 World Series of Poker main event World Champion. Cynn earned an incredible (and very well-deserved) $8,800,000, while runner up Miles still managed to come off second best to the tune of $5 million and, while it may not be the ultimate prize, certainly isn't to be sniffed at either.

A Gruelling Affair

Playing intensive high level poker for ten days over a two week period would certainly break lesser men. However, John Cynn is clearly made from stronger stuff as the poker champ still endured another ten hour battle for the championship against an equally determined Tony Miles. The pair set a new record for the most hands played during their intensive battle for the crown, playing a mind blowing 199 hands; the most hands played heads up in a closing WSOP event. The clash also set a new record for the most amount of hands at the WSOP main event with 442 hands in all.

Speaking in an interview after his epic and historic victory, Cynn expressed gratitude for the win and mentioned that, while winning over $8 million is incredible, he did not think it would change him as an individual. Cynn went on to say that the cash is quite significant, but he doesn't like to think that he doesn't need the cash to be happy. He further stated that it will make his life a lot simpler in terms of things he wants to do in his life. Cynn concluded that the money would also help his parents and that everything will be life-changing.

The record breaking battle for top honours was not without its consequences, as Cynn admitted that he started feeling the effects of such a long encounter, particularly towards the end of the bout and after already experiencing ten days of intensive poker to get to the final. "I'm pretty beat. I'm pretty exhausted," Cynn said. He added that, "I think every day, somehow you get more exhausted but also a little bit sharper just because your adrenaline keeps you going."

The 2018 WSOP Main Event victory has added significantly to Cynn's overall poker earnnings, taking him to around $9.7 million. Previous earnings include three cash ins on the World Poker Tour, as well as a 10th place finish at the World Poker Tour event, the Poker Classic, held in L.A last year. Cynn had an eleventh place finish in the 2016 WSOP Main Event in 2016, and an additional twelve WSOP cashes, including a cash prize during the WSOP 2012 competition. Cynn is a graduate of Indiana University and, prior to his world poker professional career, worked mainly in the information technology sector in California.