Alexander Yen

Alexander Yen first appeared on the live tournament scene in the mid-2010s, steadily building a reputation as a consistent deep-run player. Over the course of about six years, he reached six final tables in major events, yet each time fell short of the title. Two of those appearances went to heads-up play, but both ended in runner-up finishes. His friends would often tease him, with Yen later recalling, "My friends make fun of me all the time, saying I must have chopped it with your opponent both times because I played so bad." By the time of the 2022 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open, his Hendon Mob page listed total live winnings of $391,224—a solid sum, but one that lacked the signature victory many players seek. The monkey on his back, as he called it, had become a running joke among his peers.

The 2022 World Poker Tour Lucky Hearts Poker Open took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, from January 21 to 26. The $3,500 buy-in event drew a massive field of 1,982 entrants, generating a total prize pool of $6,342,400. The top 248 players finished in the money, including notables such as Chad Eveslage (241st – $6,275), Ali Imsirovic (238th – $6,275), Chris Moorman (183rd – $6,615), Erik Seidel (128th – $7,815), Shannon Shorr (35th – $23,360), Cherish Andrews (25th – $27,810), and Jeremy Ausmus (7th – $160,095), who bubbled the final table.

Yen entered the six-handed final table as the chip leader with a stack of 27,600,000 in big 500k plaques and smaller 25k and 100k chips, well ahead of Joshua Kay (18,100,000) and Anton Wigg (17,000,000). The remaining three players shared another 17 million combined. The final table took approximately four hours to complete. One by one, the opponents fell until only Yen and Anton Wigg remained for heads-up play.

In a pivotal hand, Yen held king-queen against Wigg's ace-ten. Yen later admitted, "I really felt like the king-queen vs. ace-ten hand, I was going to give it away to him." Instead, the cards fell favorably for Yen. Shortly after, Yen flopped a straight with 9♣7♣ on a T♦8♣6♣ flop. He called Wigg's bet on the flop and then called Wigg's all-in on the 6♦ turn. Wigg turned over Q♣Q♦, and the river was a blank, securing Yen's victory. He earned $975,240 and his name was engraved on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup. The WPT tweeted, "Welcome to the Champions Club, Alex Yen!! Yen bested a field of 1,982 entries and conquered the final table at #WPTLHPO, going wire to wire with the chip lead to lock up the $975,240 prize."

Final Table Results

Yen's playing style is characterized by a calm, controlled approach that belies the pressure of high-stakes final tables. His ability to go "wire to wire" with the chip lead at the Lucky Hearts event demonstrated both his pre‑flop skill and his resilience under the spotlight. The victory served as a vindication after years of near-misses. Reflecting on his breakthrough, Yen expressed relief at finally shedding the "final table curse" that had followed him. The win not only added a WPT title to his resume but also boosted his lifetime earnings past the $1.36 million mark. While his previous results suggested a talented player who couldn't close, the Lucky Hearts victory established Alexander Yen as a proven winner on one of poker's biggest stages.