A U.S. doctor won a tournament and $136,000 after his work shift
August 18, 2026
General practitioner from Maryland Kyle Smith won the main event of the Potomac Summer Poker Open with a $3,000 buy-in. In heads-up, the doctor agreed on a deal with Fong Nguyen and took the top prize of $136,054, as well as one of the trophies. Nguyen received the second statuette and $130,000.
The final table started at 1:00 p.m. local time, and Smith came to it right after his shift at the clinic. The key hand for the future champion came at the very start of the final table against chipleader Patrick Martorella. On the turn, Martorella had a combo draw, but the doctor's pair of eights held up. This allowed him to double up and surge into the lead.
Later Smith won several pots off two-time World Series bracelet holder Justin Liberto. The WSOP champion ultimately busted in third place, losing 8-high to Fong Nguyen's nines, and earned $83,320.
Smith started heads-up against Nguyen with a significant advantage, but first let it slip and then managed to reclaim the lead. After the break, the opponents agreed on a deal, although at the start of heads-up Nguyen turned down such an option when he was offered an additional $12,000 on top of $112,048 for second place.
"I'm an amateur. This morning I went to work having slept only four hours. This result won't change my poker career. Maybe it'll have a bit of a financial impact. The money means more than the trophy, but it's nice to say you beat a field of 280 people. Credit to my opponent, he put me in a very tough spot in heads-up," Smith said after the win.
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The final table started at 1:00 p.m. local time, and Smith came to it right after his shift at the clinic. The key hand for the future champion came at the very start of the final table against chipleader Patrick Martorella. On the turn, Martorella had a combo draw, but the doctor's pair of eights held up. This allowed him to double up and surge into the lead.
Later Smith won several pots off two-time World Series bracelet holder Justin Liberto. The WSOP champion ultimately busted in third place, losing 8-high to Fong Nguyen's nines, and earned $83,320.
Smith started heads-up against Nguyen with a significant advantage, but first let it slip and then managed to reclaim the lead. After the break, the opponents agreed on a deal, although at the start of heads-up Nguyen turned down such an option when he was offered an additional $12,000 on top of $112,048 for second place.
"I'm an amateur. This morning I went to work having slept only four hours. This result won't change my poker career. Maybe it'll have a bit of a financial impact. The money means more than the trophy, but it's nice to say you beat a field of 280 people. Credit to my opponent, he put me in a very tough spot in heads-up," Smith said after the win.
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