Blake Ellinghaus is an American tournament poker player from Plainfield, Illinois, who broke through in 2026 with a WPT bestbet Scramble Championship title.

Blake Ellinghaus is an American tournament poker player from Plainfield, Illinois, best known for winning the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship at bestbet Jacksonville. His rise included strong regional results in Florida, a major World Poker Tour breakthrough, and growing recognition as a player moving from local and regional success into the national poker spotlight.

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Who Is Blake Ellinghaus?

Blake Ellinghaus is a United States poker player whose recorded tournament results are centered primarily around no-limit hold’em events. Public tournament databases and live reporting identify him as being from Plainfield, Illinois, while his recent results have come largely in Florida-based tournament series.

Ellinghaus entered wider poker attention during the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship, where he converted a major final-table opportunity into a World Poker Tour title. The victory gave him the largest publicly reported score of his career and marked his most important achievement to date.

Before that WPT breakthrough, Ellinghaus had already put together several notable finishes in regional events. His results showed steady progress across bestbet, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, and related tournament stops before he captured a nationally recognized title.

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Blake Ellinghaus Poker Background

Publicly available player information describes Ellinghaus as a Plainfield, Illinois player who had been playing poker for several years before his 2026 breakout. PokerReporting.com, in a final-table profile from the 2026 PokerAtlas Tour at bestbet, reported that Ellinghaus had been playing poker for seven years and began in live home games.

That background is consistent with the path many modern tournament players follow: starting in smaller live games, moving into regional tournaments, and gradually building a public results record through live cashes. Ellinghaus’ early tournament profile does not yet include the long résumé of an established high-roller regular, but his 2026 results moved him into a much more visible category.

Because verified public biographical information is limited, this profile focuses on confirmed poker results rather than unsupported personal details.

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Tournament Career and Breakthrough Results

Ellinghaus’ tournament résumé became more prominent in 2025 and 2026. CardPlayer lists him with multiple recorded cashes, including a runner-up finish in a $300 no-limit hold’em event at the 2025 Summer Swing Series in St. Augustine for $30,500, a fifth-place finish in the 2025 Moneymaker Tour Daytona Beach Main Event for $17,095, and several additional Florida-based cashes.

In April 2026, Great American Poker Tournament coverage reported that Ellinghaus won Event #1, the Almighty Stack, at the Daytona Beach Poker Open. That event drew 556 entries, and Ellinghaus earned $34,147 from a $186,260 prize pool. At the time, that stood out as one of the biggest confirmed results of his career.

The next major step came at the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship. The World Poker Tour’s live updates identified Ellinghaus as the completed event champion, listing him with a $294,900 first-place prize. That result became the defining achievement of his public poker career and placed him among WPT Main Tour champions.

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2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship Win

Ellinghaus’ victory at the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship was a major career milestone. The event took place at bestbet Jacksonville, one of Florida’s most active tournament poker venues and the host of a regular World Poker Tour stop.

The 2026 edition was part of the WPT bestbet Scramble Championship, and the win immediately changed the scale of Ellinghaus’ tournament résumé. A WPT Main Tour title carries more weight than a standard regional tournament win because it places a player in the World Poker Tour record book and signals success against a deeper, more competitive field.

World Poker Tour live reporting listed Ellinghaus as the champion and showed the $294,900 payout. The first-place amount also represented a major jump from his previous largest public scores, making the result both a financial breakthrough and a career-defining poker achievement.

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Career Earnings and Tournament Statistics

As of September 9, 2026, The Hendon Mob listed Blake Ellinghaus with $142,895 in total live tournament earnings and a best live cash of $34,147. That Hendon Mob total appeared not to fully reflect the newly completed WPT bestbet Scramble Championship result at the time it was checked.

Because poker databases update at different speeds, Ellinghaus’ career earnings should be read with that timing in mind. Once his $294,900 WPT title score is reflected across public databases, his recorded live earnings total should be significantly higher than the Hendon Mob figure available immediately after the event.

CardPlayer listed Ellinghaus with $104,179 in recorded earnings and 13 total cashes on its player page at the time checked, while also showing several 2026 results from bestbet and PokerAtlas Tour events. Differences between Hendon Mob, CardPlayer, and tour reporting are common because each source may update results on a different schedule or apply different inclusion rules.

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WSOP, WPT, and Major Title Record

Ellinghaus does not currently have a verified World Series of Poker bracelet listed in the public sources checked for this profile. He also does not have a confirmed WSOP Circuit ring listed in the sources reviewed.

His most important verified major title is the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship. The World Poker Tour result is the centerpiece of his poker résumé and establishes him as a WPT champion.

No verified European Poker Tour title or PokerGO Tour title was found during the research for this profile. His public record is strongest in no-limit hold’em tournament events, especially in regional and mid-major live tournament fields.

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Playing Style and Reputation

Detailed public analysis of Ellinghaus’ playing style is still limited. Unlike long-established televised professionals, he does not yet have a large archive of publicly available strategy breakdowns, interviews, or streamed hands that would support a detailed assessment of his tendencies.

What can be said from verified results is that Ellinghaus has shown success in live no-limit hold’em tournaments, including multi-table regional events and a WPT Main Tour championship. His 2026 bestbet Scramble win suggests he was able to navigate a high-pressure final-table environment and convert a major chip position into a title.

As more hands, interviews, and results become available, his playing reputation may become clearer. For now, the safest description is that Ellinghaus is a tournament-focused no-limit hold’em player whose national profile rose sharply after his 2026 WPT victory.

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Why Blake Ellinghaus Matters in Poker

Blake Ellinghaus matters because his 2026 WPT title represents the kind of breakout result that can redefine a player’s career. Poker history is filled with players who built their résumés through regional events before one major title placed them in front of a much larger audience.

His path also reflects the strength of the modern regional tournament circuit. Events in Florida, including bestbet Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, continue to produce meaningful scores and give emerging players the chance to compete for six-figure and career-changing prizes.

For readers following rising American tournament players, Ellinghaus is now a name worth tracking. His next stage will depend on whether he turns the WPT title into a broader run of major cashes, deeper national-level appearances, and more results outside his existing regional base.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Blake Ellinghaus from?

Blake Ellinghaus is publicly listed as being from Plainfield, Illinois. CardPlayer lists his hometown as Plainfield, and PokerReporting.com also described him as hailing from Plainfield, Illinois.

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How much has Blake Ellinghaus won in live poker tournaments?

As of September 9, 2026, The Hendon Mob listed Blake Ellinghaus with $142,895 in total live tournament earnings. That figure appeared not to fully include his newly completed $294,900 win in the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship at the time checked, so his updated total may be higher once databases refresh.

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What is Blake Ellinghaus’ biggest poker win?

Blake Ellinghaus’ biggest verified poker win is his 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship victory, which World Poker Tour live reporting listed at $294,900.

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Does Blake Ellinghaus have a World Series of Poker bracelet?

No verified WSOP bracelet was found for Blake Ellinghaus in the public sources checked for this profile.

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Does Blake Ellinghaus have a WSOP Circuit ring?

No verified WSOP Circuit ring was found for Blake Ellinghaus in the public sources checked for this profile.

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Has Blake Ellinghaus won a WPT title?

Yes. Blake Ellinghaus won the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship, according to World Poker Tour live reporting.

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What poker game does Blake Ellinghaus play?

Ellinghaus’ public tournament record is primarily tied to no-limit hold’em events. His most important confirmed title, the 2026 WPT bestbet Scramble Championship, was a no-limit hold’em tournament.