Winstar Casino Poker Tournament Results

7/18/2022admin

WinStar World Casino Day 1c of the 2019 WinStar River Poker Series $1,500 Main Event, the final starting flight for the $1,500,000 Guaranteed tournament, is set to begin today at Noon. At WinStar World Casino and Resort, we know Poker. In fact, we have an entire newly constructed room dedicated to the art of the bluff, the bet and the win. WinStar’s 55-table poker room is situated next to the RIO Gaming Plaza, and has hosted some of the world’s greatest players. It’s also hosted tournaments with staggeringly large.

Winstar Casino Poker Room

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See the 2018 River Poker Tournament results from WinStar World Casino and Resort.

Eric Bunch claimed victory at the 2019 WinStar Labor Day River Poker Series $1,500 Main Event, earning the title and accompanying trophy after a heads-up chop that landed him $260,000.

Bunch outlasted a field of 1,242 entries over nearly three full days of play en route to becoming champion. His journey didn’t come easy, however - his biggest competition throughout the day was Spencer Champlin, with whom he ended up chopping.

Champlin was the one in control for most of the day, and when the two got heads up, Bunch said he “just had to grind it out.”

Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Eric Bunch	United States	$260,000*
2	Spencer Champlin	United States	$234,887*
3	Eluterio Rodriguez	United States	$119,046
4	Jeremy Liu	United States	$97,000
5	Viet Vo	United States	$74,955
6	James Jewell	United States	$57,318
7	Kris Burchfield	United States	$44,091
8	Jim Harris	United States	$35,273
9	Katherine Offutt	United States	$29,982

_{*denotes heads-up chop}

Day 3 Action

The day started with 10 players returning with their eyes on the $300,005 up top. Chuck Barker (10th place - $24,338) became the first elimination of the day just a few hands after play began. He had entered the day with 125,000 after losing almost his entire stack on the last hand of Day 2 when he doubled up Katherine Offutt running ace-king into her pocket aces. A quick triple up graced his presence to start the day but then he lost a coin flip with pocket threes to Day 2 chip leader Bunch’s ten-nine when Bunch hit a queen-high straight on the turn.

The final table of nine was then reached and the players drew new seats. It wasn’t long after that before Offult became the ninth-place finisher after getting her stack in with Big Slick on an ace-high flop versus the ace-queen of Champlin, only to find it second-best after Champlin hit not just one queen, but two as the turn and river gave him a full house, the elimination, and the chip lead.

Jim Harris (8th place - $35,273) was next to go after spending his short-lived Day 3 on the short stack. It was then time for Champlin to pull away. Kris Burchfield (7th place - $44,691), James Jewell (6th place - $57,318), and Viet Vo (5th place - $74,995) all fell victim to Champlin’s prey over the next hour, leaving just four players in the tournament by the first break of the day.

Champlin picked up right where he left off when play resumed, picking off a bluff from Bunch, who was in second place through most of the day, to create even further separation in the counts between the two players. He then knocked out Jeremy Liu after Liu shoved ace-eight into his ace-queen, holding to surpass the 20 million-chip mark.

Three players remained and play continued for over an hour with Champlin, Bunch, and Eluterio Rodriguez trading chips back and forth with no significant fluctuation. The tournament came out of its second break of the day to Level 30, with blinds of 100,000/200,000/200,000. Bunch and Rodriguez both had about 5 million in front of them and Champlin held the other 21 million.

Shortly after the break, Rodriguez found his luck begin to run dry. He dropped down to around 2 million, which was only a 10-big blind stack, and shoved king-deuce into Champlin’s ace-ten suited. He hit two pair to double up but then ran pocket nines into Champlin’s pocket aces a few hands later to finish in third place.

Champlin took nearly a three-to-one chip lead into heads-up play and built even further from there. Then, the turning point came. Bunch made a few hands in a row and found his stack nearly back to where it started in the match. He then got all of his chips in with king-seven suited against Champlin’s ace-jack on a king-jack-eight flop to double and take the chip lead.

“I’m pretty happy, obviously. I’m glad it all worked out.”

Another 40 minutes went by and the two traded blows, watching stacks get to even momentarily. Champlin regained the lead shortly but re-surrendered it after Bunch hit a straight and got paid on a 5 million-chip river bet. The two then took what proved to be the final break of the night with Bunch having nearly a two-to-one chip lead. No further poker would be played as a deal was agreed upon once the two returned from break.

When asked about what he is going to do moving forward, Bunch said he is going to keep at it at the felt. Historically a cash-game player, Bunch got into tournament poker about three years ago and said that he is going to just continue to play the same tournaments.

“I’m pretty happy, obviously,” he said in an interview afterward. “I’m glad it all worked out.”

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After five straight days of poker and 1,396 entries, a winner has finally emerged in the Global Events Center at the WinStar World Casino. Aaron Massey was able to defeat Andy Robinson heads-up to earn the $651,559 first-place prize and the title of champion of the 2012 Winstar World Casino River Poker Series Main Event.

Winstar World Casino River Poker Series Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Aaron Massey	$651,559
2	Andy Robinson	$334,030
3	Matt Newcombe	$195,160
4	Jay Merchant	$139,400
5	Peter Zhmutski	$111,520
6	Patricia Cardner	$97,580
7	Cord Garcia	$83,640
8	Chris Hooper	$69,700
9	Matt Shepsky	$62,730

Players flocked from all over the country to participate in what is considered by many to be one of the best kept secrets in American tournament poker. With the $2,500,000 guaranteed prize pool and the option to enter three different times over three different starting days, this tournament attracted circuit grinders, top professionals, and the working-man alike. World Series of Poker bracelet winner David 'ODB' Baker recently described this event as 'probably the best value in the country.'

Unfortunately for Baker, he was one of several players to fire three bullets only to come up empty handed on the end of the third day. Vanessa Selbst, Dwyte Pilgrim, Greg Raymer, AJ Jejelowo, Larry Wright, Allen Kessler, Ryan Lenaghan, and 2011 River Poker Series Main Event champion Bronson Tucker were all among the unlucky group to enter this event three times only to come up short of cashing.

Day 2 saw 141 players from the first three starting days combine for their share of the prize pool. Notable names to find their way to the exit on Day 2 after cashing included Corey Burbick (104th), Maria Ho (90th), Chris Moneymaker (86th), Heath Herring (81st), Robert Salaburu (62nd), AP Phahurat (35th), Kurt Jewell (34th), and David 'Doc' Sands (20th).

Fifteen players returned for Day 3 and the play kicked off at a lightning pace. By the end of the first level, the final table had been reached and players moved over to the featured table of the Global Events Center.

Unofficial Final Table Seating Draw

Seat	Player	Chips
1	Matt Shepsky	620,000
2	Chris Hooper	1,600,000
3	Andy Robinson	4,320,000
4	Cord Garcia	1,600,000
5	Peter Zhmutski	4,100,000
6	Justin Gardenhire	650,000
7	Aaron Massey	4,540,000
8	Matt Newcombe	1,700,000
9	Jay Merchant	740,000
10	Patricia Cardner	1,020,000

Justin Gardenhire became the final table bubble boy when he ran pocket jacks into Andy Robinson's pocket kings before the flop. With Gardenhire's elimination, the official final table was set.

Matt Shepsky became the first player from the final table to hit the rail when he moved his short stack all in before the flop holding two fours. Cord Garcia woke up with pocket queens in the small blind and Shepsky was forced to settle for a short final table experience.

Chris Hooper was eliminated from the tournament shortly after shipping a good amount of chips across the table to last woman standing Patricia Cardner. Hooper opened to 145,000 from middle position only to have Peter Zhmutski three-bet to 445,000 from the button. Hooper called and open-shipped all in when the flop fell . Zhmutski snap called with and Hooper's ace-jack failed to improve on the subsequent streets.

Winstar casino poker tournament results payouts

After about 45 minutes of play, Cord Garcia became the next player to exit the Global Events Center. Matt Newcombe opened to 200,000 before the flop and Garcia three-bet all in for 875,000. Newcombe called with and saw that he was ahead of Garcia's . Newcombe's hand held and Garcia settled for seventh place and an $83,640 payday.

A little more than an hour later the next elimination occurred. Matt Newcombe three-bet to 730,000 before the flop and was called by Patricia Cardner. The flop fell and Newcombe instantly put Cardner all in. She called with only to find that Newcombe held a better pocket pair with . Cardner failed to improve and became the sixth-place finisher.

Soon after, Peter Zhmutski busted in fifth place when he moved all in holding on the flop. Aaron Massey snap called with and Zhmutski found no help on fourth or fifth street. Not long after, Matt Newcombe raised to 325,000 preflop and Jay Merchant called. The flop fell and after a series of raises, Merchant was all in for his tournament life holding . Newcombe, however, continued his domination by tabling for trip nines. The turn and river were the and , thus sealing Merchant's fate as the fourth-place finisher.

After a hard fought three-handed battle, Newcombe's domination finally came to an end during a hand with Massey. Newcombe opened to 310,000 from the button and Massey three-bet to 800,000 from the big blind. Newcombe called and the dealer produced a flop of . Massey continued for 500,000 and Newcombe called. The rolled off on the turn and Massey bet 925,000. Newcombe announced all in and Massey snap called with for a set of nines. Newcombe showed and was drawing to eliminate Massey. Fortunately for Massey the river was a blank — the , and Massey was able to double up and take a huge chip lead.

Newcombe busted a few hands later when he moved all in with and was called by Robinson's . Newcombe's hand didn't improve and he was eliminated in third place.

'This is life changing money,' Massey said with a huge grin as he played heads-up with Robinson. 'It's all going to be okay now.'

It was going to be more than okay, as about 20 minutes into heads up the match came to a head. Robinson opened with a raise and Massey three-bet all in. Robinson called and the hands were turned up.

Showdown