2021 WPT Tampa
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 2
$250 Turbo No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Entries:  76
Prize Pool:  $15,960
June 9, 2021

With the opening flight for Event 1 playing in the background, the first trophy of the series was awarded tonight in Event 2, a $250 turbo event that finished in less than seven hours.

Eventual champion John McConnell doesn’t particularly like turbo events, but he outlasted the field of 76 entries to win $5,551.

“I actually like having a deep stack, with 30- or 60-minute blinds,” said McConnell. “In a turbo, I just feel too much pressure to do something early. But I’ve gotten a little more acclimated because I’ve been playing more online, so I think I was a little more ready for it than I would have been a year ago. So the pandemic might have helped me with this turbo.”

“This is so awesome,” said McConnell. “At one point, [runner-up][Alex][Vazquez] was trying to make a deal with me, and I almost did it. But then I thought, ‘No, how many chances in your life do you get to win a trophy? So I had to go for it.”

McConnell lives in Montverde, Florida, about 60 miles away, and plans to play several events over the weekend.

“I drove down today after work and jumped in this event,” said McConnell. “All I wanted to do was get a warm-up for the weekend, and I ended up winning it.”

Final Results: