2016 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, FL
Event 9
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 119
Prize Pool: $23,340
December 12, 2016
With only a few days left before the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open Championship, there were a few one-day tournaments left for players to earn their glory. Event 9 was the first and former Tampa Deep Stacks Series champion Bryce McVay outlasted everyone to win another title, $5,428 plus a seat in the WPO Championsion.
The $250 buy-in Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em tournament drew 119 entries to easily surpass its $20,000 guaranteed prize pool. The last 18 players earned a piece with some big local players still around including John Holley and 2016 WPO Ladies Event champion Kirsten Olieberg.
The tournament was down to the money bubble not long after registration closed and it only took a handful of hands to get them there. Besides Olieberg, the final table included two-time SHR Tampa winner Claudemir Osorio, five-time WSOP Circuit champ John Holley, and Moe Affaneh.
The stacks were deep and the structure slow, they took their time getting closer to a winner until Holley went out in fourth place. There was some talk of a prize pool deal but Olieberg dropped out in third place before they could work it out. Osorio and McVay were happy where they were and divided up the remaining prize pool evening with McVay’s chip lead earning him top honors.
1st: Bryce McVay – $5,428 + Championship seat
2nd: Claudemir Osorio – $5,427
3rd: Kirsten Olieberg – $2,217
4th: John Holley – $1,867
5th: Michael Cairo – $1,400
6th: Ari Prostak – $1,167
7th: Hank Zheng – $934
8th: Moe Affaneh – $700
9th: Norbert Kara – $525
10th: LaVann Williams – $467
11th: Jay Ballentine – $467
12th: Robbie Godbey – $467
13th: Frank Muir – $408
14th: Ian Pearson – $408
15th: Ben Van Klink – $408
16th: Greg White – $350
17th: Joe Buonodono – $350
18th: Ted Wild – $350