2020 WSOP Circuit – February
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida – Event 9
$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  104
Prize Pool:  $312,000
February 13-14, 2020

You’d expect a high-roller event to have a tough final table, and this one delivered with some heavy hitters — David Prociak, Stephen Song, Jake Schwartz, Faraz Jaka, and Brock Wilson. But it was Mark Zullo, who rarely plays tournaments, who outlasted them all to claim his first live tournament victory, winning a coveted WSOP Circuit ring along with $89,150.

Zullo was assisted by a few key cards in a few key spots, including a huge four-outer that came when he was heads-up against Brock Wilson.

“The kings vs. aces hand, I had the kings,” said Zullo, referring to a cooler where he eliminated Gary Lucci in seventh place. “I hit a king, and that was pretty big. After that, I had a lot of the chips, and I had momentum down to heads-up. Then he kind of crushed me heads-up. But I got lucky at the end.”

The luck Zullo is referring to at the end of the touranment is when Zullo semi-bluffed all in on the turn with a gutshot straight draw, and Wilson snap-called with top two pair. Zullo needed to catch a seven on the river to stay alive, and the river card was the .

That seven on the river catapulted Zullo back into the chip lead, and it wasn’t long after that when Zullo’s held up against Wilson’s to end the tournament.

Zullo doesn’t play many tournaments throughout the year, but he does go to Vegas for the World Series of Poker every summer. Zullo has racked up 12 WSOP cashes in the past five years, with the biggest coming from his 53rd-place finish in the 2018 WSOP Main Event ($156,265).

While a deep run in the WSOP Main Event can be magical, there’s nothing like a victory. “I’ve been playing a long time,” said Mark Zullo, “but I’ve never won a live tournament. This first win is pretty exciting.”

Final Results:

1st:  Mark Zullo  –  $89,150 + WSOP Circuit ring
2nd:  Brock Wilson  –  $55,099
3rd:  Faraz Jaka  –  $37,505
4th:  Jake Schwartz  –  $26,338
5th:  Anthony Askey  –  $19,100
6th:  Stephen Song  –  $14,319
7th:  Gary Lucci  –  $11,110
8th:  David Prociak  –  $8,933
9th:  Jamey Kramer  –  $7,453
10th:  Arkadiy Tsinis  –  $7,453
11th:  Mukul Pahuja  –  $6,461
12th:  Michael Browne  –  $6,461
13th:  Russell Jaicks  –  $5,828
14th:  Michael Rossitto  –  $5,828
15th:  Peter Walsworth  –  $5,481
16th:  Jason Daly  –  $5,481

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  1 of 104

Mark Zullo moved all in, and Brock Wilson called all in for about 635,000 with . Zullo turned over , and Wilson needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Zullo paired his queen on the flop, turned trips, and rivered a full house to win the pot — and his first WSOP Circuit Ring, along with $89,150.

Brock Wilson finished as the runner-up, earning $55,099.

Stay tuned for a recap, which will be posted later tonight.

1st:  Mark Zullo  –  $89,150 + WSOP Circuit ring
2nd:  Brock Wilson  –  $55,099
3rd:  Faraz Jaka  –  $37,505
4th:  Jake Schwartz  –  $26,338
5th:  Anthony Askey  –  $19,100
6th:  Stephen Song  –  $14,319
7th:  Gary Lucci  –  $11,110
8th:  David Prociak  –  $8,933
9th:  Jamey Kramer  –  $7,453
10th:  Arkadiy Tsinis  –  $7,453
11th:  Mukul Pahuja  –  $6,461
12th:  Michael Browne  –  $6,461
13th:  Russell Jaicks  –  $5,828
14th:  Michael Rossitto  –  $5,828
15th:  Peter Walsworth  –  $5,481
16th:  Jason Daly  –  $5,481

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 104

Mark Zullo raised to 90,000, and Brock Wilson called. The flop came , Wilson checked, Zullo bet 100,000, and Wilson check-raised to 325,000. Zullo called.

The turn card was the , and Wilson bet about 1.5 million. Zullo folded, and Wilson took the pot to increase his chip lead.

Brock Wilson  –  3,250,000  (81 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  900,000  (23 bb)

Right after the blinds increased to 25,000-50,000 with a 50,000 ante, Mark Zullo got it all in for 605,000 with , and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive against Brock Wilson’s .

The board came , and Zullo’s seven was barely enough to play on the board to avoid a chop and give him the full double-up.

Brock Wilson  –  2,900,000  (58 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  1,260,000  (25 bb)

A short while later, after a flop of , Mark Zullo checked, Brock Wilson bet 80,000, and Zullo check-raised to 310,000. Wilson thought for a while before he called.

The turn card was the , Zullo moved all in for 765,000, and Wilson snap-called with for two pair, kings and eights. Zullo turned over for a gutshot straight draw, and he needed to catch a seven on the river to stay alive.

The river card was — the !

Zullo rivers a ten-high straight to win the pot and double back into the chip lead.

Mark Zullo  –  2,420,000  (48 bb)
Brock Wilson  –  1,740,000  (35 bb)

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26:  20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 104

Mark Zullo raised to 80,000, and Brock Wilson called. The flop came , Wilson checked, Zullo bet 75,000, and Wilson check-raised to 175,000. Zullo called.

The turn card was the , Wilson checked, Zullo bet 150,000, and Wilson called.

The river card was the , Wilson checked, and Zullo moved all in. Wilson had 555,000 left in his stack, and he went into the tank for a long time.

At one point, Wilson said, “I have a jack,” which would mean trip jacks, but he thought for a while longer before he called all in for 555,000 and made it official by showing for trip jacks.

Zullo turned over for a bluff (he was playing the board), and Wilson won the pot to double up in chips.

Brock Wilson  –  1,960,000  (49 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  2,200,000  (55 bb)

A short while later, Brock Wilson raised to 40,000, Mark Zullo reraised to 225,000, and Wilson thought for a while before he called.

The flop came , Zullo bet 130,000, and Wilson called. The turn card was the , and both players checked.

The river card was the , Zullo bet 150,000, and Wilson tanked for a while before he raised to 725,000. Zullo tanked for a long time before he folded, and — at the urging of his rail — Wilson showed for an ace-high bluff as he took the pot.

Brock Wilson  –  2,275,000  (57 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  1,885,000  (47 bb)

As you can see, that pot gave Wilson the chip lead for the first time in heads-up play.

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 104

Brock Wilson raised from the button to 65,000, Faraz Jaka moved all in from the big blind for 340,000, and Wilson called with . Jaka turned over , and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came , and Jaka paired his eight on the flop to win the pot and double up in chips.

Faraz Jaka  –  725,000  (24 bb)
Brock Wilson  –  1,335,000  (45 bb)

Faraz Jaka dropped back down to 355,000 when Mark Zullo raised from the button to 65,000. Jaka moved all in from the small blind for 355,000, and Zullo called with . Jaka turned over , and needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came , and Jaka won the pot with a pair of acs to double back to 770,000.

Faraz Jaka  –  770,000  (26 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  1,950,000  (65 bb)

A short while later, Mark Zullo completed the small blind to 30,000, Faraz Jaka raised from the big blind to 110,000, and Zullo moved all in.

Jaka called all in with , but he was dominated by Zullo’s . Jaka needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Zullo won the pot with his king kicker to eliminate Jaka in third place.

Faraz Jaka  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($37,505)

Here are the updated chip counts for the start of heads-up play, followed by the remaining payouts:

Mark Zullo  –  2,900,000  (97 bb)
Brock Wilson  –  1,260,000  (42 bb)

1st:  $89,150 + WSOP Circuit ring
2nd:  $55,099

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  10,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 104

Faraz Jaka moved all in from the button for 427,000, and Mark Zullo called from the big blind with . Jaka turned over , and needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came , and Jaka flopped a set of threes to win the pot and double up in chips.

Faraz Jaka  –  889,000  (36 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  2,700,000  (108 bb)

A few minutes later, Faraz Jaka raised from the button to 50,000, Brock Wilson moved all in from the small blind for 363,000, and Jaka asked for an exact count before he called with .

Wilson turned over , and needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came — Jaka turned a seven-high straight, but he was counterfeited on the river as Wilson made an eight-high straight to win the pot and double up in chips.

Brock Wilson  –  776,000  (31 bb)
Faraz Jaka  –  450,000  (18 bb)

A short while later, after a flop of , Brock Wilson checked the big blind, Mark Zullo bet 40,000, and Wilson called. The turn card was the , Wilson checked, Zullo bet 100,000, and Wilson called.

The river card was the , and they got it all in. Wilson was all in for 466,000 with for a rivered diamond flush, and Zullo turned over for a rivered set of sevens. Wilson won the pot to double up in chips.

Brock Wilson  –  1,350,000  (54 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  2,400,000  (96 bb)

Level 24 comes to an end, and the players take a 15-minute break. Here are the official chip counts from the table as the blinds will be increasing to 15,000-30,000 with a 30,000 ante:

Seat 1.  Mark Zullo  –  1,975,000  (66 bb)
Seat 2.  Faraz Jaka  –  405,000  (14 bb)
Seat 3.  Brock Wilson  –  1,780,000  (59 bb)

With three players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1,385,000 (46 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $37,505.

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  10,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 104

Jake Schwartz got it all in from the big blind for about 550,000 with , and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive against the of chipleader Mark Zullo on the button.

The board came , and Zullo paired his king on the flop to win the pot and eliminate Schwartz in fourth place.

Mark Zullo  –  3,085,000  (123 bb)
Jake Schwartz  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($26,338)

With three players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1,385,000 (55 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $37,505.

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  10,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 104

Brock Wilson (big blind) and chipleader Mark Zullo (cutoff) put in 50K each to see a flop of , and then Wilson got it all in for 67,000 with for a pair of fours.

Zullo turned over for ace high, and Wilson needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and Wilson won the pot with his pair of fours to double up in chips.

Brock Wilson  –  269,000  (11 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  2,650,000  (106 bb)

A few hands later, Brock Wilson raised from UTG/cutoff to 185,000 (more than half his stack), Mark Zullo moved all in from the button, and Wilson called all in for 259,000 with .

Zullo turned over , and Wilson needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Wilson spiked an ace on the river to win the pot and double up again.

Brock Wilson  –  578,000  (23 bb)
Mark Zullo  –  2,400,000  (96 bb)

With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1,040,000 (42 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $26,338.

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 104

Jake Schwartz raised under the gun to 50,000, Stephen Song moved all in for about 120,000, and Anthony Askey moved all in over the top from the big blind for about 200,000.

Schwartz thought for a bit before he called, and all three players turned over their cards.

Jake Schwartz:  
Anthony Askey:  
Stephen Song:  

The board came , and Schwartz turned a full house, fives full of nines, to scoop the entire pot and eliminate both of his opponents from the tournament.

Jake Schwartz  –  980,000  (49 bb)
Anthony Askey  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($19,100)
Stephen Song  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($14,319)

With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1,040,000 (52 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $26,338. The players agreed to take a quick break, which allowed us to get official chip counts:

Seat 1.  Mark Zullo  –  2,114,000  (106 bb)
Seat 2.  Faraz Jaka  –  545,000  (27 bb)
Seat 3.  Jake Schwartz  –  1,025,000  (51 bb)
Seat 4.  Brock Wilson  –  467,000  (23 bb)

$3,250 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  8,000/16,000 with a 16,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 104

The next hand after David Prociak’s elimination in eighth place, Faraz Jaka raised under the gun to 35,000. Gary Lucci reraised from the cutoff to 100,000, and Mark Zullo reraised from the big blind to about 265,000. Jaka thought for a while before he folded.

Lucci five-bet all in for nearly 900K, and Zullo called with . Lucci turned over , and he needed his aces to hold to stay alive.

But there was a king in the window as the board came , giving Zullo a flopped set of kings to win the pot and eliminate Lucci in seventh place.

Jaka claimed to have folded ace-queen, which would have rivered a Broadway straight for him to triple up in chips.

Mark Zullo  –  2,015,000  (126 bb)
Gary Lucci  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($11,110)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is about 695,000 (43 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $14,319.