2021 Tampa Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 9
$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 186
Prize Pool:  $98,580
December 7, 2021

The penultimate warmup for the Winter Poker Open Main Event was a $600 No Limit Hold’em game with a $30,000 guarantee. The tournament drew 186 entries and Peter Walsworth took top honors along with $23,970 for the win.

The tournament kept the theme of the previous games and easily beats its guarantee to put $98,580 in the prize pool. The last 19 players took home some money with the long bubble completed after the dinner break when Carmen S was eliminated from her fun table.

The final table formed quickly after the bubble burst and included some tough players including 14-time WSOPC champ Maurice Hawkins, September Super Stacks champ Thomas Elder, WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event final table member Ryan Luker, and WPO Event 6 winner Brandon Byars.

Walsworth made a heads-up deal with Hawkins, in the end, to take the title along with $26,870. He already captured two SHRP Hollywood wins before today and added a Tampa trophy to his collection.

1st: Peter Walsworth – $23,970 + WPO trophy *
2nd: Maurice Hawkins – $19,500 *
3rd: Edmund Buker – $11,440
4th: Brandon Byars – $8,100
5th: Suju Abraham – $5,900
6th: Ryan Luker – $4,430
7th: Ryan Mazurkiewicz – $3,420
8th: Thomas Elder – $2,730
9th: Eric Tarikas – $2,250
10th: Mark Wahba – $2,250
11th: Frederick Conforit – $1,910
12th: Joe Marincola – $1,910
13th: Antonio Payne – $1,680
14th: Randy Raji – $1,680
15th: Ron Johnston – $1,530
16th: Frederick Zupanc – $1,530
17th: Blair Miller – $1,450
18th: Mark Rupnik – $1,450
19th: Anthony Astarita – $1,450
* – Denotes results of a heads-up deal

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante

After Edmund Buker was eliminated in third place, Peters Walsworth and Maurice Hawkins looked at numbers based on their chip counts. After some negotiations, they came to an agreement with Hawkins taking $19,500 for second place and Walsworth earned $23,970 as the Event 9 champion.

Peter Walsworth – 3,970,000
Maurice Hawkins – 1,600,000

1st: Peter Walsworth – $23,970 + WPO trophy
2nd: Maurice Hawkins – $19,500

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 186

Peter Walsworth opened to 200,000 from the button and Edmund Buker moved all in for 420,000 from the small blind. Maurice Hawkins folded his big, Walsworth asked for a count and called before it was complete.

Walsworth:
Buker:

Buker was ahead but the dealer put a five in the window on the flop. Buker picked up some club outs on the turn but blanked the river to exit in third place.

Peter Walsworth – 3,970,000 (79 bb)
Edmund Buker – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($11,440)

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 186

The three remaining took a short break and returned to the action with Maurice Hawkins leading.

Seat 1: Peter Walsworth – 1,950,000 (39 bb)
Seat 2: Edmund Buker – 1,175,000 (24 bb)
Seat 8: Maurice Hawkins – 2,450,000 (49 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st: $26,870 + WPO trophy
2nd: $16,600
3rd: $11,440

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 186

Brandon Byars opened to 90,000 from the button and Peter Walsworth came along from the big blind to see the flop. Walsworth checked, Byars moved all in for about 750,000 and Walsworth called.

Walsworth:
Byars:

Both players paired the board but Walsworth was ahead with the nines. The turn and finished the board and Byars was eliminated in fourth place, his third final table of the series.

Peter Walsworth – 1,800,000 (45 bb)
Brandon Byars – Eliminated in 4th Place ($8,100)

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 186

Maurice Hawkins opened to 115,000 from under the gun and it folded around to Suju Abraham in the small blind. He moved all in for about 575,000 to get a fold from Brandon Byars in the big and call from Hawkins.

Hawkins:
Abraham:

Abraham was ahead for the double up and faded the . The turn filled Hawkins’s Broadway straight and Abraham was eliminated after the river.

Maurice Hawkins – 2,450,000 (61 bb)
5th: Suju Abraham – $5,900
6th: Ryan Luker – $4,430

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 186

Following quickly on Thomas Elder’s tail, Ryan Mazurkiewicz came to the final table but fell short of the win.

He got his last chips in the middle with but ran into Peter Walsworth’s aces to bust out in seventh place.

Peter Walsworth – 1,300,000 (43 bb)
Ryan Mazurkiewicz – Eliminated in 7th Place ($3,420)

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 15,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 186

Eric Tarikas was eliminated early at the final table and they settled in for a bit.

Then action folded to Ryan Mazurkiewicz and he opened to 65,000 from the button. Ryan Luker moved all in over the top for 335,000 from the small blind and Thomas Elder called all in at risk for about 75,000. Mazurkiewicz confirmed Luker’s stack and called.

Mazurkiewicz:
Luker:
Elder:

Mazurkiewicz was ahead with the bigger ace but it was Luker taking the lead when he paired his seven on the flop. The board finished with turn and river to send Elder out in eighth and double Luker.

Ryan Luker – 770,000 (31 bb)
Ryan Mazurkiewicz – 975,000 (39 bb)
8th: Thomas Elder – $2,730
9th: Eric Tarikas – $2,250

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 21: 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 186

Soon after the latest break, Event 9 dropped down the final table with nine players remaining and a very tough group of players. They are taking their seats and we will update the chip counts once they are settled.

Seat 1: Peter Walsworth
Seat 2: Edmund Buker
Seat 3: Ryan Mazurkiewcz
Seat 4: Ryan Luker
Seat 5: Thomas Elder
Seat 6: Suju Abraham
Seat 7: Brandon Byars
Seat 8: Maurice Hawkins
Seat 9: Eric Tarikas

Remaining payouts:

1st: $26,870
2nd: $16,600
3rd: $11,440
4th: $8,100
5th: $5,900
6th: $4,430
7th: $3,420
8th: $2,730
9th: $2,250
10th: Mark Wahba – $2,250
11th: Frederick Conforit – $1,910
12th: Joe Marincola – $1,910
13th: Antonio Payne – $1,680
14th: Randy Raji – $1,680
15th: Ron Johnston – $1,530
16th: Frederick Zupanc – $1,530
17th: Blair Miller – $1,450
18th: Mark Rupnik – $1,450
19th: Anthony Astarita – $1,450

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 8,000/16,000 with a 16,000 ante
Players Remaining:  12 of 186

They played through Level 20 and the remaining 12 players were sent on another 15-minute break while the 1K chips were colored up.

They will return and play down to the final table and perhaps the winner before the next break.

13th: Antonio Payne – $1,680
14th: Randy Raji – $1,680