2021 WPT Tampa
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 9
$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Entries:  107
Prize Pool:  $35,845
June 15, 2021

There were 107 entries in Wednesday’s Omaha 8/Stud 8 tournament, and the last player standing was Randolph “Brooklyn Johnny” Crowther, who earned $11,382, the title, and the guitar trophy.

“I thought I played a solid tournament,” said Crowther. “I made one bad decision early on, and it almost knocked me out. But then I luckily recovered.”

There was a surprisingly long final table bubble, and when they finally took their seats at the final table, five of the eight players had three big bets or less.

Crowther began the final table second in chips behind Chris Kennedy, who won Event 3 ($400 Limit Omaha 8) last week to earn the second guitar trophy of his career, and the two of them knocked out the other six players between them to reach heads-up play nearly even in chips.

They played for a short while before taking a break, and Kennedy had taken a 740K-to-542K lead. But when they got back from break, it was all Crowther from there, with Kennedy apparently going winless during the next level to find himself with less than half of a big bet.

Kennedy bounced back a bit, but was knocked out a few minutes later in a final hand where he started with aces in the hole in Stud-8, but Crowther finished with a queen-high straight.

“I love high-low games,” said Crowther. “I’ve been playing them my whole life. I’m a patient player, and I read the cards quickly. I know highs, and I know lows.”

And now Crowther has the guitar trophy to prove it.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  40,000/80,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  1 of 107

After starting heads-up nearly even in chips during Level 22, when the blinds increased to 30,000-60,000 during Level 23, Johnny Crowther caught fire and steamrolled his way to a big chip lead.

Kennedy said he went 0-for-Level 23, never winning a hand (not counting split pots).

During a round of Omaha-8, with the final board showing and a sizable pot built up, Kennedy folded, leaving himself with just 36,000 in chips.

Crowther let him off the hook and showed his cards — for a jack-high straight with an 8-6 low.

Johnny Crowther  –  1,248,000  (16 BB)
Chris Kennedy  –  36,000  (1/2 BB)

Kennedy got it all in on the next hand with pocket kings to Crowther’s pocket jacks.

Chris Kennedy:  
Johnny Crowther:  

The board came , and Kennedy won the pot with kings full of sixes to double up to 72,000.

Chris Kennedy  –  72,000  (1 BB)
Johnny Crowther  –  1,212,000  (15 BB)

They split the next pot, and then Crowther folded to a shove, bumping Kennedy to 112,000. They split the next pot, and then Kennedy scooped a hand in Stud-8 to double up to 224,000.

Chris Kennedy  –  224,000  (3 BB)
Johnny Crowther  –  1,060,000  (13 BB)

Kennedy was climbing out of the hole, but less than 10 minutes later, they got it all in on sixth street during a round of Stud-8.

Johnny Crowther:      
Chris Kennedy:      

Kennedy rivered two pair, aces and kings, but it was no good as Crowther caught a queen-high straight on sixth street to win the pot — and the title and the trophy.

Congratulations to “Brooklyn” Johnny Crowther!

1st:  Johnny Crowther  –  $11,382 + Trophy
2nd:  Chris Kennedy  –  $7,035
3rd:  Larry St. Jean  –  $4,661
4th:  John Fahmy  –  $3,218
5th:  Kenneth Po  –  $2,320
6th:  David Shmuel  –  $1,750
7th:  Bart O’Connell  –  $1,384
8th:  Steve Rutter  –  $1,150
9th:  Donald Yucius  –  $1,007
10th:  Kai Hicks  –  $1,007
11th:  Chris Tryba  –  $931

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  20,000/40,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  2 of 107

During a round of Omaha-8, Larry St. Jean got it all in preflop from the big blind against Chris Kennedy in the small blind and Johnny Crowther on the button.

Kennedy and Crowther checked all the way down on a board of , and with no possible lows, all three players revealed their cards.

Chris Kennedy:    (two pair, jacks and tens)
Johnny Crowther:    (two pair, aces and tens)
Larry St. Jean:    (two pair, jaxcks and tens)

Crowther won the entire pot with his aces up to eliminate St. Jean in third place.

Larry St. Jean  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($4,661)

Heads-up play got underway with both players having nearly even stacks:

Chris Kennedy  –  650,000  (16 BB)
Johnny Crowther  –  640,000  (16 BB)

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  20,000/40,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  3 of 107

During a round of Omaha-8, after a flop of , John Fahmy got it all in for his last 28,000 against Chris Kennedy, and they both turned over their cards.

Chris Kennedy:    (pair of aces, jack kicker)
John Fahmy:    (pair of aces, queen kicker)

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and with no qualifying lows, Kennedy rivered two pair, aces and jacks, to win the entire pot and eliminate Fahmy in fourth place.

Chris Kennedy  –  710,000  (18 BB)
John Fahmy  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($3,218)

With three players remaining, the average chip stack is about 430,000 (11 BB), and the next player to bust will earn $4,661.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  20,000/40,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  4 of 107

Kenneth Po tells us he had been down to just 8,500 in chips back during Level 17 (with limits at 6,000-12,000) one or two spots away from the money, but he managed to spin it up to 42,500 before the Money Bubble burst. He then got it all the way up to 154,500 with nine players left, but it took a surprisingly long time to reach the eight-handed final table, and in that time, Po dropped back down to 42,500. He was one of five players who began the final table with just 2-3 big bets.

Po laddered up three spots before he got it all in under the gun for 1,500 during a round of Omaha-8 against Johnny Crowther in the small blind and Chris Kennedy in the big blind.

Crowther and Kennedy checked all the way down on a board of , and all three players showed their cards:

Chris Kennedy:  
Johnny Crowther:  
Kenneth Po:  

Po scooped the main pot with a wheel to triple his stack up to 4,500.

Kenneth Po  –  4,500  (11% of a BB)

The next hand, Po was forced all in from the big blind for 4,500 against Kennedy in the small blind.

Chris Kennedy:  
Kenneth Po:  

The board came , and with no possible lows, Kennedy won the pot with a full house, aces full of kings, to eliminate Po in fifth place.

Chris Kennedy  –  680,000  (17 BB)
Kenneth Po  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($2,320)

With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 320,000 (8 BB), and the next player to bust will earn $3,218.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  15,000/30,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  5 of 107

During a round of Stud-8, David Shmuel got it all in on third street for 15,000 against Chris Kennedy.

Chris Kennedy:      
David Shmuel:      

Neither player made a qualifying low, and Kennedy caught four straight spades to win the pot with a flush, eliminating Shmuel in sixth place.

Chris Kennedy  –  650,000  (22 BB)
David Shmuel  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($1,384)

With five players remaining, the average chip stack is about 257,000 (9 BB), and the next player to bust will earn $2,320.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  15,000/30,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  6 of 107

During a round of Stud-8, Bart O’Connell got it all in on third street against Johnny Crowther.

Johnny Crowther:      
Bart O’Connell:      

Neither player made a qualifying low, and Crowther won the pot with two pair, jacks and sevens, to eliminate O’Connell in seventh place.

Johnny Crowther  –  470,000  (16 BB)
Bart O’Connell  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($1,384)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is about 214,000 (7 BB), and the next player to bust will earn $1,750.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  15,000/30,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  7 of 107

During a round of Stud-8, Steve Rutter got it all in on third street for 15,500 against Chris Kennedy.

Chris Kennedy:      
Steve Rutter:      

Neither player made a qualifying low, and Kennedy won the entire pot with a ten-high straight to eliminate Rutter in eighth place.

Chris Kennedy  –  490,000  (16 BB)
Steve Rutter  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($1,150)

With seven players remaining, the average chip stack is about 183,000 (6 BB), and the next player to bust will earn $1,384.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20:  12,000/24,000 Limits
Remaining Players:  8 of 107

After the elimination of Donald Yucius in ninth place, the final eight players redraw for random seats at the final table.

Here are their updated seating assignments and chip counts, along with the value of their stacks in terms of big bets (BB):

Seat 1.  Chris Kennedy  –  470,000  (20 BB)
Seat 2.  Kenneth Po  –  42,500  (2 BB)
Seat 3.  John Fahmy  –  58,000  (2 BB)
Seat 4.  Bart O’Connell  –  72,500  (3 BB)
Seat 5.  Larry St. Jean  –  41,500  (2 BB)
Seat 6.  Johnny Crowther  –  283,000  (12 BB)
Seat 7.  David Shmuel  –  260,000  (11 BB)
Seat 8.  Steve Rutter  –  66,000  (3 BB)

With eight players remaining, the average chip stack is about 160,500 (7 BB). Here is the prizepool for this event:

1st:  $11,382 + Trophy
2nd:  $7,035
3rd:  $4,661
4th:  $3,218
5th:  $2,320
6th:  $1,750
7th:  $1,384
8th:  $1,150
9th:  Donald Yucius  –  $1,007
10th:  Kai Hicks  –  $1,007
11th:  Chris Tryba  –  $931

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 10:  1,200/2,400 Limits
Entries:  107

Registration closed on the Omaha 8/Stud 8 tournament with 107 entries creating a prize pool worth $35,845. The last 11 players will earn some money with $931 for a min-cash and $11,382 up top for the OE champion.

2021 WPT Tampa
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 9
$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Re-Entry)
Entries:  107
Prize Pool:  $35,845
June 15, 2021

1st: $11,382 + Trophy
2nd: $7,035
3rd: $4,661
4th: $3,218
5th: $2,320
6th: $1,750
7th: $1,384
8th: $1,150
9th: $1,007
10th: $1,007
11th: $931