2022 Pinktober Poker Open Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, Florida $1,700 Pinktober Championship (Re-Entry) $400,000 Guaranteed Entries: 358 Prize Pool: $537,000 October 14-17, 2022
The 2022 Pinktober Poker Open Championship headlined the two-week festival, and it drew a great group of players. After getting through a tough field and a talented final table, Matthew Leecy won the Championship outright for $111,240.
The $1,700 buy-in tournament drew 358 entries to push the $400,000 guarantee into a prize pool worth $537,000. That is the biggest PPO Championship prize pool in our history, and the last 45 players earned some money.
Leecy bagged the biggest stack coming back for Day 2 on Sunday, and he closed the day with the chip lead coming back for the final table on Monday. But it wasn’t all easygoing for Leecy; several times along the way he lost the lead and dropped to the bottom of the counts.
“I came in as an overwhelming leader,” Leecy said after his win. “But with six people left, I was last.”
“Having the history, being a little older now, knowing it’s not going to be perfect,” he continued. “The tournament doesn’t have to go perfect for you to win it, but you have to keep your head.”
Even with a big lead starting the final table, it wasn’t an easy path to victory for Leecy with Debbie Lee taking a commanding lead of her own with half the chips when it was four-handed.
Leecy battled back, got hot at the right times, and took the title with an outright win against runner-up Jebhar Patterson.
$1,700 Pinktober Championship (Re-Entry) $400,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 31: 125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Jebhar Patterson lost 800K in a pot almost as soon as they came back from break and had to take a shot. He opened to 650,000 from his button and Matthew Leecy announced all in. Patterson thought for a few minutes and called at risk for about 3,500,000.
Leecy: Patterson:
Patterson was a big favorite to double back near the lead but Leecy took the lead when he paired his ace on the flop. The board finished with the turn and river and Leecy earned every chip in the Championship.
$1,700 Pinktober Championship (Re-Entry) $400,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 31: 125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante Players Remaining: 2 of 358
Matthew Leecy and Jebhar Patterson continued to battle it out for the title and grabbed a ten-minute break from the action to regroup. Leecy leads and the blinds start to catch up to both.
$1,700 Pinktober Championship (Re-Entry) $400,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 29: 100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante Players Remaining: 2 of 358
With the board reading , Jebhar Patterson bet 650,000 and Matthew Leecy called. The river was and Patterson reached for some chips and bet 1,100,000. Leecy thought for several minutes, tossed out a chip to call, and Patterson showed for trip eights.
Leecy double-checked his cards and put them in the muck.
After the hand, blinds were increased to 100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante.
$1,700 Pinktober Championship (Re-Entry) $400,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 27: 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante Players Remaining: 2 of 358
Jebhar Patterson opened to 200,000 from his button, Matthew Leecy raised to 600,000 and Patterson called. The flop came , Leecy bet 500,000 and Patterson called.
The turn was , Leecy checked Patterson bet 500,000 and Leecy called. The river finished the board and both players checked. Leecy showed for a pair of nines and Patterson mucked the big pot to Leecy.
$1,700 Pinktober Championship (Re-Entry) $400,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 27: 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante Players Remaining: 2 of 358
It was a virtual dead heat at the start of heads-up play but Jebhar Patterson took a nice lead going into the break. They return to blinds at 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante and levels now last 30 minutes each.
$1,700 Pinktober Championship (Re-Entry) $400,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 26: 40,000/80,000 with a 80,000 ante Players Remaining: 2 of 358
With Matthew Leecy holding a tiny lead over Jebhar Patterson for the title, head-up action is underway. They will play out Level 26, take another break, and blind levels will last 30 minutes until we have a champ.