2022 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 8
$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 169
Prize Pool: $89,570
March 15, 2022

The games keep getting bigger as the Tampa Poker Classic nears the Championship and Event 8 boosted the buy-in to $600 with a $30,000 guarantee. Local regular MT Tawfik dominated late to run over the final table and win the title in a heads-up deal for $22,170 plus a $2,200 seat in TPC Event 12,

The tournament drew 169 entries to top the $30,000 guarantee and nearly triple it for a prize pool worth $89,570. The last 17 players made the money and they took a long time to get to the bubble.

After nearly two levels, they reached hand-for-hand play, and then it only took one to get there after Tawfik flopped the nut flush against Toan Pham’s second nut flush.

From there they quickly played down to the final table where players dropped in a hurry. Tawfik held 60% of the chips in play when they were four-handed; he eliminated Filippos Stavrokis and Ken Ware knocked out Alexander Orlov.

Tawfik and Ware quickly agreed to a deal to divide up the remaining prize pool. Ware, making his second big run after a final table finish in Event 2, earned $18,560 while Tawfik took the top prize of $22,170.

After a lot of final tables and close calls, Tawfik earned his first major Tampa trophy and now has a seat in the $2,200/$100,000 guarantee TPC Event 12 field.

Congratulations!

Results:

* – denotes results of a heads-up deal

$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 169

Event 8 players took a break after Level 21, returned to the action and quickly dropped down to the final table. Nine players remain with a chance for the title. Here is the lineup:

Seat 1: David Long
Seat 2: Filippos Stavrakis
Seat 3: Liam Hagens
Seat 4: Enreko Fracassi
Seat 5: Yousef Nassr
Seat 6: Alexander Orlov
Seat 7: Ken Ware
Seat 8: Pete Kosakowski
Seat 9: MT Tawfik

Remaining payouts:

1st: $25,170 + $2,200 TPC Event 12 seat
2nd: $15,560
3rd: $10,610
4th: $7,470
5th: $5,420
6th: $4,060
7th: $3,150
8th: $2,530
9th: $2,100

Recent results:

10th: Denis Cyr – $2,100
11th: Mansoor Kader – $1,810
12th: Marie Harrell – $1,810
13th: Dominick Pelli – $1,630
14th: Douglas Marro – $1,630
15th: Thomas Elder – $1,520
16th: Anatoly Zharnitsky – $1,520
17th: Jeremy Becker – $1,480

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 19:  6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Players Remaining:  17 of 169

After the long grind to get to the money bubble, it only took one big hand to bust it. Event 8 dropped to 18 players and tournament staff paused the clock to begin bubble action.

With the board out and complete and reading , Toan Pham bet 90,000 and MT Tawfik raised. Pham announced all in for about 350,000 and Tawfik snapped a call with the flopped nut flush .

Pham shook his head, showed the second nut flush , and Tawfik took the huge pot while putting the rest of the field in the money.

Payouts:

1st: $25,170 + $2,200 TPC Event 12 seat
2nd: $15,560
3rd: $10,610
4th: $7,470
5th: $5,420
6th: $4,060
7th: $3,150
8th: $2,530
9th-10th: $2,100
11th-12th: $1,810
13th-14th: $1,630
15th-16th: $1,520
17th: $1,480

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18:  5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining:  19 of 169

The players were clearly aware of how much money was at stake. They reached 19 players, one away from bubble play, and stayed that way for more than a level.

They are still waiting for one more knock out but the stacks are getting short and someone will need to make a move.

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  4,000/8,000 with a 8,000 ante
Players Remaining:  21 of 169

Players returned from their dinner break with 21 players remaining and 17 getting paid. They will go into bubble player with 18 remaining so it should not take long to get there.

MT Tawfik is the new leader and his 522,000 gives him a nice cushion as things start to tighten up.

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 16:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  21 of 169

Dinner won the battle over the bubble. We had 21 players remaining when Level 16 came to an end and they were sent on a 30-minute dinner break. When they return, they’ll need to lose a few players before we get down to paying some money.

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 15:  2,500/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  32 of 169

As Level 14 was coming to an end, another player went out to leave the field with only 32 players remaining at the last four tables. With a dinner break coming up in an hour, they are racing the clock to see if they can make the money before leaving the tables for 30 minutes.

$600 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 13:  1,500/3,000 with a 3,000 ante
Players Remaining:  44 of 169

Another break has come and gone and players are back in their seats for another four levels. The pace slowed with the deep stacks and we can expect a solid grind till the end.

Toan Pham is your new leader, up to 260,000 as the field moves closer to the money.