2023 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 625
Prize Pool: $937,500
March 16 – 20, 2023

The 2023 Tampa Poker Classic Championship was the big game on the schedule and the $1,700 buy-in tournament drew 625 tough players. After a long weekend battling for the title, Ryan Brown took the top spot for $148K after denying Fred Paradis his third title of the series.

The tournament featured a $500,000 guarantee that turned into a prize pool worth $937,500. We had 156 players return for Day 2, 79 made the money, and 20 were still around when they bagged up for an extra day.

Brown held the lead for much of the final table but lost it against Paradis. They were in a dead heat when heads-up play began and the two decided to even out the top two payouts. The lead changed hands but Brown was finally able to knock Paradis out with a full house version a straight.

Paradis earned $138,010 while Brown was crowned our 2023 TPC Champion and he took home $148,010 along with the TPC guitar trophy.

Congrats Ryan!

More to come later including words from our Champion

Final table results:

1st: Ryan Brown – $148,010
2nd: Fred Paradis – $138,010
3rd: Thad McNulty – $84,160
4th: Huicun Qiao – $62,630
5th: Alec Magdan – $47,130
6th: Steve Buckner – $35,870
7th: Rodney Turvin – $27,610
8th: Ray Mancini – $21,500
9th: Pavel Milanov – $16,930

• Complete 2023 TPC Championship results (PDF)

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  150,000/300,000 with a 300,000 ante

With the flop reading , Ryan Brown checked, Fred Paradis bet 400,000 and Brown called. The turn was , Brown checked again, Paradis bet 1,200,000 and Brown called.

The river was and Brown checked one last time. Paradis bet 1,500,000 and Brown moved all in. Paradis double-checked his cards and called at risk for 6,700,000.

Paradis:
Brown:

Paradis turned a jack-high straight but Brown rivered a full house queens full of eights to take the pot and the Championship.

Before heads-up play began, they adjusted the payouts, and here are the final results.

1st: Ryan Brown – $148,010
2nd: Fred Paradis – $138,010

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 625

Fred Paradis open-shipped for 2,800,000 from his button and Ryan Brown called.

Paradis:
Brown:

Paradis was ahead for the double, turned Broadway on the board and dodged hearts on the river to double.

Fred Paradis – 5,850,000 (23 bb)
Ryan Brown – 18,950,000 (76 bb)

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 625

With the flop reading , Ryan Brown checked, Fred Paradis bet 400,000 and Brown check-raised to 1,200,000. Paradis called, the turn was , Brown bet 1,100,000 and Paradis called.

The river was and Brown moved all in for 7,150,000. Paradis thought for a minute and called. Paradis showed and was playing the wheel on the board but Brown had for the turned spade flush to re-take the lead.

Ryan Brown – 19,200,000 (77 bb)
Fred Paradis – 5,600,000 (22 bb)

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 625

Blinds are up, the break was skipped, and blinds are up in the heads-up match for the TPC Championship.

Fred Paradis – 16,100,000 (64 bb)
Ryan Brown – 8,700,000 (35 bb)

1st: $171,670
2nd: $114,350

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 625

Ryan Brown dipped further and put his last 4,300,000 in the middle and Fred Paradis had him at risk for the title.

Paradis:
Brown:

Brown needed to catch to stay in contention and paired his ace on the flop to take the lead. The turn and river finished the board and Brown doubled.

Fred Paradis – 16,000,000 (80 bb)
Ryan Brown – 8,800,000 (44 bb)

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 625

Ryan Brown took control of the heads-up match and quickly built a lead for the title. Then Fred Paradis raised to 400,000 from his button and Brown called to see the flop.

Brown checked, Paradis continued for 300,000 and Brown called. The turn was , Brown checked, Paradis bet 1,600,000 and Brown called.

The river was and Brown checked again. Paradis moved all in for 6,450,000 and Brown thought for several minutes. He tossed in chips to call and Paradis showed for a ten-high straight. Brown mucked and his two pair was second best.

Fred Paradis – 18,400,000 (92 bb)
Ryan Brown – 6,400,000 (32 bb)

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 625

Action is underway with Fred Paradis and Ryan Brown heads-up for the TPC Championship title. It is a dead heat with only one big blind difference between them.

After Level 30 comes to an end, blind will increase every 30 minutes until we have a winner.

Fred Paradis – 12,500,000 (63 bb)
Ryan Brown – 12,300,000 (62 bb)

1st: $171,670
2nd: $114,350

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 625

With the board reading , Thad McNulty moved all in for 3,000,000 even from the big blind and Ryan Brown thought about it for a minute on the button. He called, they tabled their hands, and McNulty sighed.

Brown:
McNulty:

McNulty flopped two pair sixes and fives but was behind the sevens and sixes of Brown. The board finished with the turn and river to send McNulty out in third place.

Ryan Brown – 12,300,000 (62 bb)
Thad McNulty – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($84,160)

$1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 625

Blinds are up at the three-handed Championship final table with Fred Paradis still holding the lead and Thad McNulty needing to make something happen.

Seat 2: Fred Paradis – 12,150,000 (61 bb)
Seat 4: Thad McNulty – 3,200,000 (16 bb)
Seat 5: Ryan Brown – 9,650,000 (48 bb)

1st: $171,670
2nd: $114,350
3rd: $84,160