An early look at the 2022 Poker Showdown schedule pointed to a busy time on Day 12 of the series.
From the first card off the deck to the last, over the course of 17 hours, there were seven trophies awarded with a lot of money at stake. All told, our players walked to the cage and cashed out for a grand total of $1,878,750.
That’s a pretty great total for a Monday.
Yesterday was more than pure metrics though, there were seven great winners and all with stories worth telling.
Michael Nye had a long, rollercoaster day for the restart of Event 15. Started the day with the lead, dropped to a short stack, then took the title for $328,683. We noticed Nye was playing with an old driver’s license sitting near his stack the entire time; it belonged to his late father and he kept it close.
“I had my father with me the whole way,” said Nye after his win.
Poker Room regular Matt Bretzfield was a few tables away from Nye when he won the $600 Mixed Pot Limit Omaha. He defeated his friend Oscar Castagna heads-up and his father was on his mind as well.
“He was my best friend, this one is for you dad,” Bretzfield told us later.
Two-time WSOP Circuit winner Matthew Lambrecht had an hours-long, back-and-forth heads-up battle with Richard Kellett before he could pose with the $1,100 Purple Chip Bounty trophy. He earned $24,065 for the win plus a slew of $500 purple cash chips along the way.
After several close calls, Andre Bryan is now a major Hollywood tournament winner. He outlasted a huge field in the $150 Big Stack to take home his first Poker Showdown trophy along with $6,379.
James Calderaro owns a WSOP bracelet and has his name on the WPT Mike Sexton Champions Cup. Now the popular player also has a Poker Showdown trophy after winning the $400 Seniors 50+ event.
“I beat the best players in the world tonight, the old guys,” said Calderaro afterward. “Next, I’m gonna knock off the young kids.”
Gabriel Ramos came into the series with six Hollywood titles, second-most in our history. Last night he captured the $600 Double Black Chip Bounty tournament for his seventh, moving him into a three-way tie with David Prociak and Raminder Singh for most all-time.
Yuval Bronshtein earned his first Hollywood trophy a little over a year ago during the 2020 Lucky Hearts Poker Open. Last night he won his sixth in the $600 Eight-Max Pot Limit Omaha 8 event to move into second place on the trophy list. At this pace, the three players at the top can expect some company in the near future.
Most major Hollywood wins:
Gabriel Ramos – 7
David Prociak – 7
Raminder Singh – 7
Yuval Bronshtein – 6
Brian Altman – 6
Michael Newman – 6
Thanks to our players, an incredible day in the Grand Ballroom, and we’re not done yet. We are ready to roll into Championship weekend and see what new stories are told.
Updates and results:
Event 15 ($600 NLH): Michael Nye – $328,683
Event 20 ($1,100 Bounty): Matthew Lambrecht – $24,065
Event 21 ($600 Mixed PLO): Matt Bretzfield – $11,475
Event 22 ($400 Seniors): James Calderaro – $20,265
Event 23 ($600 Bounty): Gabriel Ramos – $11,174
Event 24 ($600 PLO): Yuval Bronshtein – $20,630
Event 25 ($150 Big Stack): Andre Bryan – $6,379
