While the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) chugs along, another series recently wrapped up in downtown Las Vegas. The 2021 Grand Poker Series at Golden Nugget wrapped its 50-event schedule over the weekend. All told the series catered to a combined 12,859 entries and awarded $2,630,429 in prize money.
In 2007, during the height of the so-called “Poker Boom,” Zak Penn wrote and directed a poker film titled The Grand, an improvisational comedy starting Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Dennis Farina, Cheryl Hines, Richard Kind, Chris Parnell, Werner Herzog, and Jason Alexander, among others.
The all-star movie was about a fictional poker tournament called “The Grand,” which the following year became a real tournament when the Golden Nugget hosted the first Grand Poker Series. The inaugural $1,080 Grand Final saw Inhpounh Vongvone emerge victorious for $21,728.
Since then, “The Grand Poker Series” has become an annual event and a staple on the poker calendar.
This year, John Gardner claimed victory in Event #22: $600 Championship No-Limit Hold’em $500,000 Guarantee, which attracted 1,096 combined entries for a total prize pool of $565,536. Of those, 138 players made it into the money for Day 2. The second day ended with only nine players left, and a final table was set for a third and final day. The final table lasted just under three hours and Gardner, who came into the day second in chips, ended up playing heads-up with Mark Harraka, who was the final table chip leader.
Grand Poker Series Championship Winners
| Year | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $1,080 Grand Finale | N/A | $62,080 | Inhpounh Vongvone | $21,728 |
| 2009 | $1,080 Grand Finale | 108 | $104,760 | Randy Propson | $34,560 |
| 2010 | $1,080 Grand Finale | 143 | $138,710 | Senovio Ramirez | $30,580 |
| 2011 | $1,080 Grand Finale | 235 | $227,950 | Marvin Rettenmaier | $54,713 |
| 2012 | $1,080 Grand Finale | 177 | $171,690 | Charles Culp | $46,356 |
| 2013 | $1,080 Grand Finale | 371 | $359,870 | Robert Kuhn | $69,454 |
| 2014 | $1,100 Grand Finale | 556 | $539,315 | Sean Stevens | $98,696 |
| 2015 | $560 Ante Up Poker Tour Main Event | 1,330 | $665,000 | Christian Francia | $89,298 |
| 2016 | $570 Main Event | 1,520 | $760,000 | Darrell Smith | $109,605 |
| 2017 | $570 Main Event | 2,025 | $1,012,500 | Sacha Mendelsohn | $113,859 |
| 2018 | $570 Main Event | 1,577 | $788,500 | Guilherme Bordão | $132,069 |
| 2019 | $600 Main Event | 1,313 | $677,508 | Michael Policastro | $90,630 |
| 2021 | $600 Main Event | 1,096 | $565,536 | John Gardner | $100,266 |
Other 2021 Grand Poker Series Winners
The series got underway when Jose Leon of Bellflower, California took down Event #1: $250 Omaha 8 or Better for $3,480 and the first trophy of the series. As for the biggest prize awarded in the first three days of the series, that went to Michael Brewer of Oxford, North Carolina, who topped a 99-player field in the Event #5: GNLV Poker Room Invitational for $9,100.
Other early winners included Eric Plunkett (Event #3: $250 Big-O for $3,370), David Wortham (Event #7: $100 Pot-Limit Omaha Fire Till You're Tired for $2,376), and Kathy Chang (Event #9: $250 HORSE for $3,765).
Here's a look at all those who captured titles during the 2021 Grand Poker Series at Golden Nugget:
| Date | Tournament | GTD | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28-Sep | Event #1: $250 Omaha 8 or Better | $5,000 | 95 | $18,990 | Jose Leon | Bellflower, CA | $3,480 |
| 28-Sep | Event #2: $150 Daily NLH | $5,000 | 41 | $5,000 | Mary Campbell | Spring, TX | $1,535 |
| 28-Sep | Event #3: $250 Big-O | N/A | 70 | $10,640 | Eric Plunkett | Solvan, CA | $3,370 |
| 28-Sep | Event #4: $120 Nightly NLH | $3,000 | 47 | $4,089 | Daryl Oppelt | Brookings, SD | $1,324 |
| 29-Sep | Event #5: GNLV Poker Room Invitational | $100,000 | 99 | $100,000 | Michael Brewer | Oxford, NC | $9,100 |
| 29-Sep | Event #6: $150 Daily NLH | $5,000 | 72 | $7,920 | Adam Mirliss | Prescott, AZ | $2,460 |
| 29-Sep | Event #7: $100 Pot-Limit Omaha Fire Till You're Tired | N/A | 48 | $9,470 | David Wortham | Murrieta, GA | $2,376 |
| 29-Sep | Event #8: $120 Nightly NLH | $3,000 | 36 | $3,132 | Matthew Maddox | Toulumne, CA | $1,034 |
| 30-Sep | Event #9: $250 HORSE | $5,000 | 87 | $17,400 | Kathy Chang | Valencia, CA | $3,765 |
| 30-Sep | Event #10: $200 NLH Ultimate Re-Entry | $100,000 | 2,076 | $315,552 | Justin Hagan | Roseville, CA | $28,402 |
| 3-Oct | Event #11: $250 Omaha 8/Stud 8 | $10,000 | 178 | $35,600 | Darlene Springman | Las Vegas, NV | $5,387 |
| 3-Oct | Event #12: $150 Daily NLH | $10,000 | 155 | $17,050 | June Jenkins | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | $3,580 |
| 3-Oct | Event #13: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 101 | $8,787 | Michael James | West Allis, WI | $1,000 |
| 4-Oct | Event #14: $250 Mixed PLO/8, Omaha 8/B, Big-O | $10,000 | 186 | $37,200 | Derek Bugg | Puyallup, WA | $7,240 |
| 4-Oct | Event #15: $150 Daily NLH | $10,000 | 219 | $24,090 | Qijon Troy | Honolulu, HI | $3,035 |
| 4-Oct | Event #16: $200 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball Limit | N/A | 108 | $16,416 | Joe Konstan | St. Paul, MN | $4,796 |
| 4-Oct | Event #17: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 75 | $6,525 | Eric Kendall | Carmel, IN | $840 |
| 5-Oct | Event #18: $250 Big-O | $10,000 | 109 | $21,800 | Michael Howell | Las Vegas, NV | $5,965 |
| 5-Oct | Event #19: $200 NLH $100K GTD | $100,000 | 1,905 | $289,560 | Jenyue Chiang | Mesa, AZ | $23,550 |
| 6-Oct | Event #20: $250 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed | $10,000 | 141 | $28,200 | Luis Alvarez | South Houston, TX | $7,070 |
| 7-Oct | Event #21: $250 8-Game Mix | $5,000 | 102 | $20,400 | Jacob Naumann | Largo, FL | $5,200 |
| 7-Oct | Event #22: $600 Championship NLH | $500,000 | 1,096 | $565,536 | John Gardner | Eagle Mountain, UT | $100,266 |
| 7-Oct | Event #23: $150 Daily NLH | $10,000 | 123 | $13,530 | Norsavanh Phousith | Woonsocket, RI | $1,370 |
| 7-Oct | Event #24: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 50 | $5,000 | Gregory Robbins | Fresno, CA | $1,700 |
| 8-Oct | Event #25: $150 Daily NLH | $10,000 | 108 | $11,880 | Braxton Lake | Jersey City, NJ | $2,420 |
| 8-Oct | Event #26: $200 Night HORSE | N/A | 91 | $13,832 | Michael Ornelas | Los Angeles, CA | $3,972 |
| 8-Oct | Event #27: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 42 | $5,000 | Yette Silverman | Jensen Beach, FL | $1,700 |
| 9-Oct | Event #28: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 111 | $9,657 | Tamara Tibbles | Spokane, WA | $2,075 |
| 10-Oct | Event #29: $200 Daily NLH | $25,000 | 229 | $34,808 | John Coles | Tinton Falls, NJ | $5,008 |
| 10-Oct | Event #30: $120 Cheap and Deep NLH | N/A | 214 | $18,618 | Brandon Kelzenberg | Maple Grove, MN | $1,695 |
| 11-Oct | Event #31: Bar Poker Open Championship | N/A | 1,096 | $385,437 | Chris Farkas | Chandler, AZ | $70,047 |
| 11-Oct | Event #32: $200 Tag Team NLH | N/A | 198 | $30,690 | Michael Hauptman | Michael Hauptman & David Hong | $6,035 |
| 12-Oct | Event #33: $200 Daily NLH | $25,000 | 311 | $47,272 | Cynthia Sharp | Fishers, NY | $4,417 |
| 12-Oct | Event #34: $125 Green Chip Bounty NLH | N/A | 333 | $21,312 | Matthew Nelsen | Arvada, CO | $2,440 |
| 13-Oct | Event #35: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 203 | $17,661 | Deborah Pedigo | Seguin, TX | $3,060 |
| 14-Oct | Event #36: $200 Daily NLH | $25,000 | 309 | $46,968 | Mark Hagan | Overland, MO | $10,263 |
| 14-Oct | Event #37: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 183 | $15,921 | Michael Oar | Alexandria, VA | $4,131 |
| 15-Oct | Event #38: $250 Daily NLH | $50,000 | 461 | $92,200 | Everton Taylor | Brooklyn, NY | $18,000 |
| 15-Oct | Event #39: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 144 | $12,528 | Arthur Tschoepe | Georgetown, TX | $1,341 |
| 16-Oct | Event #40: $250 Seniors NLH (50+) | $50,000 | 413 | $82,600 | Dennis Paye | Las Vegas, NV | $12,675 |
| 16-Oct | Event #41: $200 Daily NLH | $25,000 | 179 | $27,208 | Nathaniel Williamson | Escalon, CA | $7,043 |
| 16-Oct | Event #42: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 113 | $9,831 | Richard Harlow | Bullhead City, AZ | $2,901 |
| 17-Oct | Event #43: $400 Seniors Championship NLH (50+) | $50,000 | 153 | $51,255 | Louis Cheffy | Las Vegas, NV | $8,675 |
| 17-Oct | Event #44: $200 Daily NLH | $25,000 | 171 | $25,992 | Richard Ziskind | Las Vegas, NV | $3,911 |
| 17-Oct | Event #45: $200 Triple Stud | N/A | 34 | $5,168 | Steven Bessette | Floral Park, NY | $1,500 |
| 17-Oct | Event #46: $120 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 80 | $6,960 | James Fletcher | Wichita, KS | $1,860 |
| 18-Oct | Event #47: $250 Super Seniors (60+ or played Seniors) | $50,000 | 242 | $50,000 | Kenneth Harbauch | Destin, Florida | $6,870 |
| 18-Oct | Event #48: $150 Daily NLH | $10,000 | 110 | $12,100 | Matthew Faust | Ouray, CO | $2,405 |
| 18-Oct | Event #49: $200 Super Deep Stack Turbo NLH | $200 | 60 | $9,120 | Barry Bergida | Bullhead City, AZ | $3,280 |
| 18-Oct | Event #50: $120 Nightly NLH | $3,000 | 52 | $4,524 | Scott Anderson | Savage, MN | $1,020 |
