The 2021 Wynn Winter Classic is nearing the conclusion of its two-week 10-event series, which kicked off on December 6.
The series culminates with the $5,300 buy-in, $2,000,000 GTD Championship from December 17-20. There will be two starting flights starting with Day 1a at Noon on Friday, December 17 with Day 1b taking place at the same time on Saturday, December 18. The surviving players from each flight will then return at Noon on Sunday, December 19 for Day 2 action. It’s at that point PokerNews will pick up live updates onward to the Day 3 finale, which will play out on Monday, December 20.
Leading up to the Championship, there were several big side events as highlighted below.
Successful Live PKO Tournament
On December 13, one of the most highly-anticipated tournaments of the 2021 Wynn Winter Classic took place in the $5,200 Progressive PKO Bounty, a format usually reserved for online play but brought to the live realm by Ryan Beauregard and his team.
The tournament featured a $250,000 guarantee and crushed it by drawing 154 entries and creating a $452,760 prize pool, which was split between the regular and bounty pools.
The top 17 players finished in the money, and some of those to cash but fall short of the final table were Romain Lewis (15th - $8,014), Shannon Shorr (13th - $9,055), and final table bubble boy Chance Kornuth (10th - $10,323), just to name a few.
The final table was an international affair, and the tournament concluded when Bulgaria's Boris Kolev defeated Germany's Daniel Smiljkovic in heads-up play to win a $131,548 top prize plus $88,000 in bounties.
$5,200 PKO Bounty Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Nationality | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | $131,548 |
| 2 | Daniel Smiljkovic | Germany | $78,554 |
| 3 | Sung Joo Hyun | Korea | $50,347 |
| 4 | Ryan Laplante | Las Vegas, Nevada | $34,718 |
| 5 | Felipe Ramos | Austira | $25,717 |
| 6 | Tobias Schweht | Austria | $20,329 |
| 7 | Kristen Bicknell | Canada | $16,621 |
| 8 | Elijah Berg | Newton, Massachusetts | $13,900 |
| 9 | Michael Rocco | Tustin, California | $11,908 |
Curt Kohlberg Wins $400 Seniors NLH (50+)
On December 13, the $400 Seniors NLH (50+) $40K GTD took place and saw 245 entrants more than double the guarantee by creating an $84,525 prize pool.
That was paid out amongst the top 27 finishers including Lisa Teebagy (24th - $858), Paul Balzano (21st - $943), Xiao Huang (16th - $1,155), Darren Kitchen (12th - $1,461), and final table bubble boy Jurgen Bluthgen (10th - $1,669).
In the end, it was poker pro Curt Kohlberg besting Alan Schottenfeld in heads-up play to claim the title and $21,361 first-place prize.
$400 Seniors NLH (50+) Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Nationality | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curt Kohlberg | Boston, Massachusetts | $21,361 |
| 2 | Alan Schottenfeld | Las Vegas, Nevada | $13,186 |
| 3 | Linoa Iwaniak | England | $8,664 |
| 4 | Stephen Stolzman | Las Vegas, Nevada | $6,001 |
| 5 | Keith Fournier | Las Vegas, Nevada | $4,421 |
| 6 | Stacy Ambrose | Manteo, North Carolina | $3,406 |
| 7 | N/A | N/A | $2,739 |
| 8 | Rodney Hurlbul | Denver, Colorado | $2,274 |
| 9 | Denis Bilodeau | Orange County, California | $1,936 |
Jeff Madsen Wins $400 Limit Omaha 8/B
On December 14, the Wynn Winter Classic invited players to compete in the $400 Limit Omaha 8/B, a tournament that attracted 103 runners and offered up a $35,535 prize pool.
That was paid out to the top 11 finishers, meaning two players cashed but fell short of the final table. They were Joshua Rhodes and Andrew Donabedian, who each took home $959 for finishing in 11th and 10th place respectively.
2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event fourth-place finisher Garry Gates was at the final table, ultimately finishing in eighth place for $1,222.
With three players remaining, a deal was struck that saw poker veteran "Miami" John Cernuto take third for $5,700, Michael Parizen second for $8,543, and four-time bracelet winner and 2006 WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Madsen claim the title and $8,678 in prize money.
$400 Limit Omaha 8/B Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Nationality | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Madsen | Las Vegas, Nevada | $8,678* |
| 2 | Michael Parizen | Farmington, Michigan | $8,543* |
| 3 | "Miami" John Cernuto | Las Vegas, Nevada | $5,700* |
| 4 | Shady Badran | Murray, Utah | $2,978 |
| 5 | William Wallace | Salinas, California | $2,221 |
| 6 | Moritz Hopfner | Las Vegas, Nevada | $1,763 |
| 7 | David Lolis | Sugarland, Texas | $1,446 |
| 8 | Garry Gates | Las Vegas, Nevada | $1,222 |
| 9 | Andrew Kerstine | Henderson, Nevada | $1,066 |
Ryan Hughes Wins $400 NLH $40K GTD
On December 14, the Wynn Winter Classic $400 NLH $40K GTD event took place. The tournament drew 179 runners and offered up a $61,755 prize pool to the top 20 finishers.
Among those to cash but fall short of the final table was Darryll Shock (19th - $858), Randy Purdy (15th - $1,061), and final table bubble girl Carol Harmon (10th - $1,366).
The tournament came to an end when Ryan Hughes defeated Zachary Vuong in heads-up play to claim the title, trophy, and top prize of $17,080.
$400 NLH $40K GTD Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Nationality | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Hughes | Payson, Arizona | $17,080 |
| 2 | Zachary Vuong | Houston, Texas | $10,258 |
| 3 | Haribhai Gopaul | Corpus Christi, Texas | $6,614 |
| 4 | Jeff Scuzinski | Las Vegas, Nevada | $4,533 |
| 5 | Alan Goulder | Cliafrin Falls, Ohio | $3,38 |
| 6 | Sara Cholhagian | Las Vegas, Nevada | $2,640 |
| 7 | John Han | Nogales, Arizona | $2,163 |
| 8 | Randy Dang | La Grande Park, Illinois | $1,834 |
| 9 | Anh Nguyen | Canada | $1,575 |
Dorian Rius Pavon Wins $1,100 NLH for $110,172
From December 9-12, the Wynn Winter Classic hosted a $1,100 buy-in, $500K GTD No-Limit Hold’em tournament, which attracted 743 entries and offered up a $724,425 prize pool.
That was paid out to the top 80 finishers including Martins Adeniya (73rd - $2,380), Eric Baldwin (53rd - $3,334), Matt Affleck (37th - $3,791), Asher Conniff (35th - $4,321), Kathy Liebert (24th - $4,935), Ryan Laplante (18th - $6,470), Chip Jett (13th - $9,839), and final table bubble boy Ryan Smith (10th - $11,463).
After a four-handed deal was made, it was ultimately Dorian Rius Pavon claiming the title and $110,172 in prize money.
$1,100 NLH $500K GTD Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Nationality | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorian Rius Pavon | Henderson, Nevada | $110,172* |
| 2 | Sean Banahan | Las Vegas, Nevada | $80,000* |
| 3 | Damjan Radanov | Memphis, Tennessee | $65,000* |
| 4 | Ikechuk Wunlemchi | Houston, Texas | $65,000* |
| 5 | Tomas Soderstrom | Sweden | $30,861 |
| 6 | Joseph Fisk | Kingman, Arizona | $23,906 |
| 7 | Miltiadis Kyruakides | Austria | $19,197 |
| 8 | Antoine Labat | France | $15,937 |
| 9 | Joseph Pfluger | Henderson, Nevada | $13,440 |
Linda Lesterson Wins $400 NLH $40K GTD
On December 15, the Wynn Winter Classic held another $400 NLH $40K GTD tournament, which drew 172 entrants and awarded a $59,340 prize pool to the top 20 finishers.
Among those to play their way to a payday was Troy Parkins (18th - $824), Solange Lucas (16th - $911), Marty Gorenc (13th - $1,151), Barrett Nunley (9th - $1,513), Satish Surapaneni (6th - $2,537), and Jonathan Russell (4th - $4,356).
After Timothy Anders bowed out in third place for $6,355, the title came down to Alaska's Bradley Bylsma and Arizona's Linda Lesterson. The latter ultimately prevailed to claim the title and $16,416 first-place prize.
$400 NLH Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Nationality | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linda Lesterson | Scottsdale, Arizona | $16,416 |
| 2 | Bradley Bylsma | Anchorage, Alaska | $9,856 |
| 3 | Timothy Anders | Las Vegas, Nevada | $6,355 |
| 4 | Jonathan Russell | Los Angeles, California | $4,356 |
| 5 | Randy Jones | Gilbert, Arizona | $3,207 |
| 6 | Satish Surapaneni | Clifton, New Jersey | $2,537 |
| 7 | Alfred Atamian | Mission, Texas | $2,078 |
| 8 | Randy Dang | La Grange Park, Illinois | $1,762 |
| 9 | Barrett Nunley | Tulare, California | $1,513 |
2021 Wynn Winter Classic Winners Thus Far…
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/6-12/8 | $600 NLH $150K GTD | 454 | $236,080 | Dennis Wilke | Germany | $50,101 |
| 8-Dec | $400 NLH $40K GTD | 140 | $48,300 | David Perez | Spain | $12,545 |
| 13-Dec | $400 Seniors NLH (50+) | 245 | $84,525 | Curt Kohlberg | USA | $21,361 |
| 13-Dec | $5,200 PKO Bounty | 154 | $452,760 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | $131,548 |
| 14-Dec | $400 NLH $40K GTD | 179 | $61,755 | Ryan Hughes | USA | $17,080 |
| 14-Dec | $400 Limit Omaha 8/B | 103 | $35,535 | Jeff Madsen | USA | $8,678 |
| 15-Dec | $400 NLH $40K GTD | 172 | $59,340 | Linda Lesterson | USA | $16,416 |
| 12/9 - 12/12 | $1,100 NLH $500K GTD | 743 | $724,425 | Dorian Rius Pavon | USA | $110,172 |
