Lithuanian Poker Pro takes down inaugural $2,200 High Roller at Choctaw Durant.
8 November 2019 (Durant, Okla.) -- The first ever $2,200 High Roller at Choctaw Durant has come to an end after two days of play, and Gediminas Uselis has become the latest World Series of Poker Circuit winner after topping a field of 108 players, emerging victorious for his first ring.
Uselis overcame a tough line-up of runners to take home the $60,710 first-place prize, along with his first new WSOP Circuit ring.
"It feels great to win a ring," said Uselis after his victory, one that was a rocky road.
Uselis came into the final day in the middle of the pack holding on to a stack with less than 100,000 for majority of the day. He entered the final table last in chips with 69,000 but managed to spike key double-ups that managed him to climb to the top as he eliminated five of the final eight players.
The win adds to a resume that already had over $250,000 in career earnings. "I got here Wednesday and busted the $600 but saved my luck for this one," said Uselis jokingly after the victory.
Final Day Action
The final day of the high roller saw 21 players returning from Day 1 and an additional three jumped in as the late registration period was open until the start of play on Day 2. Those three brought the total to 108 entries for the event, which created a total prize pool of $216,000 with the top 17 landing a payday of at least $3,305.
Play started with players getting new seating assignments as the first elimination of the day saw the three-table redraw happen within minutes. After the prize pool was released, it didn't take long for players to start dropping at a rapid pace before the bubble burst.
From there, eliminations continued like wildfire as Nick Yunis, Bryant Miller, Jason Daly and Adam Hendrix shortly after players were in the money.
The final day continued with the double-elimination of Brock Wilson and Marvin Rettenmaier after Clint Tolbert turned trip sevens to take out both in the same hand.
The eliminations of Andrew Watson and Christopher Staats set the unofficial final table with Asaf Ben-Shushan falling soon after setting the main stage.
Final Table Action
Once the final table was set, all eight players were trailing Tolbert who held one-third of the chips in play. Play was tight until for a few orbits until Mason Vieth and Aaron Van Blarcum got all their chips in the middle preflop. Vieth raised holding a pair of queens and Van Blarcum bumped it back up after he woke up with kings from the small blind. It was all she wrote from there as Van Blarcum flopped a set to send Veith out in eighth place.
Almost one full 40-minute level passed before Viet Vo found the door. Vo got the rest of his chips in the middle after flopping an open-ended staright and was called by Brian Altman holding middle pair. Neither the turn or river were no help to Vo and took home a seventh place finish ($7,821).
Peter Walsworth was next on the chopping block after he lost half his stack in a flip against Jeremy Joseph and lost the other half to Van Blarcum, saw him exit in sixth place ($10,145).
Five handed play saw newly crowned champ Uselis, start his reign of terror after getting a few luckylucky doubles and then dusting Altman out in fifth place with a set of eights.
Four-handed play was very slow as each of the remaining players were evenly stacked. No one made a move until Joseph found himself a pair of ladies that couldn't hold against the suited ace of Uselis and he left the final table in fourth place ($18,523).
Uselis would continue his hot streak after his made hand of fours held against the ace-nine of Tolbert sending him home in third place good for 26,031.
Heads-up play ended within two hands as Uselis held a major chip lead over Van Blarcum who got it in good heads-up with king-queen off but was dominated after Uselis turned over ace-queen. Van Blarcum was eliminated in second place for a respectable $7,523. Uselis took home the $60,710 first-place money, along with his first gold ring.
That wraps it up for the PokerNews live coverage of the $2,200 High Roller but check out the $1,700 Main Event tomorrow at noon local time for Day 1b.
Final Table Results:
1: Gediminas Uselis - $60,710 & WSOP Circuit gold ring
2: Aaron Van Blarcum - $37,523
3: Clint Tolbert - $26,031
4: Jeremy Joseph - $18,523
5: Brian Altman - $13,527
6: Peter Walsworth - $10,145
7: Viet Vo - $7,821
8: Mason Vieth - $6,201