Wednesday, June 15, 2016 1:35 AM Local Time
Marco Johnson is the newest member of poker’s double gold bracelet club.
The poker player from Walnut Creek, CA won the $3,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament, which was played over three days and nights and just concluded at the Rio in Las Vegas. Johnson collected $259,730 in prize money, making this one of the biggest wins of his career.
This marked Johnson’s second win at the series, following a previous victory at the 2013 WSOP where he won the $2,500 buy-in Six-Handed Limit Hold’em title. He now has two wins, 33 cashes, and several deep runs to go along with what amounts to close to $2 million in earnings at the annual summer Las Vegas classic.
“This one feels a lot better, for sure,” Johnson said afterward. “I just got married and my wife is six-months pregnant, so with a kid on the way, this is more special.
Johnson also confided that he had an additional financial interest in the outcome of this finale.
“I also had two of my friends make a bet for a significant amount of money that I would win a gold bracelet this year, so they also won a lot of money – so that feels good.”
Johnson won his victory by dominating a final table which included a mix or pros and amateurs. There were only two former WSOP winners among the final eight – Johnson and Gerald Ringe.
The final moment of triumph came when the big stack scooped the final pot of the tournament against Jared Talarico who finished as the runner up. The final outcome seemed to be a foregone conclusion to some extent, given that Johnson began the heads-up battle with an 11-1 chip advantage. He took a few losses, but then closed out the victory relatively quickly.
I was the most excited coming into this year that I’ve ever been,” Johnson said. “I’ve been that way each year for the nine years that I’ve come to the WSOP. But I do get more and more excited about it. In the past, I’ve focused a lot on cash games. But this year, I decided to focus on tournaments. So, it’s nice to win a bracelet this early.”
This tourney attracted 400 entries which created a prize pool totaling $1,092,000. This was yet another big-buy in event which saw an increase in entries over 2015 when 376 players signed up.
Aside from the winner, here’s a brief report of the other top finishers who made the final table:
Second Place: Jared Talarico, from Houston, TX finished as the runner up. He collected $160,522 in prize money, his biggest score ever at the WSOP. Talarico, a graduate of TCU posted his fourth cash at the series in a most impressive run.
Third Place: Gerald Ringe, from London, UK took third place. He was one of two finalists aiming for a second gold bracelet, but came up two places short. Ringe won the $1,500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split tourney last year, and with this impressive showing added another six-figure score to his WSOP resume. Third place paid out $108,522.
Fourth Place: Todd Ickow, from Valpraiso, IN finished in fourth place. He has cashes dating back 13 years. This was his deepest run at the series, which paid $75,397.
Fifth Place: Glenn Englebert, from Sicklerville, NJ took the fifth-place position. He only has six cashes at the series, to date. However, four of the in-the-money finishes have been final table appearances – including a 4th, two 5th-place finishes, and a 9th. He added another $53,259 to his career WSOP earnings.
Sixth Place: John Crisp, from Zapata, TX finished in sixth place. This was his second time to cash at the WSOP. It was also his biggest score, which paid $38,409.
Seventh Place: Toma Kalaj, from New York City ended up as the seventh-place finisher. He was paid $28,291 in what was his second time to cash at this year’s series.
Eighth Place: Chino Rheem, from Los Angeles, CA was the first player to bust off the final table. The high-stakes gambler perhaps best known for finishing third in the 2008 WSOP Main Event Championship, added $21,294 to his total career earnings at the series, which now has surpassed $2.5 million. Rheem now has 25 cashes and at least one in-the-money finish in each of the last 12 years at the WSOP.Tuesday, June 14, 2016 11:35 PM Local Time
Marco Johnson Event 18 Champion
7 Card Stud High
Marco Johnson completes with the , and Jared Talarico calls with the .
Johnson catches the , and Talarico gets the . Talarico bets, and Johnson calls.
Talarico gets the on fifth street, bets. Johnson raises after catching the . Talarico three-bets, and Johnson raises back. Talarico calls all in. The rest of the cards are dealt, and the hands are revealed.
Talarico shows (two pair, sixes and fours)
Johnson shows his first six cards, , but his river card is still concealed.
Johnson squeezes his final card. "It's paint," says Johnson. "King!" yells Johnson as he tables the for an ace-high straight to win the pot.
Marco Johnson wins Event #18: $3,0000 HORSE. He earns $259,730 and his second career WSOP bracelet.
Jared Talarico (pictured below) finishes second for $160,522.
A full recap of event 18 will be posted shortly.
Jared Talarico 2nd Place ($160,522)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 11:11 PM Local Time
7 Card Stud Eight or Better
Jared Talarico: / /
Marco Johnson: / /
In two consecutive hands of stud eight-or-better, Jared Talarico is all in, but the players chop.
In the following hand, Talarico has the bring in. Marco Johnson completes and Talarico calls.
Talarico has the lead on fourth street and bets. Johnson calls.
Both players check fifth.
Talarico bets sixth. Johnson calls.
Seventh is checked by both players.
Talarico turns over , a pair of queens with no low. Johnson has apparently missed any low draw he had and can't beat the queens, and he mucks his cards. Talarico is back over a million in chips.
Jared Talarico - 1,400,000 (8 BB)
Marco Johnson - 4,600,000 (28 BB)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 10:47 PM Local Time
|
Ante
|
Bring-in or Small Blind |
Completion
or Big Blind |
Limits |
Flop Games |
- |
40,000 |
80,000 |
80,000/160,000 |
Stud Games |
20,000 |
20,000 |
80,000 |
80,000/160,000 |
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 10:46 PM Local Time
Level: | 28 | | Blinds: | 80,000/160,000 | |
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 10:45 PM Local Time
Gerald Ringe Eliminated
Omaha Eight or Better
Gerald Ringe raises from the small blind, and Marco Johnson three-bets from the big blind. Ringe reraises all in, and Johnson calls. Both hands are tabled.
Ringe:
Johnson:
The board runs out .
Johnson has a pair of sevens, and the nut low, and Ringe is eliminated in third place. He earns $108,924.
Marco Johnson - 5,000,000 (41 BB)
Gerald Ringe - Eliminated
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 10:34 PM Local Time
Hold'em
Marco Johnson raises from the small blind and Jared Talarico calls from the big blind.
The flop comes . Johnson bets, Talarico raises, and Johnson calls.
On the turn, Johnson checks,Talarico bets, and Johnson calls.
Johnson checks the river and Talarico bets. Johnson thinks about something for more than a minute, then calls and shows . His pair of twos is enough to win.
Marco Johnson - 4,000,000 (33 BB)
Jared Talarico - 650,000 (5 BB)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 10:26 PM Local Time
7 Card Stud Eight or Better
Gerald Ringe: / /
Jared Talarico: / /
Gerald Ringe and Jared Talarico get into a raising war on third street. The action is eventually capped at 240,000 each.
Ringe bets on fourth street, and Talarico raises. Ringe calls.
Ringe checks fifth street, Talarico bets, and Ringe raises all in. Talarico calls to put Ringe at risk. All seven cards are dealt, and revealed.
Ringe ends up with two pair, sevens and sixes. Talarico can only manage a pair of sixes, and Ringe doubles up.
Gerald Ringe - 440,000 (2 BB)
Jared Talarico - 1,460,000 (12 BB)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 10:09 PM Local Time
Omaha Hi/Lo Eight or Better
Gerald Ringe raises from the button. Jared Talarico calls from the big blind.
The flop is . Talarico checks, Ringe bets, Talarico calls the bet.
On the turn, Talarico bets. Ringe calls.
The river is the . Talarico bets again, Ringe raises, Talarico calls, and shows for the nut flush and second-nut low. Ringe has , and shares the same low as Talarico. Talarico gets the high pot and half of the low, reducing Ringe to below a million in chips.
Jared Talarico - 2,000,000 (16 BB)
Gerald Ringe - 700,000 (5 BB)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 9:54 PM Local Time
Omaha Eight or Better
Gerald Ringe raises from the button, and Marco Johnson three-bets from the small blind. Ringe calls.
The players see a flop of . Johnson bets, and Ringe calls.
The turn is the . Johnson bets again, and Ringe calls.
The river brings the . Johnson bets again, and after a few moments Ringe calls. Johnson shows for trip queens, and he takes the pot.
Marco Johnson - 3,500,000 (29 BB)
Gerald Ringe - 950,000 (7 BB)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 9:46 PM Local Time
|
Ante
|
Bring-in or Small Blind |
Completion
or Big Blind |
Limits |
Flop Games |
- |
30,000 |
60,000 |
60,000/120,000 |
Stud Games |
15,000 |
20,000 |
60,000 |
60,000/120,000 |
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 9:46 PM Local Time
Level: | 27 | | Limits: | 60,000/120,000 | |
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8:46 PM Local Time
The three remaining players are on a 60-minute dinner break. Play resumes with Level 27 at about 9:45 p.m.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8:45 PM Local Time
7 Card Stud Eight or Better
Jared Talarico: / /
Marco Johnson: / /
Johnson completes, and Talarico raises. Johnson calls, closing the third street action.
Johnson bets on fourth street, and Talarico raises. Johnson decides to call.
Talarico pairs his seven on fifth street. He bets, and Johnson calls.
Johnson catches a pair of aces on sixth street, and checks. Talarico bets, and Johnson calls once again.
Johnson bets seventh street, and Talarico folds his hand.
Johnson shows for a two pair, aces and threes, and a six low to scoop the pot.
Marco Johnson - 3,150,000 (31 BB)
Jarad Talarico - 1,400,000 (14 BB)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8:36 PM Local Time
Marco Johnson
7 Card Stud
Jared Talarico: / /
Marco Johnson: / /
Jared Talarico is the bring in, Marco Johnson completes, and both Gerald Ringe and Talarico call.
Johnson bets fourth street. Talarico calls, but Ringe is out.
Talarico bets with an ace on fifth street but Johnson raises him, Talarico calls the raise.
On sixth street, Talarico bets again, and Johnson raises again. Talarico calls.
Talarico bets seventh street, Johnson raises, Talarico reraises and Johnson four-bets. Talarico calls and Johnson turns over for a full house.
"You river that?" Talarico asks Johnson. Johnson just nods as the chips get pushed his direction and he pulls essentially even with Talarico.
Marco Johnson - 2,130,000 (21 BB)
Jared Talarico - 2,620,000 (26 BB)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8:18 PM Local Time
Todd Ickow Eliminated
Razz
Todd Ickow: / /
Gerald Ringe: / /
Ringe bets on fifth street, and is raised by Ickow who catches a . Ringe decides to call.
Ringe bets again on sixth street, and Ickow raises all in. Ringe calls to put him at risk. The final card is dealt, and both hands are tabled.
Ringe makes a ten-seven. Ickow only manages to make a king low, and is eliminated.
Gerald Ringe - 950,000 (9 BB)
Todd Ickow - Eliminated in 4th Place ($75,397)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8:10 PM Local Time
Glenn Engelbert
Omaha Eight or Better
Glenn Engelbert is in the small blind and raises. Gerald Ringe reraises, and Engelbert is all in when he makes a fourth bet.
The board runs out . Engelbert has in his hand, but Ringe has scooping the pot with two pair and 7-6-4-2-A.
Gerald Ringe - 1,050,000 (10 BB)
Glenn Engelbert - Eliminated in 5th Place ($53,259)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 7:57 PM Local Time
John Crisp eliminated
Omaha Eight or Better
John Crisp raises from middle position, and gets three-bet by Todd Ickow. Crisp reraises all in, and Ickow calls with not much more behind.
Crisp:
Ickow:
The board runs out . Ickow makes two pair, aces and tens, and Crisp is eliminated.
Todd Ickow - 400,000 (4 BB)
John Crisp - Eliminated in sixth place ($38,409)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 7:44 PM Local Time
|
Ante
|
Bring-in or Small Blind |
Completion
or Big Blind |
Limits |
Flop Games |
- |
25,000 |
50,000 |
50,000/100,000 |
Stud Games |
10,000 |
20,000 |
50,000 |
50,000/100,000 |
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 7:43 PM Local Time
Level: | 26 | | Blinds: | 50,000/100,000 | |