Sam Panzica Wins WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble ($354,335)
Sam Panzica showed off his heads-up chops with a massive comeback to defeat Richard Malone Jr. and take home his first World Poker Tour title at WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble.
Panzica banked $354,335 for topping the field of 379 players, his second biggest score after his victory in a high roller at the European Poker Tour Dublin last year He's now surpassed $1.8 million in live cashes.
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Panzica | $354,335* |
| 2 | Richard Malone Jr. | $237,616 |
| 3 | Ankush Mandavia | $152,766 |
| 4 | Tyler Patterson | $100,643 |
| 5 | Noah Schwartz | $77,499 |
| 6 | Paul Balzano | $64,183 |
*Includes $15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions entry
When the final table began, all eyes were on a pair of former champions. Tyler Patterson was attempting to be the first player to go back-to-back at an event after winning this one last year, while Noah Schwartz also had a chance to make WPT history by being the first player to win the same event twice — he took it down back in 2012.
Paul Balzano busted in brutal fashion right away on the very first hand of the day, according to the live updates. He three-bet from the small blind over Malone Jr.'s button open and got it in on the turn with kings on a board of J♠6♠4♥10♣. Malone Jr. decided to call with K♠Q♣ and saw he was in dire need of help without as many outs as he expected, but the 9♥ gave him a winning straight.
Just a few hands later, Schwartz joined Balzano on the rail when he jammed 17 big blinds with king-queen only to have Malone Jr. wake up with ace-king. That gave Malone Jr. about half of the chips in play four-handed.
Forty hands in, two players went bust after a massive hand. It started with Malone Jr. opening the button to 155,000 at 30,000/60,000/10,000. Patterson shoved from the small blind for 860,000 and Ankush Mandavia did likewise in the big for just over two million. Malone Jr. thought awhile and called.
Malone Jr.: A♠Q♠
Patterson: K♥K♦
Mandavia: 10♠10♥
The flop brought an ace and that was it for Mandavia and Patterson, ensuring the WPT Champions Club would be inducting a new member in a few hours.
Panzica was staring at about a 2-1 deficit entering heads-up play, but there was plenty of room to maneuver as he had north of 60 big blinds. The early rounds of the battle went to Malone Jr. and he opened up a nearly 10-1 lead about 20 hands in. Left with under 20 big blinds, Panzica was reduced to shoving in preflop to survive.
The comeback began with Panzica and Malone Jr. seeing an 8♠7♠6♠ flop for the minimum. Panzica check-shoved over a bet with 10♦5♠ but Malone Jr. snapped him off with A♣A♦. Panzica needed help but had tons of outs, and the 9♠ turn was one of them, giving him a straight flush and the double to 26 big blinds.
Panzica found another double at Hand #113, flopping a set of tens and getting lucky when Malone Jr. turned a pair of aces to pay off his river shove on a board of 10♠8♦5♠A♦J♦.
Panzica continued to chip away at Malone Jr. A bit later the two were even. The tide continued to swell in his favor, though, and Panzica took a decisive lead at Hand #156, with blinds at 125,000/250,000/25,000. Panzica checked his big blind and check-called 300,000 on a K♠5♣3♥ flop. Both checked the 7♥ and Panzica got 450,000 paid off on the river, showing down K♣6♦ for two pair to take a nearly 3-1 lead and reduce Malone Jr. to 12 big blinds.
At Hand #185, after more than four hours of heads-up play, Panzica ended it when he shoved the button with K♥9♣ and got a call from Malone Jr.'s A♣3♦. The board ran out in Panzica's favor as he hit two pair, completing his massive comeback and earning him the first-place money and a ticket to the WPT Tournament of Champions.
Image courtesy of WPT
