Former 'Loose Cannon' Nadya Magnus Wins WSOPC High Roller
Nadya Magnus won the $2,200 High Roller event at World Series of Poker Circuit Potawatomi in Milwaukee for $71,398 and her second WSOP Circuit ring. It's the biggest career cash for Magnus, who beat out a field of 119 in the single reentry event. The score comes on the heels of her ninth-place finish at PokerStars Championship Bahamas for $56,260.
Magnus was made famous in the poker world for her appearance on the PokerStars Big Game. That show featured five well-known or professional players and one amateur, dubbed the "loose cannon." Magnus was one of a few loose cannons to win big on the show, banking $63,600.
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nadya Magnus | Palatine, IL | $71,398 |
| 2 | Eric Rivkin | East Hampton, NY | $44,130 |
| 3 | Niel Mittelman | Libertyville, IL | $31,421 |
| 4 | Matt Shepsky | Skokie, IL | $22,824 |
| 5 | Craig Trost | Madison, WI | $16,908 |
| 6 | Kenny Nguyen | Lansing, IL | $12,764 |
| 7 | Steve Lauson | Manitowoc, WI | $9,818 |
| 8 | Jim Juvancic | Westchester, IL | $7,690 |
The tournament paid out only 12 places. Ryan Van Sanford and Johanssy Joseph were a couple of notable eliminations in the money who did not make the final table.
According to the live updates, Eric Rivkin took a big lead into the final table after he picked up aces and won a three-way all in on the unofficial final table bubble. One player went bust after missing a flush draw with K♣3♣ all in preflop, while Dennis Elliott was unable to get away from jacks on a ten-high flop. He busted his remaining crumbs in ninth after the final table began.
Magnus was one of a trio of short stacks to start the final table. Fellow shorties Jim Juvancic and Steve Lauson found themselves out the door shortly after play began.
Rivkin, who had busted two-time ring winner Juvancic, enabled Magnus to continue laddering when he busted colorful character Kenny Nguyen. Nguyen decided to take a stand with ace-ten, but the short-stacked player found himself outflopped by Rivkin's K♣7♣ when a seven appeared and neither player improved. That pot gave Rivkin about half of the total chips five-handed.
Magnus then picked up the A♥K♥ and shoved over a raise from Craig Trost, who was on a heater at Potawatomi after winning a recent Mid-States Poker Tour event and final tabling the big reentry to open the WSOPC stop. Trost needed help with A♣5♣ and found some when a five flopped, but a king followed it to send him packing.
Matt Shepsky got unlucky to bust in fourth when he shoved in 10 big blinds on the button with K♣8♣ and Rivkin looked him up with K♦6♦. A six on the turn doomed Shepsky.
Rivkin scored yet another knockout when his ace-jack outran a pair of fives held by Niel Mittelman and Rivkin went heads up with Magnus holding more than two-thirds of the chips.
Magnus turned the tables on Rivkin when she turned a straight with five-four after flopping open-ended as the board ran out 10♠6♠3♣7♦2♣. Rivkin tank-called her river jam and showed a six, leaving Magnus in complete command with a 6-1 lead.
Rivkin managed a double with king-queen against A♠5♠, hitting a straight on the river. Rivkin got it in with live Broadway cards again with Q♠J♥ against Magnus' A♣3♦. A board of 10♠7♣4♦K♣ gave him myriad outs to the river, but the 6♣ wasn't one of them, enabling Magnus to take down the event.
Photo courtesy of WSOP
