Tim Ulmer Wins His Second WSOP Sydney Circuit Event
While the 2017 WSOP Sydney Circuit Main Event was in the midst of finding its champion, the final side event of the series got underway in the Star Poker room which was full of excitement and the sounds of shuffling chips.
When registration closed, 412 runners took their seats in the Bounty Event and played into the early morning hours of the following day when Tim Ulmer found himself the last man standing. He knocked out 15 players along the way, each worth $200, which added $3,000 to the $36,283 first-place prize.
The road to the final table was anything but easy. There were a lot of familiar faces in the field, all hoping to take advantage of their last chance to claim WSOP Circuit Gold Ring.
The Final Table
The final table got underway with three players nearly tied for the chip lead, and two players virtually tied for the short stack. That left four players in the middle fighting to ladder up.
| Seat | Name | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Carlton | 821,000 |
| 2 | Sid Jabbour | 860,000 |
| 3 | Ismail Sahin | 290,000 |
| 4 | Tim Ulmer | 210,000 |
| 5 | Christopher Soyza | 220,000 |
| 6 | Thomas Chong | 140,000 |
| 7 | Matthew Velcic | 615,000 |
| 8 | Rohan Sabaratnam | 139,000 |
| 9 | Justin Layden | 825,000 |
It was one of the two short stacks that would be the first to go. Thomas Chong moved all in for his final 88,000 and Matthew Velcic tried to isolate the action when he moved all in over the top, but it was not to be when Christopher Soyza decided to come along for the ride.
Chong: A♥8♠
Velcic:8♦8♣
Soyza: A♦Q♥
The bad news for Chong and Velcic came when the flop K♠9♦Q♣ gave the lead to Soyza, which he maintained through the J♠5♠ turn and river.
Chong, the shorter stack of the two players, took his leave in ninth place earning $3,427, while Velcic won $4,291 for eighth place.
The next player to leave also found two callers in response to his all in. Rohan Sabartnam put his remaining 163,000 into the middle holding Q♣Q♥. He was called by Adam Carlton who held A♠7♠ and Sid Jabbour who held A♦9♦.
Carlton and Jabbour ended moving all their chips in after the 10♦2♣A♣ flop. The 2♠ turn and the J♦ river sent Sabartnam to the exit in seventh place holding a $5,448 paycheck. Carlton and Jabbour split the pot, with the bounty awarded to Carlton because he was closest to the dealer.
After doubling through Carlton on the previous hand, Ulmer set out to finish the job when he called Carlton's all in. Carlton turned over 8♣8♦, and Ulmer tabled A♥K♥, and they were off to the races. The board fell in Ulmer's favor when he found an ace on an all-club flop. Holding the only club, Carlton had hope. But the turn and river dashed it rather quickly and he added the sixth-place prize of $7,015 to his bankroll.
After doing some damage early on, Jabbour found himself in the unenviable position of calling Ulmer's raise. The 8♥3♥Q♥ flop was dealt, and Ulmer continued. Jabbour moved all in over the top with 4♦10♥, and Ulmer made the call holding A♣Q♠. A fourth heart remained elusive when the 3♣2♦ turn and river showed up to send Jabbour home in fifth place, earning a solid $9,166 for his efforts.
Ismail Sahin was the next player to take his leave when his 6♥6♦ couldn't maintain its lead over the Q♣10♣ of Soyza. Soyza made a straight on the 9♣K♦4♠J♦K♠ board, ending Sahin's dream a few places short of a win in fourth place taking with him $12,185.
Even with seven bounties to his name, Soyza couldn't find what he needed to get to the finish line. He moved all in from the button with 6♥10♣, and Ulmer made the call with Q♣3♥. Ulmer paired his queen on the flop and Soyza was unable to find any help, ending his fantastic run in third place and an additional $16,731 to add to his bounty pile.
Heads-Up Play
The elimination of Soyza in third place set the stage for a heads-up battle between Layden and Ulmer. Play began with Layden holding a more than 2:1 chip lead, but the momentum seemed to belong to Ulmer.
Heads-Up Chip Counts
| Seat | Name | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Tim Ulmer | 1,061,000 |
| 9 | Justin Layden | 3,059,000 |
The deficit didn't rattle Ulmer who stayed focused on the prize and hoped the cards would fall in his favor. And fall they did.
Not long after the battle began, Ulmer made a significant dent in Layden's stack when his full house beat Layden's trips.
Soon after, Ulmer finished the job after he called Layden's all in when his 4♥4♦ was one better than Layden's 3♠3♥.
Layden couldn't connect with the J♥2♥6♠6♣8♣ board, and he hit the rail in second place, taking with him the nice sum of $22,404.
The Final Table Results
| Seat | Name | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Ulmer | $36,283 |
| 2 | Justin Layden | $22,404 |
| 3 | Christopher Soyza | $16,731 |
| 4 | Ismail Sahin | $12,185 |
| 5 | Sid Jabbour | $9166 |
| 6 | Adam Carlton | $7,015 |
| 7 | Rohan Sabaratnam | $5,448 |
| 8 | Matthew Velcic | $4,291 |
| 9 | Thomas Chong | $3,427 |
WSOP Sydney Leaderboard
It was a week ago that Ulmer was victorious in the 6-Max Event to the tune of $93,787 and this win put Ulmer at the top of the leaderboard, tied with his close friend, Jarrod Thatcher.
"That event was a lot of fun," Ulmer told the Star Poker Live Reporting Team referring to the Bounty Event. "I am exhausted after a long series, but it was fantastic. Winning one event was already amazing, me winning two and Jarrod winning one makes this a pretty special series all around."
"Jarrod and I are always very competitive with each other," Ulmer continued. "We are great friends away from the table and spend a lot of time talking about situations and discussing hands. We really try to push each other to stay focused and get the best result we can".
The person who earned the most points during the series won a package that included entry to the WSOP Global Casino Championship. The team at Star Poker broke the tie between Thatcher and Ulmer by looking at the money each player won.
It was Ulmer who racked up slightly more prize money and will represent Star Poker in the U.S., joining Main Event winner, Michael Kanaan for a shot at the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
"It is great that we both did so well," Ulmer said. "It gives us a lot of confidence in what we are doing and encourages us to keep working harder. In saying that, if only one of us can win the trip to the States I am glad that it's me."
And That's a Wrap from Down Under
With the crowning of the 2017 WSOP Sydney Circuit Main Event champion and the conclusion of the Bounty Event, the WSOP Sydney Circuit tournament series has come to an end. But the poker continues at Star Poker Room. Visit their website for details.
