Persistence Pays With Platinum Pass for Nathan Manuel
Rocky said it's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That's advice that Nathan Manuel took to heart as he didn't let repeated "close but no cigar" attempts at winning a Platinum Pass deter him, ultimately bringing home one of the $30,000 prizes at Run It Up Reno VII.
Manuel topped a field of 825 in the $86 Moneymaker Spectacular at the popular Western Nevada event, which took place at Peppermill Hotel Casino and always draws hundreds of loyal Run It Up fans eager to meet and play with streaming hero Jason Somerville.
"I feel really amped, really excited," Manuel said afterwards in an interview with PokerStars. "I've committed so much time, effort, resources."
Manuel's Mission
When the PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold'em Championship was first announced, with the $30,000 Platinum Pass promotion taking center stage, Manuel was determined he'd win a pass and go play with the titans of the game at the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
For his first big attempt, he crossed the pond and headed to U.K. to play PokerStars MegaStack London, a £150 buy-in which awarded a Platinum Pass as part of the winner's windfall.
"Four starting flights and I literally played every one of them," Manuel said ruefully.
All he got for his efforts was a £286 min-cash courtesy of his final shell.
Then, PokerStars' Jaime Staples let the world know he had a Platinum Pass to give away, and he'd be awarding it to the player who accomplished his own UltimateSweat — after Staples' own successful bet wherein he famously lost a ton of weight. Manuel decided to take up the challenge and set his mind to learning Japanese.
Selected as one of the finalists, Manuel ultimately fell just short.
When the Moneymaker PSPC Tour was announced, Manuel committed himself to grinding a number of events at the expense of wedding planning.
In August, he hit Stones Gambling Hall in California and finished 34th in the event where Cliff Ellefson claimed a Pass.
Run It Up Reno was always going to be in the cards for Manuel, a Run It Up veteran who had attended each of the previous six editions of the event. The Platinum Pass opportunities were just icing on the cake and additional motivation to grind hard and play his best.
Finally, things fell his way and he got his hands on the pass he so desired. While he felt plenty of joy, there was some relief in there too after grinding out many hours in pursuit of his goal at the expense of other aspects of his life.
"If you're going to give up time doing something that's a once-in-a-lifetime thing — getting married — it better be worth it," he said. "It's so reassuring that I'm now gonna go play poker for $25,000.
"I really believe allowing every-day poker players the opportunity to play in a $25K tournament — where literally any amount of money could be life-changing to some of the people — is a really, really rare and special opportunity. Every-day guys who love to play poker and love the game of poker wanted the opportunity to play for life-changing money in an amazing atmosphere with some of the best players in the world. I really felt like this was a really special opportunity to dig in and put forth some effort."
Now, his effort has been rewarded, and his wife, for her part, was glad to see it as well.
"Nathan has worked endlessly for this opportunity and I know how much he wanted this," she said. "I'm so proud of him and I love him immensely."
Still Time to Win a Pass
For players looking to follow in Manuel's footsteps and claim a Platinum Pass to get to The Bahamas in January, time might be running a little short as the end of the year draws near but opportunity still remains.
First, there's another Pass yet to be awarded at Run It Up Reno. All of the players there who win tickets to a special tournament on Oct. 29 will earn the chance to compete for a Platinum Pass.
Plus, there are two more stops on the Moneymaker Tour:
| Dates | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | Talking Stick | Scottsdale, AZ |
| Nov. 9-11 | Seminole Hard Rock | Hollywood, FL |
That last stop at Seminole will feature a few bonus opportunities to grab Passes as well. On Nov. 13, a charity tournament benefiting Feeding South Florida commences, with the winner earning a Platinum Pass in addition to a portion of $50,000 worth of cash and prizes. Plus, every entry into an event during the two-week festival earns players a ticket to a random drawing for a Pass to wrap up the series.
For the lucky and determined, like Nathan Manuel, Platinum Passes may await.
The Stars Group owns a majority shareholding in iBus Media.
Photos courtesy of PokerStars
