Moneymaker-esque Story Emerges from Inaugural Moneymaker Poker Tour Stop
Table Of Contents
From May 10-24, the Moneymaker Poker Tour made its inaugural stop at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Over the course of 21 events, the stop catered to 2,677 entrants and awarded $1,416,840 in prize money.
The first stop for the new poker tour created by Chris Moneymaker and Moneymaker Poker Tour Executive Manager Tony Burns also provided plenty of satellite opportunities, including several with an $86 buy-in – the same satellite buy-in amount Moneymaker parlayed into a 2003 WSOP Main Event entry en route to the victory that revolutionized the game.
Among those to claim titles during the series were Raminder Singh, who won Event #16: $186 Moneymaker Mega Stack NLH, and David Shmuel, who won back-to-back tournaments by winning the first-ever Moneymaker Tour trophy in Event #2: $300 H.O.R.S.E, before he claimed another piece of hardware the very next day as he emerged victorious in Event #3: $300 Omaha 8/B.
Is Chris Moneymaker's Win STILL the Biggest WSOP Upset Ever?
Mike Rossi Wins Moneymaker Main Event in Familiar Fashion
The marquee event of the series was the $2,500 Moneymaker Main Event – a five-day tournament with a $500,000 guarantee and a live-streamed final table.
The Main Event amassed 262 entrants over three starting flights to generate a $589,500 prize pool and was ultimately won by Mike Rossi of Tampa, Florida. Rossi navigated a final table that included reigning GPI Player of the Year Stephen Song and overcame a three-to-one deficit to defeat two-time WPT champion James Carroll in heads-up play.
Rossi multiplied his previous biggest live win by a factor of nearly 20, according to The Hendon Mob. In a story similar to the tour’s namesake, Rossi earned his entry through a $90 online satellite offered on America’s Cardroom, evoking memories of an amateur accountant turning a small investment into a big score.
Another aspect to add to Rossi’s magical win was the fact that it came exactly 20 years to the day since Moneymaker’s Main Event triumph. Inspired by Rossi’s relatable run, Moneymaker and ACR CEO Phil Nagy decided to sweeten Rossi’s experience even further by gifting him a $10,000 WSOP Main Event ticket and a $100,000 Triton London package to extend his extraordinary journey.
Moneymaker Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Rossi | $134,265 |
| 2 | James Carroll | $94,456 |
| 3 | Sam Ronalds | $60,424 |
| 4 | Stephen Song | $36,755 |
| 5 | Albert Rodriguez | $28,384 |
| 6 | Joseph Crowley | $23,521 |
| 7 | Maksim Lebedev | $19,748 |
| 8 | Oliver Berens | $16,506 |
| 9 | Dyanna Lopez | $13,249 |
100-Year-Old Eugene Calden Claims a Trophy
On May 14, Event #5: $500 Moneymaker Mulligan NLH saw 25 players battle it out on the felt for a $10,750 prize pool paid out to the top three finishers.
The event was won by 100-year-old World War II veteran Eugene Calden. The centenarian has numerous live poker results on The Hendon Mob dating back to 2010 when he was but a young 87-year-old player.
The Moneymaker Tour will also be sponsoring Calden into the WSOP Main Event where he is set to become the oldest-ever participant in the World Series of Poker. Calden would surpass Jack Ury who last played in 2010 at the age of 97, and who poker fans may remember for a good-natured slowroll caught on camera during the 2009 WSOP Main Event.
Event #5 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eugene Calden | $5,160 |
| 2 | Joseph Bartholdi | $3,096 |
| 3 | Claude Elharrah | $2,064 |
Zhen Cai Takes Down Moneymaker Kickoff Event
The series began with the $500 buy-in Moneymaker Kickoff with six starting flights and a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool along with some live-streamed action.
The opening event was won by Zhen Cai, who claimed the trophy and $55,158 following a three-way deal with Marc Levy and Roberto Bendeck. Cai added the five-figure score to his poker résumé which includes a sixth-place finish in the 2019 WSOP Main Event for $1,850,000.
Moneymaker Kickoff Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhen Cai | $55,158* |
| 2 | Marc Levy | $40,000* |
| 3 | Roberto Bendeck | $40,000* |
| 4 | Willie Wiggins | $21,021 |
| 5 | Skip Mcdonough | $15,996 |
| 6 | Roni Zelichonok | $12,719 |
| 7 | Thomas Mcdonald | $10,528 |
| 8 | Brandon Duvdivani | $8,373 |
| 9 | Marco Rodriguez | $6,274 |
Partying Like it's 2003: Chris Moneymaker Deep in WSOP Main Event Again
Moneymaker Poker Tour Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-May | Event #1: $500 Moneymaker NLH Kickoff Event | 823 | $353,890 | Zhen Cai | $55,158 |
| 10-May | Event #2: $300 H.O.R.S.E | 46 | $11,500 | David Shmuel | $4,312 |
| 11-May | Event #3: $300 Omaha 8/B | 53 | $13,250 | David Shmuel | $4,902 |
| 13-May | Event #4: $500 Moneymaker Second Chance $100 Bounty NLH | 89 | $38,270 | Matthew Wolfson | $9,318 |
| 14-May | Event #5: $500 Moneymaker Mulligan NLH | 25 | $10,750 | Eugene Calden | $5,160 |
| 14-May | Event #6: $186 Moneymaker Ladies' NLH | 76 | $11,400 | Ruth Comeau | $3,376 |
| 14-May | Event #7: $186 Moneymaker Mega Stack NLH | 68 | $10,200 | Kenneth Goff | $10,200 |
| 15-May | Event #8: $300 Older Than Moneymaker NLH (47+ Years Old) | 106 | $26,500 | Christopher Brown | $7,000 |
| 15-May | Event #9: $300 Younger Than Moneymaker NLH (46 Years Old or Less) | 26 | $6,500 | Justin Matecki | $2,925 |
| 15-May | Event #10: $300 Big O | 79 | $19,750 | Donald Maloney | $5,252 |
| 15-May | Event #11: $186 Moneymaker Mega Stack NLH | 68 | $10,200 | Craig Pollak | $3,112 |
| 16-May | Event #12: $300 Moneymaker Tag Team NLH | 33 | $16,500 | Marcu & Levy | $6,765 |
| 16-May | Event #13: $300 Pot Limit Omaha | 74 | $18,500 | Chris Lewis | $6,291 |
| 16-May | Event #14: $186 Moneymaker Mega Stack NLH | 61 | $9,150 | Sam Sternfield | $3,296 |
| 17-May | Event #15: $1,000 Moneymaker $1k Done in One Day | 94 | $81,780 | Andrew Blake | $81,780 |
| 17-May | Event #16: $186 Moneymaker Mega Stack NLH | 53 | $7,950 | Raminder Singh | $2,942 |
| 24-May | Event #17: $2,500 Moneymaker Main Event | 262 | $589,500 | Mike Rossi | $134,265 |
| 18-May | Event #18: $186 Moneymaker Mega Stack NLH | 75 | $11,250 | Roberto Bendeck | $3,827 |
| 22-May | Event #19: $1,500 Moneymaker $500 Bounty NLH | 25 | $50,000 | Albert Klager | $11,125 |
| 24-May | Event #20: $286 Moneymaker Multi Flight | 432 | $100,000 | Art Peacock | $18,000 |
| 24-May | Event #21: $186 Moneymaker Final Day Madness | 109 | $20,000 | Nathan Hinz | $5,082 |
Next Stop
The next Moneymaker Tour poker stop will be August 17-28 at Florida’s Daytona Beach Racing & Card Clubs. There will be eight trophy events featuring over $500,000 in guaranteed prize pools complete with live streaming.
*Images courtesy of the Moneymaker Tour.
