Ciprian Tutu Wins Run It Up Reno $85 Last Chance Turbo ($2,100)
Ciprian "Chip" Tutu made his third Run It Up Reno final table inside of 24 hours, but this time he finished strong with a win for $2,100 in a 100-player field at Run It Up Reno $85 Last Chance Turbo. He topped a final table that included Jaime Staples and "Boston" Rob Mariano of Survivor fame, who was trying to win his second event of the series.
Mariano was crippled in a flip with Jimmy Cappucci right before the final table convened, leaving the former with just over a big blind and the latter as the chip leader. Nonetheless, Mariano managed to outlast Eric Shiarla, who was playing the event after coming eighth in the Main Event earlier.
It looked for a moment like Mariano was going to make a run at it after he more than tripled up with by flopping top two, but he went bust in eighth not long after that. Run It Up regulars Cappucci and Alex Lavinthal followed him out the door.
That's when the key pot occurred for Tutu with blinds at 8,000/16,000/4,000. Brian "Big Bear" Weinstein shoved it in for 90,000 and Tutu jammed over the top for 130,000. Big blind Zack Brannon woke up with and snap-called. Tutu had and Weinstein . The board ran out , and Tutu raked in a big pot with trips. busting Weinstein in the process.
Brannon was left under 10 big blinds and busted in short order to Staples, who in turn ran his into the of Tutu to go out third.
Ace-king was again the ticket for Tutu heads up against Aussie Daniel Levy, who was on his second final table of the day after running deep in the ante only event. Levy limped and then shoved over a raise with , but Tutu snapped him off with and held up on the runout.
An ecstatic Tutu collected his trophy and posed for pictures with the Run It Up crew to end the event.