Run It Up Reno VIII

$235 Black Chip Bounty
Day: 1
Event Info

Run It Up Reno VIII

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
54
Prize
$5,060
Event Info
Buy-in
$235
Prize Pool
$22,184
Entries
236
Level Info
Level
26
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
50,000

$235 Black Chip Bounty

Day 1 Completed

Donnie McCormick Wins Run It Up Reno VIII $235 Black Chip Bounty Event

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Don McCormick - Champion
Don McCormick - Champion

On Tuesday, the Run It Up Reno VIII hosted its $235 Black Chip Bounty event, which saw all 236 runners have a $100 bounty on their head. The one-day tournament took 10 hours to play down to a winner, and it was Oregon’s Donnie McCormick coming out on top to capture a $5,060 first place prize, plus an additional $1,900 in bounties.

It was the cherry on top of a great RIU Reno series thus far for McCormick, who the night before finished sixth for $1,430 in the $235 Pro Bounty. He also finished 22nd for $1,080 in the Mini Main Event and 12th in the $125 Super Sonic for $310.

Prior to the win, McCormick had $17,656 in lifetime earnings, including a career-best $9,634 for winning a Rio Daily Deepstack back in 2017.

McCormick began the final table as the chip leader and steamrolled his opponents notching six eliminations at the final table. In one hand he held king-three and got lucky to spike a king and crack Brian Stafford’s pocket tens. In another, he jammed Big Slick and got a call from Sherman Mah, who had the inferior ace-nine.

McCormick held and took a huge chip lead into heads-up play against Twitch streamer Eric “TABLECAPTAINN” Wemlinger, who briefly battle back and took over the chip lead but ultimately had to settle for second place and $3,220 in prize money.

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize
1Donnie McCormick$5,060 + $1,900 in bounties
2Eric “TABLECAPTAINN” Wemlinger$3,220
3Sherman Mah$2,204
4Phil Winberg$1,635
5Chris Johnson$1,300
6Brian Stafford$1,060
7Jason Daniele$885
8Ron Shephard$740

Among those to cash the tournament but fall short of the official final table were Kevin Bratner (9th - $600), Michael Trivett (13th - $380), Mini Main Event champ John Boriolo (15th - $380), LFG Podcast co-host Jamie Kerstetter (20th - $300), Survivor winner Tyson Apostal (23rd - $300), and both Dan Brown and Jovanny Jayme, who became duel bubble boy for $150 each after busting in the same hand.

Tags: Don McCormick

Eric “TABLECAPTAINN” Wemlinger Eliminated in 2nd Place ($3,220)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Eric "TABLECAPTAINN" Wemlinger
Eric "TABLECAPTAINN" Wemlinger

In the final hand of the tournament, Don McCormick limped holding the {5-Spades}{4-Diamonds} and Eric “TABLECAPTAINN” Wemlinger checked his option with the {9-Clubs}{8-Diamonds}.

Both players checked the {9-Diamonds}{6-Clubs}{5-Clubs} flop and the dealer burned and turned the {a-Spades}. Wemlinger checked, McCormick moved all in, and Wemlinger called off for around 1 million.

Wemlinger was one card away from doubling but then the {5-Hearts} spiked on the river to give an elated McCormick the win with trip fives.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Don McCormick us
Don McCormick
3,540,000
640,000
640,000
Profile photo of Eric Wemlinger us
Eric Wemlinger
Busted

Tags: Eric WemlingerDon McCormick

Level: 26

Blinds: 25,000/50,000

Ante: 50,000

Sherman Mah Eliminated in 3rd Place ($2,204)

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Sherman Mah - 3rd Place
Sherman Mah - 3rd Place

Don McCormick is on a roll and scored yet another elimination.

It happened when he moved all in on the button and Sherman Mah, who earlier in the RIU Reno VIII won the $125 Short Deck Hold’em tournament, called off for 1.1 million from the big blind.

Mah: {a-Spades}{9-Spades}
McCormick: {a-Clubs}{k-Spades}

Mah was way behind and never caught up as the board ran out {j-Clubs}{10-Spades}{6-Hearts}{k-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds} to improve McCormick to aces and tens.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Don McCormick us
Don McCormick
2,900,000
1,100,000
1,100,000
Profile photo of Eric Wemlinger us
Eric Wemlinger
607,000
47,000
47,000
Profile photo of Sherman Mah us
Sherman Mah
Busted

Tags: Sherman MahDon McCormick

Phil Winberg Eliminated in 4th Place ($1,635)

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Phil Winberg - 4th Place
Phil Winberg - 4th Place

On a {10-Clubs}{5-Spades}{7-Clubs} flop, Phil Winberg got his stack of 401,000 all in and was primed to double through Don McCormick.

Winberg: {10-Diamonds}{q-Diamonds}
McCormick: {5-Diamonds}{8-Spades}

Both players had flopped a pair and Winberg was out in front. That changed when the dealer burned and turned the {8-Hearts} to give McCormick two pair. The {4-Hearts} river failed to help Winberg and McCormick collected yet another bounty.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Don McCormick us
Don McCormick
1,800,000
500,000
500,000
Profile photo of Phil Winberg us
Phil Winberg
Busted

Tags: Phil WinbergDon McCormick

Chris Johnson Eliminated in 5th Place ($1,300)

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Chris Johnson - 5th Place
Chris Johnson - 5th Place

With 160,000 in the pot and a board reading {2-Spades}{a-Diamonds}{j-Spades}{4-Spades}, Chris Johnson checked from the big blind and Sherman Mah bet 85,000 from under the gun.

Johnson woke up with an all-in check-raise to 399,000 and discovered the bad news when Mah called.

Mah: {a-Clubs}{j-Clubs}
Johnson: {a-Hearts}{4-Clubs}

Both players held two pair but Mah was best. The {5-Diamonds} river was no help to Johnson and he bowed out in fifth place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Chris Johnson us
Chris Johnson
Busted

Tags: Chris JohnsonSherman Mah

Brian Stafford Eliminated in 6th Place ($1,060)

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Brian Stafford - 6th Place
Brian Stafford - 6th Place

Brian Stafford was all in preflop for 115,000 and primed to double through Don McCormick.

McCormick: {k-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds}
Stafford: {10-Diamonds}{10-Clubs}

Stafford got it in good but fell way behind when the {k-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}{8-Spades} flop paired McCormick's king. Neither the {2-Clubs} turn nor {q-Hearts} river helped Stafford and he headed to the exit in sixth place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Don McCormick us
Don McCormick
1,300,000
200,000
200,000
Profile photo of Brian Stafford us
Brian Stafford
Busted

Tags: Don McCormickBrian Stafford

Level: 22

Blinds: 10,000/20,000

Ante: 20,000