Event 5: $50 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
Event 5: $50 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
After four days of poker that saw 1,026 entries over six different starting flights, veteran local rounder Randy Pfeifer has been crowned the champion of Event 5: $50 No-Limit Hold'em from the 2015 Western New York Poker Challenge.
With hundreds of players firing multiple bullets, the $25,000 guarantee was laid to waste with a $41,040 prizepool created. The event was designed to attract poker room regulars, recreational players, and the area's best. By all accounts it did so in spades and was a smashing success.
A total of 119 players pushed through to Thursday's second and final day, with Shayne Shackelford leading them all, having built an incredible stack on his starting flight. But things did not go well for Shackelford, as he was cut down to size early and eventually busted 49th for $160.
Pfiefer, who came into this event with $945,683 in career tournament earnings on his résumé, emerged as the first player past the 1 million chip mark as they day wore on, winning pot after pot without showdown.
While the chip lead changed hands several times, Pfeifer took control at the final table with patience and veteran savvy, grabbing the lead for good by the time they reached five-handed play, then holding out for the better end of the deal and the trophy when the players decided to chop up the prize money.
While this was by far the busiest event on the 2015 Western New York Poker Challenge schedule so far, the biggest will begin Friday with Day 1a of the $200,000 guaranteed $1,000 buy-in Main Event going off at 11 a.m. local time.
The PokerNews Live Reporting team will be back to provide live coverage all day as soon as the cards hit the air.
A deal was struck giving chip leader Randy Pfeifer the title and $5,700.
Ray Espinosa takes second and $5,000 while Brandon Louvier, Kimlong Trieu, and Jeff Klein each earn $4,177.
Rich Ryan and Donnie Peters discuss Anthony Zinno's back-to-back World Poker Tour wins and the industry's big bet on Twitch. Then the team cold-calls #PNPod super fan Allen Bari.
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The players are taking a 10-minute break.
Yong Wolfer got it all in with against Ray Espinosa's .
Espinosa took a huge lead hitting a set on the flop and rode that through the run out to eliminate Wolfer.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Gary Espinosa
|
3,000,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
Yong Wolfer | Busted |
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Randy Pfeifer |
3,100,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
Brandon Louvier |
1,800,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
Ray Espinosa | 1,700,000 | |
Yong Wolfer |
1,300,000
-250,000
|
-250,000 |
Kimlong Trieu |
1,200,000
-520,000
|
-520,000 |
Jeff Klein |
1,000,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Don Ranalli open shoved for 370,000 and got looked up by Randy Pfeifer in the small blind holding .
Ranalli had the slight lead with but was crushed by the board.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Don Ranalli | Busted |
Level: 29
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 10,000
Randy Pfeifer made it 200,000 and Kimlong Trieu clicked it back from the small blind, making it 410,000.
Pfiefer shoved and Trieu called with . Pfeifer held and doubled Trieu up after the board was revealed.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Randy Pfeifer |
1,800,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |
Kimlong Trieu |
1,720,000
940,000
|
940,000 |