Bonsack Captures Second Non-Hold'em Ring in Event #6 $365 Limit Omaha 8
Anyone can win a WSOP Circuit ring, but it takes a talented individual to win two. That’s what Mark Bonsack did in Event #6 $365 Limit Omaha 8 or Better when he topped a field of 134 players to win $11,254. The win gave Bonsack, who finished 12th in last year’s National Championship, his second non-hold’em ring—the other came in 2011 in a $365 H.O.R.S.E. event at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe for $7,484.
“Hopefully I’ll get back to [the National Championship] and have another chance at it,” said Bonsack, a 52-year-old contractor from Cle Elum, Washington. “I really want to get a bracelet. I probably still need a few more [points], but I’m close.”
After working his way through a final tables that included Brian Brashaw (9th), a past champion of the event; the notorious nitpicker Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler (8th); and 13-time WSOP Circuit casher Yossi Azulay (4th). When play was three handed, Bonsack played for nearly three hours against Shawn Marley and Curtis Timperley. The former eventually finished in third place and the latter as runner-up.
“From three-handed on, it was tough — back and forth. It was a long grind, so it was pretty rewarding to win it,” Bonsack said.
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #6 Limit Omaha Eight or Better
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 134 | $40,200 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mark Bonsack | Cle Elum, WA | $11,254 |
| 2nd | Curtis Timperley | Battle Creek, NE | $6,957 |
| 3rd | Shawn Marley | Council Bluffs, IA | $5,022 |
| 4th | Yossi Azulay | Chicago, IL | $3,690 |
| 5th | Curt Aust | Omaha, NE | $2,759 |
| 6th | Andrue Gibbs | Council Bluffs, IA | $2,097 |
| 7th | Kirk Flom | Gulfport, MS | $1,621 |
| 8th | Allen Kessler | Huntingdon Valley, PA | $1,274 |
| 9th | Brian Brashaw | Papillion, NE | $1,017 |