Byron Johnson Credits Maurice Hawkins for $166,176 Win in WSOPC Tampa Opener
Over the weekend, Hard Rock Tampa kicked off its first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit stop. A trio of winners was crowned including Michael Raimon in Event #2: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha for $13,894 and David Tuthill in Event #3: $400 NLH Turbo for $15,272, but the big story played out in Event #1: $600 NLH Double Stack.
That tournament attracted 2,433 entrants competed over five starting flights to create a $1,252,995 prize pool, well past the $500K GTD. That was paid out to the top 355 spots and among those to make deep runs were Corey Zedo (5th - $47,378), John Racener (8th - $23,410), Filipp Khavin (9th - $18,797), Andrew Brinkley (13th - $12,410), Marsha Wolak (18th - $10,205), Frank Covich (51st - $2,868), and Cord Garcia (52nd - $2,868).
In the end, 35-year-old Bryon Johnson of Wesley Chapel, Florida bested Fabian Foster in heads-up play to win the title and a $166,176 first-place prize.
“This means a lot, especially with the training I’ve been getting, I’ve been working with Maurice Hawkins."
“This means a lot, especially with the training I’ve been getting, I’ve been working with Maurice Hawkins. These were all some great players, so it was just a blessing to take this down,” said Johnson, a cash game regular in the room.
He continued: “To win this you actually have to run pretty good, so I think I ran pretty good. It seems like when I needed to hit the cards, I did. It worked out pretty good for me. There was one hand earlier in the tournament when I was all in, I had jack-ten suited, I tried to steal the blinds and someone called with pocket aces. I ended up hitting two tens on the flop and it was pretty much smooth sailing since that point.”
According to updates from the tournament, Johnson started Day 2 on the shorter side of things but managed to work it up on his way to the final table. It was there that Fabian Foster dominated and the two eventually squared off in heads-up action. In the final hand of the tournament, Johnson held a two-to-one chip lead when Foster made a move with four-five and was racing against pocket threes.
Johnson turned a full house to secure the victory while Foster had to settle for second place and $102,705 in prize money.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byron Johnson | Wesley Chapel, Florida | $166,176 |
| 2 | Fabian Foster | Florida | $102,705 |
| 3 | Juan Restrepo | Pembroke Pines, Florida | $78,741 |
| 4 | Massimo Dirienzo | Atlanta, Georgia | $60,856 |
| 5 | Corey Zedo | Denver, Colorado | $47,378 |
| 6 | Carlos Loving | Tampa, Florida | $37,168 |
| 7 | Michael Spada | Bradenton, Florida | $30,344 |
| 8 | John Racener | Tampa, Florida | $23,410 |
| 9 | Filipp Khavin | St. Petersburg, Florida | $18,797 |
PokerNews will be in Tampa to live report the $1,700 Main Event and two high roller tournaments later this week.
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
