Pennsylvania's Zach "CaptainLevi" Gruneberg, the reigning WSOP PA Online Player of the Year, captured his second career gold bracelet and a $16,665.16 payday this past Sunday after winning WSOP PA's Online Bracelet Event #2 - NL Hold'em PKO. After nearly 10 hours of play with unlimited re-entry for the first four and a half hours, the Boalsburg, PA-based 34-year-old pro took it down on his fifth bullet at around 4:20 a.m. ET.
The $400 buy-in event, the second of a seven-game online bracelet series in Pennsylvania, collected 267 entries and generated a prize pool of $96,120 with 148 total players and 119 re-entries.
Gruneberg took down PA's $150,000 GTD Mystery Bounty Championship less than a year ago, scoring bracelet number one and a $31,470.54 payday.
WSOP PA Online Bracelet Event #2: NL Hold'em PKO Final Table Results
Place
Player
Prize
KO
Total Payout
1
Zach "CaptainLevi" Gruneberg
$8,392
$8,274
$16,665
2
Ryan "Mink3232" McCusker
$8,391
$4,629
$13,020
3
Joeybets68
$5,118
$1,328
$6,446
4
TonysPizza
$3,705
$4,892
$8,598
5
Super_User
$2,687
$574
$3,260
6
winallflips
$1,961
$1,148
$3,108
7
KingVisc3316
$1,432
$1,035
$2,467
8
bloop100
$1,053
$979
$2,031
9
SckBrickKid
$774
$743
$1,516
Gruneberg went on to win WSOP PA's 2023 Player of the Year and collect $10,000 in cash, $1,500 in tournament tickets, and an exclusive Player of the Year gold ring. After adding bracelet number two to his resume, he now boasts two bracelets, eight gold circuit rings, and over $2.2 million in live earnings.
Gruneberg Reacts to the Win
PokerNews caught up with Gruneberg to ask him how it felt to snag another bracelet within one year of the first.
"This past October, Pennsylvania only got one bracelet event while NJ and Nevada got like 40+, so when I won the one and only in my own home at my battle station, that was a wonderful feeling," remarked Gruneberg. "Winning the second right before my trip to Vegas got me truly hyped up and excited for this year's pilgrimage to the desert."
Heads-up play began around 3:00 am ET with only Gruneberg and Ryan "Mink3232" McCusker remaining for the title. Gruneberg entered the duel at a 5:3 chip advantage, and both players saw many swings over the next hour before completion, with Gruneberg ultimately ending up victorious.
Heads-up play can be grueling and make or break players. Still, for Gruneberg, the most challenging part of this tournament was getting past the four-and-a-half-hour late registration period, which involved firing five bullets in total.
"I was massive stack on my first with a bunch of bounties and then flamed out so hard resulting in firing four more bullets," he said.
But on bullet five, sitting in position 58/59, he faded the world with pocket 8s in a four-way all in for a massive quadruple-up. From there, the momentum needed for a deep run was in motion.
"On the last bullet before registration closed I got in 88 to AJ to AQ to KQ and held for a quad up which was a thing of beauty. From there we just grinded it out it played very deep and went to 4 a.m. which I am built for," he added.
Now, after deciding on a shorter trip to the desert for the first time since age 21, he's heading to Vegas with a jam-packed schedule to keep the momentum going.
"I enjoyed my time at home immensely during these few weeks, and I am excited to see what I can do at WSOP 2024," he added. "Can we expect another bracelet? Man, those things are HARD to win in Vegas, but I can tell you I will try my absolute best."
Frank "D.Lafferty" Bonnacci Wins First Bracelet
Frank \"D.Lafferty\" Bonnacci
The win came a week after Frank "D.Lafferty" Bonnacci took down the first online bracelet of the series. Event #1: NLH Bankroll Builder attracted 217 entries (130 unique players who rebought 87 times) and offered up a $97,650 prize pool. Bonnacci fired two bullets into the tournament and ultimately prevailed after just over eight hours of play to capture a $20,731.19 first-place prize.
Earlier this year, PokerNews profiled Bonnacci after he crushed the December 2023 WSOP PA Super Series taking down Event #10 - $215 NLH 6-Max before later winning Event #11 - $1,000 NLH High Roller 8-Max giving him his third and fourth gold rings respectively.
The 37-year-old family man, who last summer finished 44th in the WSOP Main Event for a career-best $229,000, previously told PokerNews:
"My goal in poker was always a pretty simple one," he said. "I want every. f***ing dollar. If they come with trophies or rings or bracelets, great. If they come with a rubber band and in a Crown Royal bag, even better. But I honestly just enjoy battling both live and online, win or lose — nothing like that sleep after you've been at war for 30+ hours straight every now and then."
For more on Frank "Franco" Bonacci, follow him on X at @FrancoBonacci.
Remember, PA players can legally play real money poker in Pennsylvania, so we've come up with a list of the very best online poker sites in Pennsylvania. Access real poker sites and play different games with poker players within the state.
Whether you're looking to play poker freerolls, looking for the best poker bonuses, or want to quickly hop into a cash game or an online poker tournament, our dedicated page on PokerNews will tell you everything you need to know about online poker in PA.
