Last-Minute Trip Pays Off For Brendan McGinn in the Eastern Poker Tour $35,000 Championship
Brendan McGinn’s chances of winning the Eastern Poker Tour $35,000 Championship were nearly over before the tournament even began, for one simple reason: he forgot all about it.
McGinn was only reminded that he had qualified for the championship event of Season 35 yesterday when he received an email from tournament director Gretel McCrory. He quickly made his way over from his home in Rhode Island to the DoubleTree by Hilton in Milford, Massachusetts. The last-minute trip proved to be a lucrative one, as McGinn ended up atop a field of 343 players to capture the trophy and $10,000 first prize.
“This is absolutely amazing. Honestly, I actually forgot that this tournament was on today. I only got an email yesterday from Gretel reminding me, you’re in this tournament. So I said to my wife, oh my God. I gotta go. Did not think I’d be standing here today with the trophy. So I’m very excited, very excited,” McGinn said after defeating Mike Bohn heads-up in a tension-filled final hand.
$35,000 Championship Final Table results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brendan McGinn | United States | $10,000 |
| 2 | Mike Bohn | United States | $6,000 |
| 3 | Chad Marrocco | United States | $3,400 |
| 4 | Hank Van Putten | United States | $2,400 |
| 5 | Rick LaCapria | United States | $1,800 |
| 6 | Sonya Harrison | United States | $1,400 |
| 7 | Susan Pell | United States | $1,200 |
| 8 | Johnny Kelly | United States | $1,000 |
| 9 | Jeff Bowden | United States | $800 |
McGinn says he’s been playing poker for around 10 years and is a regular in events back home, playing nearly every week. He works in logistics and views the game simply as a hobby and fun way to spend an evening. The social aspect of the game and close-knit community that usually comes out for Eastern Poker Tour events is what appeals to him. “Love it. It’s a great atmosphere. I play usually every Wednesday in Rhode Island. Great community. Everybody cheers each other. My phone here is blowing up,” he said.
“It’s really a social thing for me. I’m not a pro by any stretch of the imagination. For me, it’s just kind of a night out, get away from working and everything else.”
McGinn’s path to the title was put in jeopardy on what turned out to be the last hand, when Bohn reraised all in on an ace-high flop. McGinn was sitting with a pair of aces and tanked for nearly five minutes, staring across at his opponent trying to get any read he could. He finally ended up calling, and when Bohn missed his flush draw, McGinn secured the title. “You were so close to folding. I never could if I was you,” Bohn told him.
“He put me under pressure. He was right, I was this close to folding. I kept staring at him. I was like, oh my God, get a read. Then I said, why not? Go for it,” McGinn said.
Day 2 Action
A total of 93 players qualified for Day 2, including the 16 survivors from yesterday’s Day 1 as well as the top eight from the monthly leaderboards over the last year and the winner of each regional leaderboard. They all made their way to the DoubleTree ballroom today at 10 a.m. to play down to a Season 35 champion.
Only the top 16 players would finish in the money, and Rob Keizo, Juliano Destro, and Day 1 chip leader Spencer Dickinson were among those sent to the rail early. The bubble burst in spectacular fashion as Steve Morey and Chad Marrocco, both in contention for the largest stacks in the room, clashed in a massive pot. Morey moved all in for 900,000 on the river, but Marrocco snap-called with a full house and Morey could only show a busted straight draw as he fell on the bubble.
Joe DiCruttalo was the first post-bubble bustout, while Hank Van Putten made a full house to bust Jake Dennehy in 15th place. Jeff Bowden came from behind to make trip sixes and send Nancy St. Laurent to the rail in 14th before he also eliminated Ronnie Smith in 13th. Les Mildenberg ran ace-seven into Marrocco’s eights to fall in 12th, while Van Putten came from behind again to bust Gerry McKinney in 11th.
Marrocco remained the overwhelming chip leader until he tangled in a pot against McGinn. Marrocco had bet 500,000 on the turn before McGinn moved all in for 1,395,000. Marrocco tanked for several minutes and eventually called with top pair, but McGinn had a set to win the pot and double up to nearly 3,000,000.
The elimination of Charles Lambert in 10th place brought the field down to the final table. McGinn held the chip lead with 3,365,000, while Bohn was the short stack on just 505,000, good for less than 10 big blinds. Bohn had fallen down to 225,000 when he made a flush to double up off Marrocco.
Bowden got in his last 275,000 with two eights and was up against Sonya Harrison holding ace-six. Bowden remained in the lead going to the river, but Harrison spiked an ace to win the pot and bust Bowden in ninth. Harrison then picked up two nines and Johnny Kelly called off his last few chips in the big blind with just four-high. No miracles arrived for Kelly, and he headed to the rail in eighth place.
Harrison took the chip lead when she won a race holding two jacks against Susan Pell’s ace-king to score another knockout, but her stint atop the leaderboard proved short-lived. She made a straight on the turn and shoved all in, but Van Putten snap-called for 1,365,000 with a higher straight to win the pot and double up.
Harrison also doubled up Bohn, while Bohn then won a race with two sixes against Van Putten’s king-jack to stay alive yet again. Bohn hit a flush on the river and shoved out Harrison, dropping her down below 1,000,000. While she managed to double up once, she then got in her last 1,150,000 with a flush draw as Bohn called with two pair. Harrison made her flush on the turn, but the river gave Bohn a full house and sent Harrison to the rail in sixth place as Bohn moved up near 5,000,000.
Van Putten left Rick LaCapria on a short stack when he spiked two pair on the river to double up. LaCapria then called off his last few chips with jack-three but couldn’t overcome Marrocco’s two eights to fall in fifth place. Just one hand later, Van Putten got in his last 1,000,000 with ace-jack, but he ran right into Bohn’s kings and busted in fourth.
Marrocco then shoved for 335,000 in the small blind with queen-ten and McGinn called with five-four. McGinn ended up making a straight on the river to win the pot and bust Marrocco in third place. Bohn led 6,880,000 to 4,805,000 at the start of heads-up, but McGinn quickly won two pots to move in front.
McGinn won another pot when he made a set on the turn and raised to 1,100,000, forcing Bohn to fold a pair. Bohn had climbed back up to around 5,100,000 when he limped the small blind and McGinn checked his option. Bohn bet 400,000 on the ace-high flop and McGinn came back with a raise to 1,300,000. Bohn then moved all in for 4,745,000, sending McGinn deep into the tank. He emerged five minutes later with a call and turned over a pair of aces, while Bohn was on a flush draw. The turn and river were no help to Bohn, and McGinn secured the title.
McGinn doesn’t plan to take the $10,000 prize and rest on it. He’s already planning to head back to his usual games right away and try to do it all over again. “I’m going to absolutely come back and do it again. Maybe next week,” he said.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the $35,000 Championship as the 35th season of the Eastern Poker Tour has come to a close.