$120 No-Limit Hold'em II
Day 1 Completed
2018 Western New York Poker Challenge
$120 No-Limit Hold'em II
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 Western New York Poker Challenge
Buy-in
$120
Prize Pool
$14,915
Entries
157
Level
25
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
5,000
Joe King Crowned Champion of Event #5 Winning $4,026
![[user270022]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 25
: 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Joe King has a new crown after taking down Event #5: $120 No-Limit Hold'em $10,000 Guarantee at the 2018 Western New York Poker Challenge (WNYPC). King bested a field of 157 entries to take the top honors and a cash prize of $4,026.
There will be a new player added to the HendonMob.com after the result's of Wednesday night's event gets posted as this is King's first-ever live recorded tournament cash. King jumped to the top of the counts early on in the day and continued to add to his stack, reaching the final table with the third best stack. With eight players left, King got into a massive pot with fellow big stack Scott Murawa collecting more than half of the chips in play which ultimately propelled him to victory.
Final Table Results:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe King | United States | $4,026 |
| 2 | Keith Gray | United States | $2,521 |
| 3 | Joe Catalano | United States | $1,790 |
| 4 | Jeremy Drumm | United States | $1,268 |
| 5 | Bob Liebeck | United States | $969 |
| 6 | Victor Rea | United States | $761 |
| 7 | Scott Murawa | United States | $582 |
| 8 | Ken Wong | United States | $447 |
| 9 | Lou Scott | United States | $358 |
| 10 | James Miller | United States | $283 |
Just edging Tuesdays Event #4, Wednesday's event drew a total of 157 entries, creating a guarantee-smashing prize pool worth $14,915. Like Event #4, the top 18 spots were to be paid but once again, the field came to an agreement to pay the bubble and avoid hand-for-hand play.
Moments after the final table was the formed, the blinds swallowed up the short stacks of James Miller and Lou Scott.Ken Wong soon joined them finding himself paying the big blind with all his chips and unable to make a hand.
It was a shock to the entire table when the two biggest stacks collided in a massive pot that King busted Murawa in. Murawa turned top pair but King had flopped a set and all the chips went in the middle, literally more than half of the chips in play.
Victor Rea was the next to depart shoving with an up and down straight draw but failed to improve, falling to Joe Catalano's flopped top pair. Just a couple hands later, Bob Liebeck lost most of his chips to Jeremy Drumm and bowed out the very next hand.
The final four players played for the better part of three levels with very little chip movement until Keith Gray took control of the chip lead from King and collected the rest of Drumm's sub five big blind stack. Catalano had also slid to just a few big blinds when he got his stack in the middle. Catalano was racing with pocket threes against King's ace-jack but a broadway straight for King would seal Catalano's fate.
King started the heads-up battle with a massive chip lead but a quick double up for Gray narrowed it slightly. Just a hand later, the two got it in again. It was ace-eight for King and king-three for Gray. Gray let out a big cheer when he spiked a king on the turn to take the lead but an ace peeled off right behind it to secure the title for King.
Featured on Thursday at the WNYPC is Event #6: $300 Pot-Limit Omaha with a $15,000 guaranteed prize pool. The action kicks off at 1 PM.
PokerNews will be here throughout the festival, bringing you all the news and live updates. Follow @pokernews on Twitter, on Facebook, and Instagram.
Keith Gray Eliminated in 2nd Place ($2,521)
Level 25
: 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Keith Gray was able to close the gap slightly with a double up during the start of the heads-up match but just a hand later, it was all over.
Gray open-jammed and Joe King put him at risk.
Keith Gray: 
Joe King: 
Gray needed some help and would find some on the turn as the board swept out 
. Unfortunately, the 
followed directly behind it and Gray's comeback was squandered, finishing runner-up for $2,521.
King takes home the trophy and a top prize of $4,026.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,570,000 | 270,000 |
|
Busted |
Heads-Up Chip Counts
Level 25
: 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,300,000 | |
|
|
270,000 | -510,000 |
Level: 25
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 5,000
Joe Catalano Eliminated in 3rd Place ($1,790)
Level 24
: 20,000/40,000, 4,000 ante
Joe King opened to 200,000 from the small blind and called a three-bet shove from Joe Catalano for not much more. Catalano was racing with the 
to King's 
.
A 
board fanned out giving King a straight on the turn and Catalano was sent to the payout desk in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,300,000 | 795,000 |
|
Busted |
Jeremy Drumm Eliminated in 4th Place ($1,268)
Level 24
: 20,000/40,000, 4,000 ante
Jeremy Drumm limped from the small blind and called a shove from Keith Gray in the big blind to put himself at risk.
Keith Gray: 
Jeremy Drumm: 
The board ran out 
and Drumm was eliminated in fourth place banking $1,268.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
780,000 | 265,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 24
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 4,000
Updated Chip Counts; Gray Chips into Lead
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 3,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
515,000 | 140,000 |
|
|
505,000 | -195,000 |
|
|
260,000 | 45,000 |
|
|
160,000 | -65,000 |
Level: 23
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 3,000