2022 The Lodge Championship Series

Event #4: $400 NLH
Day: 2
Event Info

2022 The Lodge Championship Series

Event Info
Buy-in
$400
Prize Pool
$526,640
Entries
1,556
Players Left
5
Average Chip Stack
6,224,000
Total Chips
31,120,000
Level Info
Level
28
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Players Info - Day 2
Entries
1,556
Players Left
5

Rudy Cadenas Takes Lion's Share of Deal in Event #4 ($54,231)

Level 28 : 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Jonathan Letempt and Rudy Cadenas
Jonathan Letempt and Rudy Cadenas

The fourth event of the Lodge Championship Series has come to an end here in Round Rock, Texas. A total of six Day 1 flights were played in Event 4: $400 NLH $500,000 Gauranteed, gathering 1,556 registrants throughout. This created a $526,640 prize pool that had the eventual winner set to take home $82,024 for their victory.

When the final day began there were 186 runners, all of which had made the money, and when the field hit five-handed play a deal was agreed upon between Rudy Cadenas, Benjamin Perez, Seth Simmons, Chris Staats, and Jonathan Letempt.

Cadenas took home the lion's share for a total of $54,231, but it was Letempt taking home the trophy after the two flipped a classic piece of American copper. Letempt won the last flip of the tournament, which secured him the trophy to go along with his $41,408 pay day.

Lucky Penny Snags Trophy for Jonathan Letempt
Lucky Penny Snags Trophy for Jonathan Letempt

Final Table Payouts

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Rudy CadenasLas Vegas, NV$54,231*
2Benjamin PerezPlainview, TX$46,937*
3Seth SimmonsNathrop, CO$45,347*
4Jonathan LetemptSan Marcos, TX$41,408*
5Chris StaatsTuttle, OK$39,981*
6Elijah RuffinChandler, AZ$17,379
7Eider Da CruzGardena, CA$13,693
8Scott BrewerN/A$10,533
9Hieu TranAmarillo, TX$8,426

*denotes deal made at final table

The fourth event here at The Lodge Poker Club had a very enticing $500,000 guarantee, especially for only being a $400 buy-in. Six Day 1's were lined up to pump the prize pool, and the 1,556 registration slips that were accumulated during that time did just that, having a total of $526,640 for the remaining 186 Day 2 qualifiers to fight over.

Many short stacks fell to the wayside early in the day, and as the field began to plummet some of the leaders followed. Cosmic Medrano and Alexander Connolly both began near the top of the leaderboard but quickly began to lock horns. After going blow-for-blow on table 119, they both moved and quickly vanished from the field. Some other notables that failed to find the final table include Blake Whittington, Eric Salazar, Jason Gooch, and Benjamin Anderson who took a couple of bad beats during the last two tables of the night, sending most of his stack to Letempt.

Lodge Championship Series Event 4 Final Table
Lodge Championship Series Event 4 Final Table

Kevin Xu fought as long as he could and almost made a complete turn around before falling to Eider Da Cruz, setting the official final table. Just before the first break of the final table, Cadenas pulled out his one-time card on Simmons. He pushed a turned board with nines and Simmons tank-called holding a pair of dimes for the best hand. Cadenas then found a fortuitous nine on the river to stay alive, doubling through Simmons in the process.

Just after the break, it was Hieu Tran who was the first to take an exit, dropping back-to-back hands with Cruz finishing him off. Cadenas then hopped in for a few hands with Scott Brewer, which resulted in Brewer taking a walk to the payout desk. The start of Day 2 chipleader was next on the chopping block after he shoved ace-jack of spades and was called by Staats who held just ace-seven. A hockey stick on the river doubled Staats, leaving Cruz in shambles. He pushed shortly after with a pair of sevens, only to run into the pocket nines of Perez who then flopped a set to eliminate Cruz.

Some talk was in the air about a chop when it reached the final six but Elijah Ruffin found himself a little to shallow-stacked to complete the conversation and took a shot with five-deuce. Perez called with kojak and ended the hand with a boat, eliminating Ruffin from the field in sixth place.

The tournament clock was then paused and the rest is history. Congratulations to Rudy Cadenas on taking home the biggest prize, and also to Jonathan Letempt on securing a trophy for his mantle.

That wraps it up for the PokerNews live coverage of Event 4, but tune in tomorrow for all the updates on the $600 Mystery Bounty.

Tags: Alexander ConnollyBenjamin PerezBlake WhittingtonChris StaatsCosmic MedranoEider Da CruzElijah RuffinEric SalazarHieu TranJason GoochJonathan LetemptKevin XuRudy CadenasScott BrewerSeth Simmons

Elijah Ruffin Eliminated in 6th Place ($17,379)

Level 28 : 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Elijah Ruffin
Elijah Ruffin

Elijah Ruffin put his stack of about 800,000 into the middle and Benjamin Perez snapped it off from the big blind, putting Ruffin at risk.

Elijah Ruffin: {5-Clubs}{2-Clubs}
Benjamin Perez: {k-Clubs}{j-Spades}

"I've got live cards!" Ruffin said with a smile. The dealer then fanned out {k-Spades}{q-Diamonds}{j-Spades}, "Nevermind," laughed Ruffin as he stood up. A {q-Clubs} turn and {j-Hearts} river cemented it for Perez who sent another player out the door.

Player Chips Progress
Benjamin Perez us
Benjamin Perez
6,450,000
Elijah Ruffin us
Elijah Ruffin
Busted

Tags: Benjamin PerezElijah Ruffin

Eider Da Cruz Eliminated in 7th Place ($13,693)

Level 28 : 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Eider Dacruz
Eider Dacruz

The action was on Eider Da Cruz, he shoved from the button and Chris Staats called in the big blind for less, totaling 2,200,000.

Chris Staats: {a-Clubs}{7-Diamonds}
Eider Da Cruz: {a-Spades}{j-Spades}

The flop came down {q-Hearts}{10-Clubs}{8-Spades}, leaving Cruz in the lead with his kicker. A {2-Diamonds} peeled off on the turn and it looked like Staats was going to be headed to the payout desk until an unlikely {7-Spades} popped off, hitting Staats with the money card to survive.

Cruz then shoved a few hands after and Benjamin Perez called, putting the start-of-day chipleader at risk of elimination.

Eider Da Cruz: {7-Diamonds}{7-Clubs}
Benjamin Perez: {9-Spades}{9-Hearts}

An unfortunate pull of cards for Cruz saw no help on the {10-Spades}{9-Diamonds}{4-Clubs}{2-Clubs}{4-Diamonds} board that landed. Perez pulled in the pot and Cruz was eliminated in 7th place.

Player Chips Progress
Benjamin Perez us
Benjamin Perez
5,200,000 900,000
Chris Staats us
Chris Staats
4,700,000 2,600,000
Eider Da Cruz br
Eider Da Cruz
Busted

Tags: Benjamin PerezChris StaatsEider Da Cruz

Blind Shove Turns into Biggest Pot as of Late

Level 28 : 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Benjamin Perez
Benjamin Perez

Benjamin Perez pushed his 970,000 blind from under the gun and Eider Da Cruz three-bet shoved the hijack, totaling 2,925,000. Rudy Cadenas called in the small blind and Jonathan Letempt woke up from the big blind, announcing he was all-in. Cadenas quickly chucked his hand and they turned over their cards with Letempt in a spot to knock out both.

Benjamin Perez: {9-Diamonds}{5-Hearts}
Eider Da Cruz: {4-Diamonds}{4-Clubs}
Jonathan Letempt: {a-Diamonds}{k-Clubs}

The threeway flop came {10-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}, hitting Perez with a nine to take the lead. A {10-Spades} fell on the turn, changing not much as two players were sweating their tournament lives.

The safe {q-Hearts} river missed Letempt and both players at risk survived to see another hand. Perez quadrupled his stack and Cruz took down the side, increasing his stack as well with sailboats.

Player Chips Progress
Eider Da Cruz br
Eider Da Cruz
6,015,000 2,365,000
Jonathan Letempt us
Jonathan Letempt
5,675,000 -3,125,000
Rudy Cadenas us
Rudy Cadenas
4,850,000 -2,250,000
Benjamin Perez us
Benjamin Perez
4,300,000 3,325,000

Tags: Benjamin PerezEider Da CruzJonathan LetemptRudy Cadenas

Scott Brewer Eliminated in 8th Place ($10,533)

Level 27 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Scott Brewer
Scott Brewer

The action was unsure but both Scott Brewer and Rudy Cadenas had all of their chips in the middle, Cadenas having the bigger of the stacks.

Scott Brewer: {a-Spades}{6-Hearts}
Rudy Cadenas: {a-Clubs}{7-Hearts}

Brewer was one-pipped headed into the flop and things got worse when {q-Spades}{7-Spades}{3-Diamonds} fell. Cadenas took a commanding lead with his flopped seven, leaving Brewer in need of some cards.

The {5-Clubs} came down and he picked up some straight outs but a {j-Diamonds} river was of no help. Cadenas took down the hand with his seven and Brewer was eliminated in 8th place.

Player Chips Progress
Rudy Cadenas us
Rudy Cadenas
6,450,000 530,000
Scott Brewer us
Scott Brewer
Busted

Tags: Rudy CadenasScott Brewer

Hieu Tran Eliminated in 9th Place ($8,426)

Level 26 : 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Hieu Tran
Hieu Tran

Hieu Tran shoved from and Benjamin Perez called, putting his less for a total of 1,225,000.

Benjamin Perez: {a-Diamonds}{q-Clubs}
Hieu Tran: {q-Hearts}{j-Clubs}

The dealer spread out the {a-Spades}{9-Diamonds}{3-Hearts}{4-Diamonds}{7-Spades} board, sending the pot to Perez who doubled in the process.

On the next hand, Tran pushed his remaining stack of about 800,000 into the middle and Eider Da Cruz called, putting Tran at risk.

Hieu Tran: {k-Spades}{j-Diamonds}
Eider Da Cruz: {a-Diamonds}{10-Clubs}

A {10-Diamonds}{7-Spades}{6-Spades} flop fell, giving Cruz a pair of tens. The {4-Spades} turn brought a flush draw for Tran but he failed to hit a thing on the {9-Hearts} river. Cruz pulled in the pot and Tran was dubbed the first elimination of the final table.

Player Chips Progress
Eider Da Cruz br
Eider Da Cruz
5,875,000 2,750,000
Benjamin Perez us
Benjamin Perez
2,600,000 985,000
Hieu Tran us
Hieu Tran
Busted

Tags: Benjamin PerezEider Da CruzHieu Tran

Cadenas Unleashes His One-Time Before Break

Level 26 : 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Rudy Cadenas
Rudy Cadenas

Rudy Cadenas opened to 300,000 from under the gun and Seth Simmons called in the cutoff. The {6-Diamonds}{3-Spades}{3-Clubs} flop hit the felt after the rest of the tabled folded, and Cadenas continued with a bet of 250,000.

Simmons called once more and the dealer flips over a {q-Diamonds} on the turn. Cadenas quickly jams for a total of 1,175,000 and Simmons hits the tank. After a few moments of thought, he elects to call, and Cadenas then turns over {9-Hearts}{9-Clubs}.

Simmons throws down his {10-Hearts}{10-Diamonds} with excitement as he is just one card from eliminating an opponent, all whilst taking the overall chip lead of the final table.

Unfortunately for Simmons, lady luck had other plans and Cadenas spiked the unlikely {9-Diamonds} on the river. Simmons slowly pushed over enough chips to cover, doubling Cadenas up in what was the sickest beat thus far on the final day.

Player Chips Progress
Rudy Cadenas us
Rudy Cadenas
4,200,000
Seth Simmons us
Seth Simmons
3,775,000

Tags: Rudy CadenasSeth Simmons

Official Final Table (full)

Level 25 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Official Final Table Ev 04
Official Final Table Ev 04
SeatPlayerChip CountBig Blinds
SeatPlayerChipsBig blinds
1Benjamin Perez2,600,00022
2Seth Simmons3,400,00028
3Eider Da Cruz3,705,00031
4Elijah Ruffin3,825,00032
5Chris Staats2,870,00024
6Rudy Cadenas3,100,00026
7Scott Brewer5,130,00043
8Jonathan Letempt4,400,00037
9Hieu Tran1,050,0009
Player Chips Progress
Scott Brewer us
Scott Brewer
5,130,000 1,880,000
Jonathan Letempt us
Jonathan Letempt
4,400,000 -700,000
Elijah Ruffin us
Elijah Ruffin
3,825,000 1,975,000
Eider Da Cruz br
Eider Da Cruz
3,705,000
Seth Simmons us
Seth Simmons
3,400,000 -450,000
Rudy Cadenas us
Rudy Cadenas
3,100,000 130,000
Chris Staats us
Chris Staats
2,870,000 1,720,000
Benjamin Perez us
Benjamin Perez
2,600,000 625,000
Hieu Tran us
Hieu Tran
1,050,000 -2,050,000

Read full

Xu Falls Just Shy of Final Table

Level 25 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Kevin Xu
Kevin Xu

Kevin Xu almost completed spinning up his stack after falling to just 140,000 but Eider Da Cruz had other plans. Xu shoved his last 920,000 from the highjack and Cruz was the only opponent that wanted to jump in for the action, shoving over the top.

Kevin Xu: {a-Clubs}{3-Clubs}
Eider Da Cruz: {a-Spades}{10-Diamonds}

The dealer fanned out {9-Spades}{8-Spades}{6-Hearts} on the flop and neither connected. A {4-Clubs} turn left Xu with one last chance for romance but the {7-Hearts} river card stood him up.

Cruz pulled in the pot with his ten-kicker to eliminate Xu from the field, and the final table of nine was then set.

Player Chips Progress
Eider Da Cruz br
Eider Da Cruz
3,705,000 505,000
Kevin Xu us
Kevin Xu
Busted

Tags: Eider Da CruzKevin Xu

Simmons Finds Fortuitous Flop to Eliminate Sanders

Level 25 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Matthew Sanders
Matthew Sanders

Matthew Sanders open-shipped around 1,300,000 and Seth Simmons instantly called, putting Sanders at risk as the cards turn up.

Matthew Sanders: {q-Spades}{q-Clubs}
Seth Simmons: {10-Spades}{10-Hearts}

A dominating situation completely shifted when the {k-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds} flop rolled out, smashing Simmons with a set of dimes to take the lead. The {9-Clubs} fell on the turn and gave Sanders some straight outs but nothing panned out for him on the {9-Diamonds} river.

Simmons took down the hand with his boat and Sanders then took a walk out the door, leaving with a payout slip and bad beat story.

Player Chips Progress
Seth Simmons us
Seth Simmons
3,850,000 2,500,000
Matthew Sanders us
Matthew Sanders
Busted

Tags: Matthew SandersSeth Simmons