2021 Wynn Spring Classic

Wynn Spring Classic $1M GTD Championship
Day: 1b
Event Info

2021 Wynn Spring Classic

Event Info
Buy-in
$3,500
Prize Pool
$1,985,676
Entries
614
Players Left
2
Average Chip Stack
12,280,000
Total Chips
24,560,000
Level Info
Level
32
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
100,000
Players Info - Day 1b
Entries
279
Players Left
86

Upeshka De Silva Among Big Stacks to End Day 1b

Level 10 : 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Upeshka De Silva
Upeshka De Silva

Day 1b of Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Main Event looked much like Day 1a. Around 270 entries were logged — this time 279 — and around 85 of those made it through to Sunday's Day 2.

That means the prize pool will clock in close to $1.8 million, well past the $1 million guarantee, with a couple of hours of Day 2 registration will remaining.

As for how things shook out during Day 1b, one player emerged as a clear-cut chip leader: Allen Pock. Pock had north of 300,000 when the rest of the field was averaging around 100,000. He managed to push that even further and bagged 465,000, well clear of anyone in the Day 1a field and the likes of Erik Cajelais (347,000), who was among the deepest-stacked players on Day 1b.

One of the stars of the game who bagged a big stack was Upeshka De Silva. De Silva cut a controversial figure recently in the WSOP Main Event when he reportedly failed a COVID-19 test that cost him the chance to add a fourth bracelet to his collection in the high-profile WSOP Main Event. He was forced to accept a ninth-place payout, per the rules.

That frustrating turn of events aside, De Silva has been on a tear on the tournament circuit the past few years, so it was little surprise to see him run up a huge stack of 287,000.

Others making it included Matt Stout, Sean Winter, Chino Rheem, Matt Berkey, James Carroll and Sergi Reixach.

All of the players who have failed to punch tickets to Day 2 can still take shots, at the start of the day and beyond as a couple of levels of registration remain and should see some wild action to start the day. PokerNews will be on hand starting at noon local time to bring all of the updates throughout the day.

Jaffee Doubles Through Katz

Level 9 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Jared Jaffee
Jared Jaffee

Jared Jaffee was all in from early position with {7-Hearts}{7-Diamonds} and at risk against small blind Cary Katz, who had {a-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds} in front of him and a covering stack.

The board ran out {8-}{k-}{4-}{k-}{10-} and Jaffee snagged a double at the expense of most of Katz's stack, with the high roller vet sending over 19,100.

Player Chips Progress
Jared Jaffee us
Jared Jaffee
WSOP 1X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
41,000 -12,000
Cary Katz us
Cary Katz
9,500 -30,500

Tags: Cary KatzJared Jaffee

Berkey Dusted By Runner-Runner

Level 9 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Matt Berkey
Matt Berkey

Matt Berkey defended the big blind then checked a {4-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}{4-Clubs} board. The player on the button bet 2,700, Berkey made it 6,000, and his opponent jammed. Berkey called off his 20,000 or so instantly and tabled {j-Hearts}{4-Hearts} for trips.

He was in excellent shape against {3-Spades}{3-Diamonds} but running {2-} and {6-} gave his opponent a winning straight.

Player Chips Progress
Matt Berkey us
Matt Berkey
Busted

Carroll Building

Level 6 : 300/600, 600 ante
James Carroll
James Carroll

James Carroll was looking at a completed board of {4-Clubs}{5-Clubs}{3-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}{a-Hearts} from early position and he mashed in 23,800, a hair under the size of the pot. The player on the button tank-called but had no recourse but to muck as Carroll had {7-Hearts}{6-Diamonds} for the flopped nuts.

Carroll is coming off a big recent win in an MSPT event here in Las Vegas in which he scooped $180K and seeks to keep the momentum cooking here at the Wynn.

Player Chips Progress
James Carroll us
James Carroll
WPT 2X Winner
123,000 47,000

Tags: James Carroll

Santos Overtakes Alfa

Level 3 : 200/300, 300 ante
Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas

Dave Alfa was in the small blind and checked a board of {3-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}{q-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds}. Josias Santos, from the button, bet 10,500. That looked to be slightly more than the size of the pot. Alfa called and the river was a {4-Hearts}. Alfa checked and Santos bet 18,500.

Alfa tanked a bit then dropped in calling chips but couldn't beat {k-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds} for a flush.

Player Chips Progress
Josias Santos br
Josias Santos
85,000 85,000
Dave Alfa us
Dave Alfa
80,000 -32,000

Tags: Dave AlfaJosias Santos

2015 WSOP Champ Joe McKeehen Victorious in Wynn Spring Classic High Roller

Level 2 : 100/200, 200 ante
$10,500 High Roller champ Joe McKeehen
$10,500 High Roller champ Joe McKeehen

On Thursday, March 11, the Wynn Spring Classic held its biggest buy-in of the series — Event #9: $10,500 NLH High Roller. The tournament attracted 83 entries, which resulted in an $830,000 prize pool.

That was paid out to the top 11 finishers. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table of eight were Landon Tice (11th), Brian Altman (10th), and Joseph Cheong (9th), who each received $24,900.

In the end, it was 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Joe McKeehen who defeated Shawn Daniels in heads-up play to win the title for $224,100. The win came just a few days after McKeehen finished runner-up in the WPT Venetian for $491,960.

PlacePlayerPrize
1Joe McKeehen$224,100
2Shawn Daniels$157,700
3Dragana Lim$99,600
4Sergio Aido$83,000
5Jake Schindler$66,400
6Ankush Mandavia$49,800
7Joey Weissman$41,500
8Jeremy Ausmus$33,200
9Joseph Cheong$24,900
10Brian Altman$24,900
11Landon Tice$24,900

Tags: Joe McKeehen

History of the Wynn Spring Classic Main Event

Level 2 : 100/200, 200 ante
Wynn Poker Trophy
Wynn Poker Trophy

The Wynn Spring Classic may not immediately jump to mind when you think of long-running Vegas poker series, as competitors like Venetian and Caesar's/WSOP have flooded the market with more events over the years.

However, it does have its own rich history, hosting events dating back more than a decade, to times when it was formerly just the Wynn Classic before fall and summer events were added.

Here's a look at past winners of the event. Note that in 2012 the venue partnered with CardPlayer and the event was rebranded under the CardPlayer Poker Tour.

History of the Wynn Spring Classic

YearBuy-inEntriesWinnerPrize
2007$10,200198Zachary Hyman$729,033
2008$10,200183Chris Moore$692,286
2009$10,200104Keith Ferrera$348,036
2010$5,150242Brandon Cantu$363,844
2011$5,170212Tim West$318,738
2012$5,170190Isaac Baron$240,512
2013$5,000207Ray Dehkharghani$235,931
2014$5,00086Brandon Allen$79,875*
2015$2,100248Maxim Sorokin$101,619*
2016$1,600499Ludovic Geilich$150,662
2017$1,600818Eric Baldwin$188,450
2018$1,600984David Pham$240,254
2019$1,600982Terry Fleischer$184,376*
2020$1,600687Kevin Buck$166,837*

*reflects deal

Side Event Winners Thus Far in 2021 Wynn Spring Classic

Level 1 : 100/100, 100 ante

While the Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Championship may be the crown jewel of the series, it's far from the only event to crown a winner or payout a chunky first-place prize.

There have been a slew of side events on the schedule, and here's a look at each of the victors thus far.

$10,500 High Roller

$10,500 High Roller champ Joe McKeehen
$10,500 High Roller champ Joe McKeehen

The biggest of the bunch was the $10,500 High Roller, which attracted 83 entries and was won by none other than former WSOP Main Event champ Joe McKeehen, who also took second place in a recent WPT event here in Las Vegas. McKeehen won $224,100, one of many six-figure victories in his career.

$400 NLHE

Event #5: No-Limit Hold’em winner Jessica Vierling
Event #5: No-Limit Hold’em winner Jessica Vierling

Jessica Vierling took top honors in the 184-entry $20K guaranteed event, which had a buy-in of $400. Vierling earned $16,152, her second-biggest cash after a $22K WSOP Circuit score a few years back. She beat Bobby Sanoubane heads up.

$600 NLHE

Event #2: $600 Kickoff champ Marko Pantelic
Event #2: $600 Kickoff champ Marko Pantelic

The big $600 reentry event had a $250K guarantee, which it easily met with 1,015 entries. Marko Pantelic, who hails from Serbia originally, topped the field for an impressive score of $89,114. That pushed him to almost $200K in tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob.

$400 PLO

Event #4: Pot-Limit Omaha champ Chris Chamberlain
Event #4: Pot-Limit Omaha champ Chris Chamberlain

The $400 pot-limit Omaha event drew 91 entries, and Chris Chamberlain of Minnesota took it down for $10,416. It's the biggest career cash for Chamberlain, who had all of his previous cashes come in no-limit hold'em events.

$300 Omaha Hi-Lo

Event #3: Limit Omaha 8/B champ Sarkis Basmajian
Event #3: Limit Omaha 8/B champ Sarkis Basmajian

A slightly larger field took shots in the $300 Omaha Hi-Lo as 112 entries turned up, with Sarkis Basmajian ending up as champ. The $8,016 he won was more than his previous $3,562 in combined lifetime cashes.

Welcome to Day 1b of Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Championship

Wynn Spring Classic
Wynn Spring Classic

The first flight is in the books, so it's time for Day 1b of the 2021 Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Championship.

Day 1a saw around 270 runners turn up, so the prize pool is already approaching the $1 million guarantee. That number will surely be blown by here in the early stages, with action set to kick off at noon local time for Day 1b.

The plan will once again call for 10 levels of unlimited reentry eight-handed action, each level lasting an hour apiece. Everyone who pays up the $3,500 will get 40,000 in their starting stack, and they'll have incredibly deep stacks at 100/100/100 if they show up for the first hour. Things will eventually progress to 1,000/1,500/1,500 before bagging time.

Just over 80 players made it through on Day 1a, so stay tuned to PokerNews to see who joins them for Sunday's Day 2.