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2019 Tournament Results
Thanks
Alright, thank you everybody once again for helping make the 15th Annual MS Poker Tournament a success! It was another great year at the MS Poker Tournament. Thanks to all of our great players and donors who helped us raise over $3400 for the National MS Society. The event was lots of fun, and as usual, it was awesome seeing everybody again for this annual event.
A quick thank you to everyone who helped make this year's tournament a success. Thank you to our volunteer dealers, David, Lindsay, and Laurie. Thank you to our food runners, Erin and Becca. And thank you to our great food sponsors:
I really enjoy putting this event together every year, as it's a great chance to spend a day with an amazing group of players who seem to make the pilgrimage year after year. Thanks to a few last minute cancellations, we were able to fit in a few more old timers, and even had four new players (all of whom had quite a bit of beginner's luck - as you'll see below). Thanks to all who came from near and far to join the festivities.
Didn't make it to the tournament this spring, but still want to help out? Please use the Donation LInk below:
Highlights
Tournament Highlights and Results
On to the tournament summary and highlights. For some reason (maybe the super-hot weather outside), this year's tournament kicked off a little slowly, with the rebuys trickling in, but by the third level new chip stacks were making their rounds. Antonio took the title this year with the most rebuys (3) no where near the record, but we like the spirit. Chips were fairly evenly distributed by the end of the first three rounds, and we even had a pre-break knockout due to some crazy flops.
Which table is having the most fun? Let's see....
Well - these people are clearly playing way too seriously... at least that had some warm up time before the meal break. After that it was time for business. There were a few false alarms for some all-ins, but eventually we had our first out, as usual, holding a traditionally powerful hand - only to be foiled by an uncooperative board. Bad news for Jeff, one of his potential trophies was now gone... (worse news for Jeff, he was out a few positions later, breaking his three year trophy streak - I guess he'll have to start a new streak next year!)
First Out
Final Table
Final Table and Results
This years theme was slow and steady. It took a while to get down to two tables, and even longer to get down to our final table. (Oh - maybe that's how you are supposed to play poker - some people tell me - but, it's much more fun to donk off your chips - hmmm - may have to rethink that strategy). Anyway, the final table was really very unusual this year, as for the first time in a long time there wasn't a single returning champion amongst the finalists, additionally, we had three first time MS Poker Tournament players.
Unlike last year, I had no personal story to tell this year, unless you want to hear about some bad beats at the cash game... But, the final table really continued the slow and steady trend, when there were still 5 players remaining well after the normal blind structure had maxed out. After playing for more than two hours at the max blinds, and moving some chips from stack to stack, a first ever 5 way deal was negotiated by the players, so they could each share the prize pool. Congrats to our 2019 cash winners!
Once the prize money was distributed, it was time to see which of these five would take home the trophy. The blinds were doubled, and play continued (for more than another hour). The small stack (Mary) succumb first to the, and then after a few big swings and misses, Kamil was next out, leaving the final three, all with healthy stacks and all ready to grab the trophy.
Final 3
To make a long story short, tonight would be Raj's night. Even early on, Raj was hitting huge hands, catching crazy rivers, and amassing chips. Raj continued this at the final table, first knocking out Marc, and then turning his sights on Walid. Walid fought back - showing Raj that he wasn't the only one who can suck out, but Raj kept pushing all of his chips into the middle and pulled them out with some more on top. Walid finally found a hand he could play, against Raj's All-In barrage, but Raj turned over Ace King, and all the chips and the trophy went to the first time MS Poker Tournament player and 2019 MS Poker Champion.
3rd Place Marc Rubman
2nd Place Walid Bannoura
Congratulations to the 2019 MS Poker Champion: Raj Durgam
Champion
Did you miss the 2019 MS Poker Tournament, but still want to get in on the action? Want to help fight MS, but need to spend some quality time with the family? Well, try our not-so-new family friendly fundraiser: The MS Ice-Cream-A-Thon! We host this event at the end of every summer - and you can register and get more information on our website: www.IceCreamAThon.com
Hall of Champions
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