The 2022 PokerNews Cup recently came to an end after five days. It had 1,245 entrants who exceeded its $1 million guarantee and formed a $1,207,650 prize pool. This was the biggest prize pool in Golden Nugget's history.
Gary Gelman won $202,725 despite being a short stack at the beginning of the final day, and it is the biggest win in his professional poker career. The Hendon Mob claims that most of the cashes he made since 2009 are medium.
Gelman stated after the tournament that he had aspired to win such a cash prize for a long period. He had a Ukrainian flag at the final table and said that he was born and raised in Ukraine. Besides, his wife is Ukrainian, and they lived in Kyiv before Russia attacked their country earlier this year.
The poker pro wanted to represent one of his close friends when he advanced to the final table and decided to wear the flag. He added that most modern-day poker players play for money, thus making their games robotic. They ought to play for money as money isn't everything in poker.
The Final Table's Results
- Gary Gelman from the U.S. – $202,725
- Daniel Hinh from Australia – $142,175
- Forrest Kollar from the U.S. – $92,095
- Eoin Starr from Ireland – $68,185
- Patrick Caulfield from the U.S. – $51,555
- David Von Schnehen from the United Kingdom – $41,650
- Levi Klump from the U.S. – $34,380
- Scott Stewart from the U.S. – $27,120
- Steven Sarmiento from the U.S. – $20,275
Day 3's Action
Gelman had a short stack early in Day 3, but things improved as he got in a heads-up action against Daniel Hinh with a 2:1 stack deficit. The battle lasted for two hours as Gelman recovered some chips after a few small hands. He changed things after an hour of play when his top pair held Hinh's flush draw.
The Final Day's Action
There were six short stacks and three big stacks when the day started. Yet, no player left the tournament in the first two hours. Steven Sarmiento left the event in ninth place after the king-queen beat his jacks.
Scott Stewart followed him in eighth, being among the first two biggest poker career earners to leave the event. Levi Klump exited in seventh place when a set of tens flop beat his aces. David Von Schnehen left the table in sixth place after his three huge stacks failed to get anything.
Patrick Caulfield got busted in the fifth position despite beginning as a short stack and getting the chip lead at one moment. Still, he left the table in fifth place as Eion Starr followed him in fourth place. He lost several big all-ins and many chips that he failed to recollect.
Forrest Kollar's run ended in third place even though he was steady for several hours and managed to recover his lost stack. But, the other two bigger stacks swallowed him, thus earning him $92,095.
This was after briefly taking part in a three-handed play with Hinh and Gelman. Even so, his elimination left the two players contending for the first-place prize. Gelman beat Hinh, thus ending his run as a runner-up and earning him $142,175.
