Ninety-seven players started the second Main Event of the newly formed Epic Poker League and at the end of four long days of poker it was 21-year old Mike “Timex” McDonald who had won every single chip in play and the $782,410 first place prize.
The turnout for the eight-handed tournament was down 40 players compared to the six-handed event won by Chino Rheem a few week ago but there was still a prizepool of $2,301,200 up for grabs and the prestige of winning such a pro-heavy event. The money bubble burst during Day 3 and that dubious honour went to the outspoken Allen Bari, who four-bet shoved with pocket jacks only to discover that Isaac Baron had three-bet with pocket aces. No two outer for Bari and with his elimination everyone else was guaranteed $46,020 and by the time the field had been whittled down to just eight players, the final table was set and each had locked up $57,530 in prize money.
The first final table member to be eliminated was Dutch Boyd who, like bubble-by Bari, shoved with jacks and ran into a pair of aces, though these belonged to Erik Seidel. Shortly after Boyd’s demise Sean Getzwiller three-bet all in with Big Slick and could not hit an ace to crack McDonald’s kings. One by one the surviving players headed for the cashier desk, Baron in sixth, Nam Le in fifth, Erik Seidel in fourth and Fabrice Soulier in third, leaving McDonald and David Steike heads up.
Steike lead McDonald by 2,845,000 to 2,005,000 chips but McDonald soon surged into a massive lead when, with blinds of 20,000/40,000/5,000a, McDonald made it 90,000 to play only to see Steike come over the top with a three-bet to 300,000. McDonald responded by moving all in and Steike quickly called with AcQh, up against McDonald’s pocket sixes. The young Canadian’s hand held and he leapt into a 4,540,000 to 300,000 lead. Steike started to mount a comeback but it was cut short when he moved all in with Ks2c and was called by McDonald holding Ad4h. Neither player improved by the river, McDonald’s kicker came into play and he was announced as the second Epic Poker League Main Event Champion.
Final table payouts
1st: Mike McDonald: $782,410
2nd: David Steike: $506,260
3rd: Fabrice Soulier: $299,160
4th: Erik Seidel: $184,100
5th: Nam Le: $126,570
6th: Isaac Baron: $92,050
7th: Sean Getzwiller; $69,040
8th: Dutch Boyd: $57,530
