Kristan Mackiewicz Wins the 2015 Seneca Fall Poker Classic $200 NLH for $11,365
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A 33-year-old special education teacher from Derby, NY, won the first event on the 2015 Seneca Fall Poker Classic schedule on Sunday night.
Kristan Mackiewicz took down the $50,000 guaranteed $200 No-Limit Hold'em opening event after making a deal both five-handed and three-handed, chopping up the remaining prize money and collecting $11,365 in winnings.
The tournament drew 599 entries over four starting flights this weekend, creating a guarantee-smashing $96,738 prize pool. From there, 90 survivors pushed through to Sunday's Day 2 with the 54-player money bubble in sight.
The bubble popped around 2 .p.m. local time with Geoffrey O'Connor taking the lead into the final 54. Some five hours later, local cash grinder Chris Gras bubbled the 10-handed final table and Dominic Baranyi took the lead into the play down to a champion with Mackiewicz eighth of 10.
Art Demmerley was the first to exit, losing a race to Mackiewicz, before start-of-day chip leader Michael Davis fell ninth.
Kevin Reyes then got short and ran into O'Connor's jacks to exit eighth. After getting aces cracked to fall short, Mackiewicz found a miracle runner-runner straight to climb out of a dominated spot against Silvio DeRubeis. It was actually DeRubeis who busted next, losing a race to the chip leading Baranyi.
After Joe Ciffa fell sixth, a five-handed deal was struck, giving all five players even money and saving $5,000 for first.
Soon after, O'Connor busted with a weak ace versus the queens of Mackiewicz to go out fifth, and Baranyi got it in with two pair against a set for Mackiewicz to go out fourth, leaving Todd Saffron, Brad Bourne, and Mackiewicz three-handed.
While Mackiewicz started with a huge lead, Bourne snatched it away by cracking her queens with a weak ace before talk of another deal began. Eventually they would all agree on an even chop of the money set aside for first, a big tip for the dealers, and a flip for the trophy �� which Mackiewicz won.
This ends PokerNews' coverage of Event #1 here at Seneca Niagara, but stay tuned to these pages as our coverage of the 2015 Seneca Fall Poker Classic continues at 11 a.m. Monday with the first of six starting flights in Event #3, $100 No-Limit Hold'em.