Bruce Russell Defeats Stacked FT, Wins WSOPC Planet Hollywood High Roller
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At the end of a final table and heads-up match that went into the early hours of Wednesday morning, Bruce Russell came out on top in the World Series of Poker Circuit Planet Hollywood $2,200 High Roller.
Russell outlasted a field of 115 entries to walk away with the WSOP Circuit ring and $63,580 grand prize. The Denver, Colorado resident bested Ireland's Marc MacDonnell (2nd - $39,295), coming away with the win after a heads up match that finished at 4 a.m. local time.
The win is the biggest cash of Russell's career, and he accomplished the feat by coming out ahead against a final table that included tournament crushers like Darren Rabinowitz (7th - $8,038), Tim McDermott (6th - $10,384), Upeshka De Silva (5th - 13,846) and Calvin Anderson (4th - $19,035).
"This is my first big win," Russell said. "This is the first bracelet or ring for me, and it's exciting because I'm old and I'm getting better. These guys, when they play me, they're accomplished, but I've gotten so much better in my tournaments," he added.
2019/20 WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood $2,200 High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruce Russell | United States | $63,580 |
| 2 | Marc MacDonnell | Ireland | $39,295 |
| 3 | Dan Colpoys | United States | $26,958 |
| 4 | Calvin Anderson | United States | $19,035 |
| 5 | Upeshka De Silva | United States | $13,846 |
| 6 | Tim McDermott | United States | $10,384 |
| 7 | Darren Rabinowitz | United States | $8,038 |
| 8 | Z Stein | United States | $6,428 |
| 9 | Eric Worre | United States | $5,317 |
Fast and Wild Early Action
Late registration was open until the beginning of today's Day 2 flight, and after 30 players bagged Day 1, Tuesday's action began with 46 players in the field.
That number rapidly dwindled back down to 30, and just over three hours into the day the money bubble burst, with 18 players getting paid.
Early cashouts in the tournaments included Ankush Mandavia (18th - $3,574), Bob Shao (16th - $3,729), and Arkadiy Tsinis (15th - $3,729). The play began to slow down after that, with the stacks getting bigger and the larger paydays looming.
Mike Del Vecchio (11th - $4,554) looked poised to finish in the final nine, but was on the losing end of a huge hand against Anderson and finished two spots short of the final table.
Sean Perry, who came into Day 2 as the tournament chip leader, went out in 10th, getting eliminated by McDermott and sending the final nine on their way to the final table.
Final Table Action
The frenetic pace of the first 18 levels of play began to slow down when the tournament reached nine players. Eric Worre was the first to go out (9th - $5,317), followed by Z Stein (8th - $6,428), who held on to an extremely short stack for as long as he possibly could to get all the way up to eighth place.
After Stein's elimination, it took another three hours before another player hit the rail, with Rabinonwitz going out shortly after losing most of his stack to Russell in a pocket nines versus pocket tens setup.
McDermott, De Silva, and Anderson all went out over the course of the following two hours, setting up a final three of Dan Colpoys (3rd - $26,958), MacDonnell, and Russell.
Coploys went out against MacDonnell, with his jack-high straight falling to MacDonnell's full boat.
The heads-up battle between MacDonnell and Russell saw several lead changes, lasting three hours before Russell finally put MacDonnell away just before 4 a.m. local time.
With the High Roller concluded, PokerNews' live coverage of the WSOPC Planet Hollywood has come to an end. Join us at the next stop!
