Congrats to Robert Donegan, Winner of the WNY Poker Challenge Event #16 ($6,163)
While the 2014 Western New York Poker Challenge $1,100 Main Event was busy playing down to a winner on Sunday, another tournament was taking place across the room – Event #16 $300 No-Limit Hold’em. The last event of the 16-event series attracted 72 entries and created a prize pool of $18,126. After more than 12 hours of play, Robert Donegan emerged victorious to take home the $6,163 first-place prize.
The tournament marked the last chance for players to find success in the 2014 Western New York Poker Challenge, or in some case more success. Take for instance Andy Spears, who won Event #12 $200 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack Turbo for $6,422 just a couple of days earlier.
According to our Ones to Watch preview, the Seneca Poker Room has been Spears' personal playground for the past year. Last August he took down the Summer Slam Series Main Event for $23,700, and a few months later he went wire-to-wire to win the $1,500 Fall Poker Classic Main Event for $52,410. In addition, back In September he claimed his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring in Cincinnati, winning a $365 Turbo tournament for $10,801.
Unfortunately for Spears, he was on the wrong end of a set-over-set hand shortly after registration closed.
"I would if I could," Spears replied when another player jokingly asked him if he would be rebuying.
As the money bubble neared, Sharman Olshan got her stack all in against Jim Goertz, who had been eliminated from the Main Event earlier in the day.
Goertz: 
Olshan: 
Olshan had some kicker issues, and they didn't get resolved as the board ran out a dry 
. Olshan was one of 64 players to exit Event #16 empty handed.
The bubble boy of the tournament, Ryan Callahan, actually walked away with some cash after the final nine players did a save. Once the “bubble” burst, the eliminations came fast and furious. Cam Bartolotta was first to go when he ran sevens into the pocket rockets of Goertz, and he was followed out the door by Vince Ileluzzi (7th - $834), Goertz (6th - $1,015), Jeff Katz (5th - $1,305), and Art Demmerley (4th - $1,758).
After a bad beat led to Jason Clarke being sent out the door in third place, Donegan squared off against Cos Barillari in heads-up play. The former held a more than 2-1 chip lead, and he put it to good use. In what would be the final hand, a raising war on a 
flop resulted in Barillari getting his stack all in.
Barillari: 
Donegan: 
Barillari had flopped a flush draw, while Donegan had an open-ended straight draw. The 
turn completed the latter's straight draw, meaning Barillari needed a diamond on the river to stay alive. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't in the cards as the 
blanked on the river.
WNY Poker Challenge Event #16 Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Robert Donegan | $6,163 |
| 2nd | Cos Barillari | $3,825 |
| 3rd | Jason Clarke | $2,501 |
| 4th | Art Demmerley | $1,758 |
| 5th | Jeff Katz | $1,305 |
| 6th | Jim Goertz | $1,015 |
| 7th | Vince Ileluzzi | $834 |
| 8th | Cam Bartolotta | $725 |
Congratulations to Robert Donegan, winner of the Western New York Poker Challenge Event #16! That does it for our coverage from the 2014 Western New York Poker Challenge in Seneca Niagara Falls. We'll see you next time!