Event #11: $3,250 High Roller

 
Event #11
No-Limit Hold'em High Roller
Buy-In: $3,000 (+$250)
Total Entries: 38
Prize Pool: $114,000

David Stefanski Wins First Circuit Ring in Foxwoods High Roller Event

Mashantucket, Connecticut (August 29, 2016) – Full time poker pro David Stefanski is a regular in most of the Foxwoods larger buy-in tournaments and today he won his very first World Series of Poker ring after taking down the High Roller Event for $53,100. Stefanski outlasted 37 other players to be the last person standing, and it was a star studded field that he had to navigate through.

"It was a tough final table for sure, definitely a tough field," Stefanski said. The total lifetime earnings of the unofficial final table of nine alone is just under $17,000,000, just further proof that the field was definitely not easy an easy one.

The final table moved relatively quickly until they reached the money bubble. Stefanski elaborated, "I think the bubble lasted five or six levels, it was a very long bubble.  But it was the difference between zero dollars and $11,000 so it's not your typical bubble. A lot of times bubbles are two times the buy in or a little less. This was three times the buy in, so it was a pretty big difference between finishing fifth and fourth place. The short stacks kept doubling though, it was pretty frustrating."

At one point, Stefanski himself was the short stack on the bubble.  After a series of back and forth doubles between the final five players, he was down to just 11 big blinds and was the shortest stack. He said that he had blinded down to that spot because he really hadn't gotten many hands. That all turned around though after he doubled though Joe McKeehen holding pocket sevens against McKeehen's Ace Queen. Shortly after, JeWook Oh was eliminated on the bubble and the remaining four players were all in the money. Because it took so long for the money bubble to break, four handed play moved relatively quickly. Steven Tabb was eliminated in 4th place ($11,400) very shortly after Oh's departure, and the remaining three players then went on a 60 minute dinner break.

Shortly after returning from break Stefanski won a big pot off of Joe McKeehen to take the massive chip lead, leaving the other two players essentially fighting for the second place pay-jump. "The full house hand (linked above) was the hand where it gave me a lot of chips and they were both left with ten big blinds at the time. I could put a lot of pressure on them because there was a $17,000 pay jump for them, so they both wanted to at least come in second at the time," Stefanski explained.

Joe McKeehen was eliminated in 3rd place ($17,100) the level after dinner break, and it took only 10 minutes into the next level before Stefanski defeated Zach Donovan heads up holding    against Donovan's   . Donovan took home $34,200 for his second place finish, while Stefanski took home $51,300 and the coveted WSOP Circuit ring. 

Stefanski was scheduled to travel to New Hampshire today with his wife Ashley and their 19 month old daughter Reese, but due to his deep run they will be heading there tomorrow instead, and Stefanski is feeling great after this win and excited for some family time.

"I'm feeling really good. When I was short stacked I thought that there was a chance that I would walk out of here with zero dollars. So, I am pretty happy right now," Stefanski concluded with a big smile on his face.

Below are the results of the final table. Full results from this event are available by clicking the Results tab above. 

1 – David Stefanski – $51,300
2 – Zach Donovan – $34,200
3 – Joseph McKeehen – $17,100
4 – Steven Tabb – $11,400

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At the conclusion of Event #12, Andrew Heckman is the official Foxwoods Casino Champion. Heckman won Event #7 - $365 Omaha Hi/Lo 8+, took 2nd place in Event #1 - $365 No-Limit Hold'em ($10,800), took 6th place in Event #4 - $580 NLH Six Max ($3,366), and took 8th in today's Event #9 giving him a total of 127.5 points. 

Chris Leong came in second place.  Leong placed 5th in Event #1 - $365 NLH ($4,369), he won Event #4 -$580 NLH Six Max ($19,665), and took 2nd Place in Event #5 - $365 NLH Monster Stack ($18,279) giving him a total of 112.5 points.

Despite winning two rings this series, Andrew Lauer ended in third place with 102.5 points. Lauer won Event #1 ($365 No-Limit Hold'em), took down Event #3 ($365 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo) last Saturday, and then cashed 142nd in the Re-Entry event on Sunday.

The player who accumulated the most overall points in the twelve gold ring tournaments at Foxwoods Casino earned the title of Casino Champion, and receives an automatic entry into the $1 million 2017 WSOP Global Casino Championship. The winner of the Foxwoods Main Event Julian Sacks, also earned an automatic entry into the Global Casino Championship. All players who cashed in ring events received points that apply to both the Casino Champion race and the season-long race to claim one of the 50 at-large Global Casino Championship bids awarded to the top point earners throughout the season. More information on the points system is available on WSOP.com.

Zach Donovan - 2nd Place - $34,200

Zach Donovan shoves all in on the button for around 300,000, and Dave Stefanski quickly calls in the big blind. 

Donovan:   
Stefanski:   

"Ace in the window and it'll be over," Stefanski says, and it's the   that arrives in the window (followed by the   and the  ).

"Jack of spades," Donovan calls for, but it's the   that arrives on the turn. 

"Good game," Donovan says as he stands to shake Stefanksi's hand. 

The river is the  , and Donovan is eliminated in 2nd place, taking home $34,200.

Dave Stefanski raises to 39,000 on the button and Joe McKeehen calls in the big blind.

The flop is    . McKeehen checks, Stefanski bets 25,000, and McKeehen calls.

On the   turn, McKeehen checks again, Stefanski bets 57,000, and McKeehen calls.

The river is the  . McKeehen checks once more, Stefanski bets 167,000, and McKeehen thinks it over for about a minute. He eventually puts together calling chips and pushes them forward.

Stefanski shows    for sevens full of eights and McKeehen mucks.

Dave Stefanski - 743,000
Joe McKeehen - 193,000

Zach Donovan goes all in for 138,000 in the small blind and Joe McKeehen quickly calls in the big blind to put him at risk.

Donovan:   
McKeehen:   

"I gotta win this one," Donovan says before the flop comes out.

The flop is     and McKeehen immediately turns his cards over and sends them to the muck.

The   turn and   river are insignificant and Donovan doubles up.

Zach Donovan - 282,000
Joe McKeehen - 270,000

JeWook Oh

JeWook Oh just played a big pot against Dave Stefanski, leaving him with 14 big blinds. 

This hand Oh is all in from the big blind and has been called by Joe McKeehen on the button.

McKeehen;   
Oh:   

The board runs out      , awarding McKeehen the pot, and eliminating Oh from play on the money bubble.

The remaining four players are now in the money, and guaranteed at least $11,400.

As Oh stands up from the table, Stefanski walks over and whispers something to Oh.

"Come on, you can tell us," Donovan says. 

"Quad fives," Stefanski says, telling the table what he folded the big hand he played against Oh. 

Joe McKeehen - 400,000
JeWook Oh - Eliminated

Action folds to Zach Donovan in the small blind who shoves all in for 76,000, and Steven Tabb goes into the tank.  After nearly three minutes, with Tabb sitting back in his chair and shifting back and forth uncomfortably, he moves a stack of chips forward to call.

Donovan turns over   , and Tabb shows   . 

"Chop please," Tabb calls for just before the dealer lays the     flop.

The turn is the  , and the river the  . Donovan's eight plays, and he will double up. 

Zach Donovan - 157,000
Steven Tabb - 75,000

"One hundred and eleven thousand," David Stefasnki says from under the gun as he moves all of his chips forward. Action folds to Joe McKeehen in the big blind who looks at one card and says, "Maybe it'll be a no-spotter."  He looks at the second card, asks for a count of Stefanski's chips, and then says, "The no spotter came through."

Upon hearing the exact 111,000 count, McKeehen calls.

Stefanski:   
McKeehen:   

The board runs out      . "Nice hand," McKeehen says to Stefanski. 

As the chips are passed to Stefanski table mate Zach Donovan asks him, "Have you ever lost an all in pre at Foxwoods Dave?" 

Stefanski lifts his head, looks directly at Donovan and says, "No," with a straight face. 

The whole table cracks up, and Stefanski himself laughs and starts restacking his chips. 

David Stefanski - 232,000
Joe McKeehen - 98,000