$5,300 Championship Event
Day 3 Completed
2019 Wynn Winter Classic
$5,300 Championship Event
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2019 Wynn Winter Classic
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$2,740,440
Entries
557
Level
34
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
0
Entries
31
Players Left
1
Level 34
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
The inaugural Wynn Winter Classic $5,300 buy-in Championship Event – the biggest buy-in tournament the venue has held in over five years – crushed its $1.5 million guarantee as 557 entrants created a $2,740,440 prize pool.
After a marathon 16-hour final day, it was longtime poker pro Michael Rocco, 30, besting 2018 World Series of Poker third-place finisher Michael Dyer in heads-up play to win the title outright for $540,800.
It was Rocco’s long-awaited signature win and a new career-high score passing his previous best of $423,440 for finishing third in the 2014 World Poker Tour LA Poker Classic. He also finished third in the 2017 PCA $25K High Roller for $409,020.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Rocco | USA | $540,800 |
| 2 | Michael Dyer | USA | $353,242 |
| 3 | Ben Farrell | UK | $239,789 |
| 4 | Louis Salter | UK | $168,312 |
| 5 | Joe Kuether | USA | $124,690 |
| 6 | Matt Yorra | USA | $96,738 |
| 7 | Tomas Soderstrom | Sweden | $77,006 |
| 8 | Adam Hendrix | USA | $63,852 |
| 9 | Josh Bergman | USA | $53,987 |
Day 3 Action
Day 3 saw 31 players return to action and it didn’t take long for action to heat up. Among those to fall on the way to the final table were PCA champ Galen Hall (10th - $45,987), Ankush Mandavia (11th - $45,987), Kahle Burns (12th - $39,474), Shannon Shorr (15th - $34,325), two-time bracelet winner Barry Shulman (17th - $29,848), Justin Bonomo (25th - $19,797), Ryan Leng (28th - $17,290), Daniel Strelitz (30th - $17,920), and Matt Glantz (31st - $17,290).
At the final table, Josh Bergman was the first to fall after running pocket tens into Matt Yorra’s aces, and then the short-stacked Adam Hendrix followed him out the door after his king-five went down to Joe Kuether’s king-deuce after a deuce appeared on the flop.
The next-shortest stack was Sweden’s Tomas Soderstrom, and he took his leave in seventh place after jamming with jack-nine suited and failing to get there against Dyer’s ace-ten. Soon after, Yorra bowed out in sixth after losing a race with pocket nines to Dyer’s Big Slick.
Kuether then lost a race with ace-ten to Ben Farrell’s pocket sevens to finish in fifth place, and then it was time for Louis Salter to go after losing ace-eight to Farrell’s ace-jack all in preflop.
During three-handed play, Dyer doubled through Farrell ace-jack to ace-seven, and then the latter lost the rest of it to the former a short time later busting with queen-four to ace-eight suited. That set up a heads-up match in which Rocco held 17.675 million to Dyer’s 10.2 million.
Dyer got short, managed a double, and then the final hand developed. Rocco had flopped two pair and jammed big on the river. Dyer had nut no-pair with ace-queen and opted to call it off only to see his run come to an end in second place for $353,242.
The Wynn will host its next series – Wynn Signature Series – from January 15-February 2, 2020. The festival guarantees more than $1.3 million in prize pools. .
Level 34
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
In the final hand of the tournament, Michael Dyer raised to 1,000,000 from the button and Michael Rocco made the call.
After both players checked the 
flop, Rocco led out on the 
turn for 2,000,000 and this time it was Dyer who made the call. Rocco then shoved the 
river, Dyer called off for around 9,000,000.
Michael Rocco: 
Michael Dyer: 
Unfortunately, Dyer's ace-high was well behind Rocco's two pair and he was eliminated in second place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,850,000
17,575,000
|
17,575,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 34
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
Michael Rocco raised the button, Michael Dyer shoved his blind and Rocco called.
Michael Dyer: 
Michael Rocco: 
Dyer was behind and at-risk, but the 
flop gave him new life and the 
runout gave him the chiplead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
17,600,000
7,400,000
|
7,400,000 |
|
|
10,275,000
-7,400,000
|
-7,400,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 34
Blinds: 200,000/400,000
Ante: 0
Level 33
: 150,000/300,000, 150,000 ante
The players have returned from their quick break and heads-up play has started. Worth noting is the ante has been removed, leaving only the 150,000 small blind and 300,000 big blind.
Level 33
: 150,000/300,000, 150,000 ante
The two remaining players decided to take a quick break before starting headsup play.
Level 33
: 150,000/300,000, 150,000 ante
Ben Farrell moved his last 2.5 million all in from the small blind and Michael Dyer wasted little time in calling him from the big.
Ben Farrell: 
Michael Dyer: 
The 
flop gave Dyer a massive lead and Farrell was left drawing dead after the 
paired the board on the turn. The meaningless 
was run out on the river and Farrell exited in third place for $239,789.
It was a final six-figure score for Farrell in 2019. Coming into the tournament he was already enjoying a career year in which he'd earned $663,363 in live tournaments. That included a pair of six-figure scores here in Vegas over the summer when he won the WPT500 ARIA for $155,000 and a couple of weeks later took down the Planet Hollywood Goliath Phamous Series Main Event for $162,400.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
17,675,000
3,175,000
|
3,175,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,200,000
3,050,000
|
3,050,000 |
|
Busted | |
Level 33
: 150,000/300,000, 150,000 ante
Michael Dyer moved all in, and after confirming the total of 3,575,000 Ben Farrell made the call.
Michael Dyer:
Ben Farrell: 
The runout of 
secured the double-up for Dyer and left Farrell as the short stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,150,000
1,750,000
|
1,750,000 |
|
|
2,600,000
-5,400,000
|
-5,400,000 |
Level 33
: 150,000/300,000, 150,000 ante
Michael Rocco limped the button and Ben Farrell did the same from the small blind. Michael Dyer checked his option from the big and the flop fell 
.
Two checks saw Rocco bet 300,000 and only Farrell called to see the 
turn. Farrell then check-called a bet of 450,000 before action went check-check on the 
river.
Farrell showed the 
and it was good as Rocco mucked his cards.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
14,500,000
-1,500,000
|
-1,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
8,000,000
1,500,000
|
1,500,000 |
|
|
5,400,000 | |