From January 6-14, Golden Nugget Las Vegas played host to the Grand Poker Series Winter Classic. The festival kicked off with events linked to the Free Poker Network (FPN), which were live reported by PokerNews. From there, an 18-event series catered to a combined 4,133 entrants and awarded $581,713 in prize money.
It was a good series for Lee Kathol of Crofton, Nebraska, who first won Event #2: $125 Cheap & Deep NLH for $1,323 and a couple of days later took down Event #9: $125 Nightly NLH for $2,900. By doing so, he became the only two-time champ of the series.
Others to capture titles were Susan England (Event #5: $125 Green Chip Bounty NLH), Terry Keller (Event #7: $200 NLH), Kevin Wang (Event #14L $200 NLH), Arturo Segura (Event #18: $250 HORSE), and Richard Munro (Event #19: $250 NLH).
Here’s a look at some other notable winners from the series.
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MOOSE Main Event Ends in Five-Way Deal
Moose International is a charitable organization all across the United States that makes a difference in the lives of children, seniors, and communities. Each year, the nationwide organization, with membership lodges all over the country, sees its “Moose” members travel to Las Vegas to compete in an annual poker event, always held at Golden Nugget.
This year, 900 runners competed for a $118,000 prize pool, which was paid out to the top 128 finishers. Among those to make deep runs but fall short of the final table was Marianne Shawley (11th – $1,800), Rick Quimby (15th – $1,800), Mary McCune (21st – $920), Corey Gutilla (28th – $920), and Karen Read (42nd – $465).
The final table, which was live-streamed and commentated upon by Mark Hoke, was an action-packed affair. After Pam Hargraves bowed out in sixth place for $3,445, the final five players worked an even chop that saw them all walk away with $9,738 apiece, which was essentially second-place money.
Because he was the chip leader at the time, Jim D’Angelo of St. Charles, Missouri was deemed the official champion, meaning he got the championship bracelet and custom chipset.
MOOSE Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim D’Angelo | St. Charles, MO | $9,738* |
| 2 | Steve Allman | Parkersburg, WV | $9,738* |
| 3 | Herb Karp | Los Angeles, CA | $9,738* |
| 4 | Austim Emerick | Portland, IN | $9,738* |
| 5 | Sam Torgerson | Douglas, WY | $9,737* |
| 6 | Pam Hargraves | Amherst, NY | $3,445 |
| 7 | Kathy McMahon | Mesa, AZ | $3,445 |
| 8 | Rico Soria | Eliz City, NC | $3,445 |
| 9 | Daniel Mesa | Evans, CO | $1,800 |
| 10 | Guy Moura | Grand Coulee, WA | $1,800 |
*Denotes five-way deal.
North Dakota’s David Ouellette Wins $100K GTD
Another big tournament was Event #17: $200 NLH $100K GTD, which saw 847 runners compete. That surpassed the guarantee by creating a $127,050 prize pool that was paid out to the top 71 finishers.
Among those to cash were Orlando Barrera (2nd – $10,656), Mario Gorgiev (6th – $7,024), WSOP bracelet winner James Van Alstyne (10th – $1,855), Chad Kubica (17th – $1,240), Richard Boomsma (24th – $675), Shane Butts (27th – $600), Anthony Fox (35th – $600), and Giovanni Ciraso (45th – $500).
In the end, it was David Ouellette of Dickinson, North Dakota taking down the title and $12,885 in prize money.
Event #17 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim D’Angelo | St. Charles, MO | $9,738* |
| 2 | Steve Allman | Parkersburg, WV | $9,738* |
| 3 | Herb Karp | Los Angeles, CA | $9,738* |
| 4 | Austim Emerick | Portland, IN | $9,738* |
| 5 | Sam Torgerson | Douglas, WY | $9,737* |
| 6 | Pam Hargraves | Amherst, NY | $3,445 |
| 7 | Kathy McMahon | Mesa, AZ | $3,445 |
| 8 | Rico Soria | Eliz City, NC | $3,445 |
| 9 | Daniel Mesa | Evans, CO | $1,800 |
| 10 | Guy Moura | Grand Coulee, WA | $1,800 |
Gary Gelman Conquers Record-Breaking 2022 PokerNews Cup at Golden Nugget ($202,725)
2023 Grand Poker Series Winter Classic Winners
| Date | Tournament | GTD | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/6/23 | Event #1: $150 NLH | $5,000 | 86 | $9,288 | Thomas Ottman | BattleGround, WA | $1,290 |
| 1/6/23 | Event #2: $125 Cheap & Deep NLH | $3,000 | 80 | $7,040 | Lee Kathol | Crofton, NE | $1,323 |
| 1/6/23 | Event #3: $125 NLH Nightly | $3,000 | 47 | $4,136 | Larry Sundberg | Perham, MN | $1,048 |
| 1/7/23 | Event #4: $200 NLH | $20,000 | 211 | $31,650 | Phillippe Olbrechts | Granite Falls, WA | $6,042 |
| 1/7/23 | Event #5: $125 Green Chip Bounty NLH | $3,000 | 70 | $4,410 | Susan England | Rolling Meadows, IL | $959 |
| 1/7/23 | Event #6: $125 Nightly NLH | $3,000 | 74 | $6,512 | Edward Leonardo | Talleyville, DE | $925 |
| 1/8/23 | Event #7: $200 NLH | $15,000 | 187 | $28,050 | Terry Keller | Cortland, OH | $3,668 |
| 1/8/23 | Event #8: $150 NLH | $10,000 | 136 | $14,688 | Tommy Kang | Las Vegas, NV | $1,990 |
| 1/8/23 | Event #9: $125 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 174 | $15,312 | Lee Kathol | Crofton, NE | $2,900 |
| 1/11/23 | Event #10: MOOSE Main Event | N/A | 900 | $118,000 | Jim D’Angelo | St. Charles, MO | $9,738 |
| 1/10/23 | Event #11: $200 NLH | $50,000 | 386 | $73,340 | David Davenport | Platte City, MO | $7,618 |
| 1/10/23 | Event #12: $150 NLH | $10,000 | 209 | $21,527 | John Bartosek | Saint Cloud, FL | $4,432 |
| 1/10/23 | Event #13: $125 NLH | $5,000 | 127 | $10,541 | Chris Roulier | Burbank, CA | $1,654 |
| 1/11/23 | Event #14: $200 NLH | $50,000 | 210 | $50,000 | Kevin Wang | Las Vegas, NV | $9,000 |
| 1/11/23 | Event #15: $150 NLH | $10,000 | 167 | $17,201 | David Larkin | Jacksonville, FL | $2,822 |
| 1/11/23 | Event #16: $125 Nightly NLH | $5,000 | 96 | $7,968 | Doni Donaldson | Sidney, OH | $2,528 |
| 1/14/23 | Event #17: $200 NLH | $100,000 | 847 | $127,050 | David Ouellette | Dickinson, ND | $12,885 |
| 1/14/23 | Event #18: $250 HORSE | $10,000 | 34 | $10,000 | Arturo Segura | Alameda, CA | $2,937 |
| 1/14/23 | Event #19: $250 NLH | $25,000 | 92 | $25,000 | Richard Munro | Las Vegas, NV | $6,674 |
The Golden Nugget will once again host a Grand Poker Series summer festival. Details on that, including a schedule, are expected to be released within the next month or two. Once it is, PokerNews will be sure to bring you the full story.
Executive Editor U.S.
Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.