Herm, Pillai & Porter Among WSOP Pennsylvania Online Bracelet Winners

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Aug 19, 2021 7 min read

From August 8-17, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) offered eight gold bracelet events to players in Pennsylvania via the WSOP.com online platform. The tournaments ranged in buy-in from $400 up to the $3,200 High Roller and wound up catering to a combined 2,126 entries and awarded $1,493,610 in prize pools.

The weeklong series, which was live reported in full by PokerNews, culminated in a $1,000 NLH PA Championship. Below is a look at all those who captured bracelets during the series.

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Herm Wins First-Ever WSOP PA Gold Bracelet

On Monday, August 9, the first-ever bracelet was awarded in the state of Pennsylvania with the conclusion of Event #1: $500 NLH Keystone Kickoff. Over the course of three starting flights, 425 players rebought 75 times to create a 500-entry field and a $225,000 prize pool.

Day 2 saw 148 players return to action, and when the dust settled start-of-the-day chip leader and Philly native Mark "ratrivers" Herm emerged victorious to claim a $48,420 top prize and the first-ever WSOP Gold Bracelet awarded in Pennsylvania.

Herm, an accomplished pro with over $1.7 million in live tournament earnings as reported by Hendon Mob, had come tantalizingly close to WSOP gold on three separate occasions, including a runner-up performance in the 2020 GGPoker.com WSOP Online Bracelet Series Event #66: $800 Pot Limit Omaha. Herm made his fourth WSOP final table appearance count, and now has his first gold bracelet to show for it.

Event #1: $500 NLH Keystone Kickoff Final Table Results

TJ "POTtheRIVER" Carney Wins Event #2: $500 PKO

Event #2: $500 No Limit Hold'em PKO saw half of its prize pool allocated to progressive bounties on each player's head. After a ten-hour day on the virtual felt, fellow Philly native TJ "POTtheRIVER" Carney who overcame a field of 327 entrants (262 players, 65 rebuys) to earn a WSOP Gold Bracelet, along with a total of $27,593 in prize money and bounties. Carney, who has $83,246 in career tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob, more than doubled his prior career-best score with the victory.

Event #2: $500 No Limit Hold'em PKO Final Table Results

Pillai Earns Third Career WSOP Bracelet in High Roller

Event #3: $3,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller was supposed to be the third event of the WSOP.com Pennsylvania Online Bracelet Series but ended up as the closing event instead.

In the end, Shankar "DerekHarper" Pillai was able to earn his third career WSOP Gold Bracelet and $66,641 by overcoming a field of 86 entrants (66 players, 20 rebuys), including denying Brandon "UpOnly" Hall his first WSOP Bracelet in heads-up play.

Pillar's list of poker accomplishments is lengthy and notable, and this win brings his total reported live tournament earnings to over two-million dollars. His top cash was a $979,138 third-place finish in the 2020 GGPoker WSOP Bracelet Series Event #70: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Poker Players Championship, while his two bracelets came in 2007's WSOP Event #28: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em and WSOP's Event #81: $1,500 50th Annual Bracelet Winners Only No-Limit Hold'em.

He also owns two WSOP circuit rings, but his third WSOP Bracelet puts him in elite company with luminaries such as Barry Greenstein, David "Chip" Reese, and Antonio Esfandiari.

Event #3: $3,200 No Limit Hold'em High Roller Final Table Results

Dean "TheRealYoshi" Morrow Wins Event #4: $400 NLH 6-Max

Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em 6-max brought 295 players to the felt, and with the 126 rebuys generated, a prize pool of $151,560 was up for the taking. After just over nine hours of play, it was Dean "TheRealYoshi" Morrow who put together a dominant performance to earn his first career WSOP Gold Bracelet, along with a top prize of $35,480.

With three tables left, Morrow was sitting in the middle of the pack, but fell short with ten players remaining. Morrow then hit the gas hard, wielding his stack like a hammer and earning nearly back-to-back doubles against eighth-place finisher Mark "Trap_Lord" Davidoff to rally to the chip lead. From there, Morrow never relinquished the chip lead and bulldozed his way to WSOP Gold.

Event #4: $400 No Limit Hold'em 6-Max Final Table Results

Nicholas "Mr.Magoo7" Lein Ships Event #5: $777 No Limit Hold'em Lucky 7's

Event #5: $777 No Limit Hold'em Lucky 7's saw 158 players pony up 68 additional rebuys, to build up a $158,200 prize pool to shoot for. With an exciting final table that featured a recent WSOP.com Pennsylvania Bracelet winner, it was Nicholas "Mr.Magoo7" Lein who rode the hot hand to a WSOP Gold Bracelet, along with $40,325 in cash.

Lein made a statement early, with a double knockout of Kyle "ISeeYourNuts" Lorenz and Michael "TonyBandanas" Lavin to start their ascent up the counts. It wasn't until the final table where Lein became a true force, however, eliminating six of the final eight players, including the first three within ten minutes of each other. It took a little longer in heads-up play, but "Mr.Magoo7" was able to finally dispatch Ben "Tallinn" Gazzola and earn the coveted WSOP Gold Bracelet.

Event #5: $777 No Limit Hold'em Lucky 7's Final Table Results

Thong "Conngong12" Do Wins Event #6: $400 NLH PKO

Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em PKO saw 251 players fire away in hopes of claiming the plethora of bounties available. With an additional 68 rebuys, the total prize pool was $114,840, which was divided evenly between the main prize pool and the bounty pool. After just over nine hours of play, Pittsburgh's Thong "Conngong12" Do was the victor, netting $22,214 between prize money and bounties, after a hard-fought final table run featuring two prominent Twitch Streamers.

Do, who has just four recorded Hendon Mob cashes for $9,233 to his credit prior to his victory, sat in the middle or bottom of the pack for most of the final table. After catching a big bluff from eventual third-place finisher Anthony "SimSolvers" Garofalo, Do gained all the momentum, one that would result in them defeating Shawn "MoXSTeeM" Stroke in a short heads-up battle for the top prize and the WSOP Gold Bracelet.

Event #6: $400 No Limit Hold'em PKO Final Table Results

Michael "TonyBandanas" Lavin Victorious in Event #7: $600 Monster Stack

Event #7: $600 No Limit Hold'em Monster Stack attracted 288 entrants and built up a $155,520 prize pool. After a nearly ten-hour day, it was Michael "TonyBandanas" Lavin who earned his first WSOP Gold Bracelet and $39,642 after besting Matthew "RunGoodRick" Boulden in heads-up play.

Lavin, who hails from Beverley, New Jersey, already had a piece of WSOP jewelry to his credit, after winning a WSOP Circuit Ring in the 2020 WSOP Online Circuit Event #12 - $75,000 NLH 2x Re-entry for $29,800. Lavin now can lay to claim to owning both a WSOP Gold Bracelet and a WSOP Circuit Ring, and the win pushes him to nearly $100,000 in Hendon Mob reported tournament earnings for his career.

Event #7: $600 No Limit Hold'em Monster Stack Final Table Results

Andrew "LoveToLose" Porter Wins Pennsylvania Championship

Day 2 of the Event #8: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em PA Championship saw 88 hopefuls return from the 311 entrants that fired in the three Day 1 starting flights. With $65,525 up top, it was another Philadelphia native to claim the WSOP Gold Bracelet, something that has become a theme in prior events. Andrew "LoveToLose" Porter was able to lock up the cash and the jewelry after a five-hour Day 2 that saw a swift amount of action and eliminations from start to finish.

Porter, who earned four cashes in the WSOP.com Online Series in New Jersey/Nevada in July, had two cashes on his record for five figures, including his top score of $15,000 for finishing in third place in a Parx Big Stax XXVIII $500 No-Limit Hold'em event. This win nearly triples his Hendon Mob recorded earnings and pushes him over the six-figure mark in career earnings. Porter, the "Digital guy for SportsRadioWIP" according to his Twitter bio, will certainly have a lot to talk about in the coming days as he celebrates a well-earned WSOP Gold Bracelet victory.

Event #8: $1,000 No Limit Hold'em PA Championship Final Table Results

WSOP PA Bracelet Winners

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