TJ "POTtheRIVER" Carney Earns First WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event #2: $500 PKO ($12,846 + $14,746 in Bounties)
Two WSOP Gold Bracelets were up for grabs in the state of Pennsylvania on Monday night, the first two to ever be awarded in the state. After Philadephia's Mark "ratrivers" Herm nabbed the first bracelet in Event #1: $500 NLH Keystone Kickoff, it was time for players to seek knockouts in Event #2: $500 No Limit Hold'em PKO, where half of the prize pool was 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 Hendon Mob, more than doubled his prior career-best score with the victory.
Event #2: $500 No Limit Hold'em PKO Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE | BOUNTIES | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TJ "POTtheRIVER" Carney | $12,846 | $14,746 | $27,593 |
| 2 | Frederick "LooseChangee" Ferrell | $12,846 | $1,844 | $14,690 |
| 3 | Jason "sandjay" Rivkin | $7,836 | $2,109 | $9,945 |
| 4 | Jeffrey "PA_iTiltHard" Kim | $5,673 | $3,459 | $9,132 |
| 5 | Zachary "PeachesParty" Zahner | $4,113 | $1,828 | $5,941 |
| 6 | Anthony "Snacks22" Potis | $3,002 | $1,466 | $4,468 |
| 7 | Mike "m1kecr0ss" Cross | $2,193 | $2,215 | $4,407 |
| 8 | Samuel "PineCreek" Monks | $1,611 | $1,209 | $2,821 |
| 9 | Brian "bkellssc" Kelly | $1,185 | $935 | $2,120 |
Of the 48 players who earned a chunk of the main prize pool, a few notables include Ryan "DRIBRELLIK" Quail (21st - $544 + $928 in bounties), Dean "TheRealYoshi" Morrow (27th - $537 + $225 in bounties), and Matthew "FBNR4LIFE" Beyerlein (36th - $530 + $113 in bounties).
Final Table Action
The final table stay of Brian "bkellssc" Kelly would last exactly one hand, as he ran ace-queen into the queens of Anthony "Snacks22" Potis to bust. Nearly a half-hour would go by before Samuel "PineCreek" Monks and Mike "m1kecr0ss" Cross fell in quick succession to TJ "POTtheRIVER" Carney, who at that point commanded a third of the chips in play with six players remaining.
Potis would be next to fall, after losing the majority of his stack by having his aces cracked by a rivered two-pair from Jeffrey "PA_iTiltHard" Kim. Zachary "PeachesParty" Zahner, who spent most of the final table sitting in the middle of the pack, busted next, also to Kim.
A double knockout, ironically enough, would bring the field to heads-up play. A now short Kim committed his stack with ace-three, while Jason "sandjay" Rivkin, who was making an appearance at a WSOP Final Table in his third different state, flopped a pair and a gutshot with seven-six and chose to get it in as well. Carney had top pair with ace-nine and called, and no help came for Kim or Rivkin, bringing Frederick "LooseChangee" Ferrell and Carney into heads-up play with similar stacks.
At the start of the tenth hour of play, the tournament came to a close. A short-stacked Ferrell jammed for around eight big blinds with deuces, but Carney flopped top pair with nine-eight and never looked back, sealing up the victory and a coveted WSOP Gold Bracelet.