The first low-buy event attracted a large field as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway. A total of 12,973 entered “The Reunion” $500 buy-in no-limit, and at the end, Long Ma won and took home $513,604.
The event was held under a coronavirus vaccine mandate, which prevented more people from entering. That did not affect the prize pool, which was guaranteed at $5 million, and ended up exceeding that for a total of $5,499,500.
Long Ma, a 35-year old electronic store manager from Dallas, won his first event and took home 720 Card Player of the Year points. That result moved him into the top 300 people in the POY race.
After his win, Ma said he was “a little bit tired.” He played for 15 hours on day one and 17 hours on day two, when 683 players were left. There were some past bracelet winners in the top 50, including John Gorsuch (33rd), Ryan LaPlante (19th), and Adrian Buckley (9th.)
On the final hand, second finisher Giuliano Lentini open-shoved from the small blind with a Q♠ and J♣, Ma called with A❤ and 7♠. The odds were with the eventual winner before the flop. The board came with K♠4❤3♦5♠5❤, giving the title to Long Ma. Lentini received $317,352.
The top 5 finishers were:
- Long Ma, $513,604 and 720 points
- Giuliano Lentini, $317,352 and 600 points
- Max Tavepholjalern, $241,766 and 480 points
- Alex Vazquez, $185,281 and 360 points
- Michael Eddy, $142,847 and 300 points
Long Ma has won $1,751 from one previous WSOP event. He said he might play at more events if he could get more time off from his job. His $514k might not be one of the biggest wins in history, but it will help him out tremendously.
