Pennsylvania’s Zach “CaptainLevi” Gruneberg, the reigning WSOP PA On-line Participant of the 12 months, captured his second profession gold bracelet and a $16,665.16 payday this previous Sunday after successful WSOP PA’s On-line Bracelet Occasion #2 – NL Maintain’em PKO. After practically 10 hours of play with limitless re-entry for the primary 4 and a half hours, the Boalsburg, PA-based 34-year-old professional took it down on his fifth bullet at round 4:20 a.m. ET.
The $400 buy-in occasion, the second of a seven-game on-line bracelet sequence in Pennsylvania, collected 267 entries and generated a prize pool of $96,120 with 148 complete gamers and 119 re-entries.
Gruneberg took down PA’s $150,000 GTD Thriller Bounty Championship lower than a 12 months in the past, scoring bracelet primary and a $31,470.54 payday.
WSOP PA On-line Bracelet Occasion #2: NL Maintain’em PKO Closing Desk Outcomes
Gruneberg went on to win WSOP PA’s 2023 Participant of the 12 months and accumulate $10,000 in money, $1,500 in match tickets, and an unique Participant of the 12 months gold ring. After including bracelet quantity two to his resume, he now boasts two bracelets, eight gold circuit rings, and over $2.2 million in stay earnings.
Gruneberg Reacts to the Win
PokerNews caught up with Gruneberg to ask him the way it felt to snag one other bracelet inside one 12 months of the primary.
“This previous October, Pennsylvania solely obtained one bracelet occasion whereas NJ and Nevada obtained like 40+, so once I received the one and solely in my own residence at my battle station, that was a beautiful feeling,” remarked Gruneberg. “Successful the second proper earlier than my journey to Vegas obtained me actually puffed up and excited for this 12 months’s pilgrimage to the desert.”
Heads-up play started round 3:00 am ET with solely Gruneberg and Ryan “Mink3232” McCusker remaining for the title. Gruneberg entered the duel at a 5:3 chip benefit, and each gamers noticed many swings over the subsequent hour earlier than completion, with Gruneberg in the end ending up victorious.
Heads-up play might be grueling and make or break gamers. Nonetheless, for Gruneberg, essentially the most difficult a part of this match was getting previous the four-and-a-half-hour late registration interval, which concerned firing 5 bullets in complete.
“I used to be huge stack on my first with a bunch of bounties after which flamed out so laborious leading to firing 4 extra bullets,” he mentioned.
However on bullet 5, sitting in place 58/59, he light the world with pocket 8s in a four-way all in for an enormous quadruple-up. From there, the momentum wanted for a deep run was in movement.
“On the final bullet earlier than registration closed I obtained in 88 to AJ to AQ to KQ and held for a quad up which was a factor of magnificence. From there we simply grinded it out it performed very deep and went to 4 a.m. which I’m constructed for,” he added.
Now, after deciding on a shorter journey to the desert for the primary time since age 21, he is heading to Vegas with a jam-packed schedule to maintain the momentum going.
“I loved my time at dwelling immensely throughout these few weeks, and I’m excited to see what I can do at WSOP 2024,” he added. “Can we anticipate one other bracelet? Man, these issues are HARD to win in Vegas, however I can inform you I’ll attempt my best possible.”
Frank “D.Lafferty” Bonnacci Wins First Bracelet
The win got here per week after Frank “D.Lafferty” Bonnacci took down the primary on-line bracelet of the sequence. Occasion #1: NLH Bankroll Builder attracted 217 entries (130 distinctive gamers who rebought 87 instances) and provided up a $97,650 prize pool. Bonnacci fired two bullets into the match and in the end prevailed after simply over eight hours of play to seize a $20,731.19 first-place prize.
Earlier this 12 months, PokerNews profiled Bonnacci after he crushed the December 2023 WSOP PA Tremendous Collection taking down Occasion #10 – $215 NLH 6-Max earlier than later successful Occasion #11 – $1,000 NLH Excessive Curler 8-Max giving him his third and fourth gold rings respectively.
The 37-year-old household man, who final summer time completed forty fourth within the WSOP Principal Occasion for a career-best $229,000, beforehand advised PokerNews:
“My aim in poker was at all times a fairly easy one,” he mentioned. “I need each. f***ing greenback. If they arrive with trophies or rings or bracelets, nice. If they arrive with a rubber band and in a Crown Royal bag, even higher. However I truthfully simply get pleasure from battling each stay and on-line, win or lose — nothing like that sleep after you have been at struggle for 30+ hours straight now and again.”
For extra on Frank “Franco” Bonacci, comply with him on X at @FrancoBonacci.
Bear in mind, PA gamers can legally play actual cash poker in Pennsylvania, so we have provide you with an inventory of the perfect on-line poker websites in Pennsylvania. Entry actual poker websites and play completely different video games with poker gamers inside the state.Whether or not you are seeking to play poker freerolls, in search of one of the best poker bonuses, or wish to shortly hop right into a money recreation or an internet poker match, our devoted web page on PokerNews will inform you every part that you must find out about on-line poker in PA.
Greatest Poker Websites in Pennsylvania: Play On-line Poker in PA
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