Event #2: $365 Pot-Limit Omaha

The first of 12 gold rings was awarded on Friday afternoon at Harveys Lake Tahoe.

California’s Mike Sneideman won it, outlasting a field of 84 entries to claim the top prize of $8,063. The victory came in Pot-Limit Omaha, a game in which he doesn’t have a ton of experience.

“I don’t really know how to play PLO that much,” he admitted. “This is, like, my fourth tournament. I’ve studied hand ranges a little bit.”

Sneideman, 47, is a native of Virginia and the proud parent of a nine-year-old son, Jonah. They now make their home in Oceanside, California, where Sneideman plays the game full time. Or mostly full time.

“Poker pro, basically,” he explained his line of work. “I go broke every few months and [drive for] Uber. That kind of poker pro.”

Despite the occasional setback, Sneideman clearly knows his way around the felt. He’s earned more than a half-million dollars playing online, and his live earnings are approaching that mark, too. Though significant, this score is not even among his top ten results.

Sneideman faced some stiff competition at the final table, facing off against two-time ring winner Cary Marshall and recent first-timer Roger Bailey. Early on Day 2, the eventual champ found himself heads-up with Marshall for the title.

The battle was a swingy one, with both men holding a commanding chip lead at different points. The pendulum swung in Sneideman’s direction at the end, though, and he defeated Marshall to add his own name to the Circuit’s list of winners.

[Full results]

Right near the end of Level 13, the field is reduced to nine players. That means they're both in the money and seated at the official final table for Event #2. Here's the lineup:

Seat 1: Richard Orchid - 50,000
Seat 2: Woody Moore - 38,000
Seat 3: Thomas Lloyd - 20,000
Seat 4: Sean Barker - 78,000
Seat 5: Michael Sneideman - 68,500
Seat 6: Cary Marshall - 210,000
Seat 7: Glenn Uchibori - 10,400
Seat 8: Roger Bailey - 350,000
Seat 9: Joey Brown - 31,100

Roger Bailey won his first ring just a few weeks ago, and he's welding the big stack as the final table begins. Two-time Circuit winner Cary Marshall and three-timer Woody Moore are also in the hunt to add to their respective ring collections.

Blinds are 1,200/2,400 in the current level, putting the average stack close to 40 big blinds. Play is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 17.