Event #8: $2,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller (1 Re-Entry)

Nadezhda ‘Nadya’ Magnus Wins Her Second Ring in the Potawatomi High Roller Event

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (February 11, 2017) –  Nadezhda ‘Nadya’ Magnus has defeated a field of 119 entries to take down the World Series of Poker High Roller event at Potawatomi Casino, earning her second World Series of Poker Circuit ring and $71,398.

At the start of Day 2 play, Magnus was in the bottom half of the chip counts, starting off the day with just a touch over 20 big blinds (40,300). By the second level of the day, she had one of the largest stacks in the tournament, and was putting her opponents to the test early on. 

The unofficial final table of nine was reached when Damian Rabanov was eliminated by Eric Rivkin, giving Rivkin the monster chip lead heading into final table play. Magnus really stepped into the lime light after eliminating Craig Trost in 5^th place ($16,908).

Eric Rivkin eliminated both the 4^th and 3^rd place finishers, so when they reached the heads up portion of play Rivkin had 1,690,000 to Magnus’ 690,000 at 20,000 big blind.

Two big hands took place right after the start of heads up play. The first hand gave Magnus and Rivkin close to even chip stacks. The very next hand, gave the chip lead to Magnus and left Rivkin with only 14 big blinds to work with. Rivkin was able to double up a few times after that, but was never able to regain the chip lead. The final hand took place just one level after heads up play began, and Magnus took down the tournament when her ace high held against the    of Rivkin.

Magnus is originally from Russia but moved to the United States in 2000, and has lived in Chicago ever since. Despite her success in poker, she does not consider herself a professional poker player.

“I don’t play poker for a living, however I do take it seriously, I always have. I always study, several times a week, a few hours at a time. I’m very competitive so it’s something that I can compete at, and just feel a sense of fulfillment after competing so hard and challenging myself,” Magnus explained.

Magnus won her first Circuit ring when she took down the Hammond Ladies Event in 2009 for $8,877. At the time she was new to the game, and said that her win today was a very different experience.

“When I won the first time, I barely knew what I was doing. I had read one book and thought that was it, I thought that it was so easy. Back then, I had never faced downswings, variance, or bad beats…I had only started playing the same year, so I thought it was so easy. I didn’t appreciate the win. Today’s win came after a long grind, after a lot of studying, after dedicating myself to the game, and appreciating how hard the game really can be,” Magnus explained. 

One of that hardest things that Magnus has had to learn since she first started playing is how to deal with loss, and dealing with the negative mental aspects of the game. While she loves the mental challenge that poker provides her, she has had to work very hard to overcome the negative mental aspects. She thanks Jason Somerville for really helping her with that part of her game.  

“He is just a bundle of positive energy, and his personal coaching as well as his podcasts and Twitch stream have really helped me. I attribute this win to him as well as to my boyfriend,” Magnus said.

She went on to talk about how the support of her boyfriend has also been instrumental to her success in poker, “He has been very supportive, and has also helped me a lot in dealing with the mental side of the game. Throughout this tournament I was texting him about tough tables, and tough opponents, and this and that, and he always told me, ‘You are just as good, if not better.’  He is just so confident in me and believes in me. He is everything to me,” Magnus concluded with a big smile.

Below are the results of the final table. Full results from this event are available in the Results tab above.

1 – Nadezhda Magnus – $71,398
2 – Eric Rivkin – $44,130
3 – Niel Mittelman – $31,421
4 – Matthew Shepsky – $22,824
5 – Craig Trost – $16,908
6 – Kenny Nguyen. – $12,764
7 – Steven Lauson – $9,818
8 – James Juvancic – $7,690

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Event #8 was the eighth of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at Potawatomi. The $2,200 no-limit hold'em high roller tournament attracted 119 players, generating a $238,000 prize pool, and the top 12 players were paid.

Day 1 began Thursday at 1 p.m. and lasted 12 levels. Day 2 began Friday at 2 p.m. with 35 players advancing from Day 1, and three additional direct entries prior to the start of play (registration closed at the beginning of play on Day 2).  The tournament ended at about 1:00 a.m. at the beginning of level 25 (15,000/30,000 blinds and a 5,000 ante).

The player who accumulates the most overall points during the Potawatomi twelve combined gold ring tournaments earns the title Casino Champion and receives an automatic entry into the WSOP Global Casino Championship set to take place at the end of the season.

All players who cash in ring events receive points that apply toward the Casino Championship race and the season-long race to claim one of 50 at-large Global Casino Championship bids awarded to the top point earners throughout the season. More information on the points system is available on WSOP.com.

There's around 90,000 in the middle, and the board reads     . Nadya Magnus checks, Eric Rivkin bets 75,000, and Magnus raises to 155,000. Rivkin pauses for a minute before calling the raise.

The river is the  , and Magus shoves all in, having Rivkin covered.  Rivkin thinks for another minute before folding his hand. 

Nadya Magnus - 2,010,000 (83 bb)
Eric Rivkin - 370,000 (15 bb)

There's around 500,000 in the middle and the board reads      .

Eric Rivkin checks, and Nadya Magnus shoves all in. Rivkin goes into the tank.

Over two mintues pass before Rivkin asks for a count. The dealer counts out Magnus' 738,000 in chips, and Rivkin stands up in his chair.

Visibly shaken by the decision at hand, Rivkin puts his hand on his head, and then sits back down.

Another two minutes pass before Rivkin throws in the chips to call.

Magnus turns over    for a straight. Rivkin picks up his cards, flashes the  , and then tosses them into the muck. 

Nadya Magnus - 2,035,000 (84 bb)
Eric Rivkin - 345,000 (14 bb)

Niel Mittelman - 3rd Place - $31,421

Eric Rivkin raises to 50,000 on the button, and Niel Mittelman shoves all in from the small blind. Nadya Magnys folds her big, and Rivkin slowly moves a stack of chips forward to call.

Mittleman turns over   , and Rivkin says, "It's a race, good luck buddy," and then turns over    and then shakes Mittleman's hand. 

The flop comes    , giving Rivkin a pair of jacks to take the lead. 

The   turn and   river do not change the hand, and Mittelman is eliminated in 3rd place, taking home $31,421. 

Eric Rivkin - 1,690,000 (84 bb)
Niel Mittelman - Eliminated in 3rd place, for $31,421

Craig Trost - 5th Place - $16,908

Craig Trost shoves all in from under the gun. Action folds to Matt Shepsky in the small blind who calls, and Nadya Magnus asks for a count of Trost's stack. Upon hearing the 106,000 total, Magnus announces that she is all in, and Shepsky folds his hand. 

Trost:   
Magnus:   

Someone on the rail says, "She just always has it."

The   appears in the window, but it's followed by the   and the   giving Magnus top pair.

"That's dirty, especially after giving me a five in the window," Trost says.

The   turn gives Magnus top two, and the   river means the elimination of Trost in 5th place. 

Nadya Magnus - 670,000 (55 bb)
Craig Trost - Eliminated in 5th place, for $16,908