Event #9: $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em

Former Circuit Main Event champ wins second-career ring, both in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (February 17, 2017) — Peter Vitantonio just keeps adding to his record at the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The 2015 WSOP Circuit Main Event Champion took down the lone $1,125 event on the calendar for this stop, winning his second ring and the top prize of $41,162. Both of his rings have been won in this building.

Vitantonio is a 33-year-old professional poker player from Cleveland, Ohio. He’s been playing the game for about 15 years, and it quickly became his full-time occupation. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just kind of stuck with it. Just never stopped, really.” He now makes his home in Fort Lauderdale for most of the year, and he’s been enjoying some significant success in South Florida of late.

Vitantonio’s results at the Palm Beach Kennel Club includes six cashes, two wins, and more than $200,000 in combined earnings. When asked to pinpoint the reasons for his impressive stats here, Vitantonio didn’t have much of an answer. “I don’t know,” he said with a laugh. “I honestly don’t know. I have no idea.” He said he does feel especially comfortable playing in this venue, and this victory was particularly easy, as far as victories go.

“It was really smooth,” Vitantonio said in his postgame interview. “Really smooth. I’m pretty sure I was never all in, and I never really had a short stack. It was super un-stressful.” He was second in chips behind Gediminas Uselis when the final table began, and the two were in the same positions when Day 1 concluded with four players left.

Uselis was the first one eliminated on Day 2, though, and his exit left room at the top for Vitantonio. The champ was soon heads-up with Steve Duncker, and for the first time in two days, he was challenged. Duncker fought for more than three hours before Vitantonio finally collected the last of his chips to seal the title.

After the last hand was dealt, Vitantonio quickly posed for photos, then jumped straight into Day 1A of the Main Event to try to repeat his title from two years ago.

Peter Vitantonio and Steve Duncker are heads-up for the ring in Event #9. Vitantonio, who won the Circuit Main Event in this building a couple years ago, begins the match with the lead.

Peter Vitantonio - 1,310,000 (82 bb)
Steve Duncker - 895,000 (56 bb)

Blinds are 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante in the current level, putting close to 140 total big blinds in play.

The field has just been reduced to 10 players, and they've drawn for new seats around the final table. Here's the remaining lineup:

Seat 1: Gediminas Uselis - 547,000 (91 bb)
Seat 2: Chad Eveslage - 53,000 (9 bb)
Seat 3: Alan Schein - 240,000 (40 bb)
Seat 4: Houston Baker - 91,000 (15 bb)
Seat 5: Gary Friedman - 32,000 (5 bb)
Seat 6: Joseph Taylor - 140,000 (23 bb)
Seat 7: Peter Vitantonio - 500,000 (83 bb)
Seat 8: Ari Engel - 180,000 (30 bb)
Seat 9: Frank DiMaria - 181,000 (30 bb)
Seat 10: Steve Duncker - 223,000 (37 bb)

Another ring would give Ari Engel nine in his career and move him into a tie with Alex Masek for the all-time lead. He begins the final table in the middle of the pack and slightly below the chip average.

Blinds are 3,000/6,000 with a 1,000 ante in the current level, putting the average stack around 37 big blinds. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $3,013 this evening, with play scheduled to continue for just over two more levels.

Level 15 has just begun, and play will continue tonight until the end of 21. There are currently 28 players left, which means the average stack is about 33 big blinds as they play 1,200/2,400 blinds with a 400 ante.

Eight-time ring winner Ari Engel (pictured) is among the remaining field, as is four-timer and WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hui. Alex Nguyen and Vytautas Laurinaitis are both looking to add a second final table appearance to their results at this stop, while Brett Bader, Mark Dube, and T.K. Miles are looking for their first. Stephen Smith, who won Event #7 here just last night, is also still in, though he's very short on chips at the moment.

Only 15 of the remaining players will finish in the money, so the bubble is just starting to appear on the horizon.

Level 7 is underway, and the field for Event #9 is growing with a quickness. There are already 128 entries into the field, with late registration and single re-entry available until after the next break.

As the series starts to build toward the weekend's Main Event, a few more traveling pros are starting to make their way to Palm Beach Kennel Club from the far side of the state and beyond. Jake Schwartz, T.K. Miles, and November Niner Jerry Wong (pictured) are all making their series debut this afternoon.