WSOPC Event #18: No-Limit Hold'em Bounty

Jose Gutierrez-Marengo - Event #18 Winner

Jose Gutierrez-Marengo rose in celebration as the final card of the final event at the Bally’s Las Vegas Circuit was dealt. The Panama native, now living in Las Vegas, hit an ace on the river to seal his victory, winning his first-ever World Series of Poker gold ring.

“I think it’s so meaningful because I’ve been playing quite a bit,” said Gutierrez-Marengo. “I can think I can play, but I didn’t know I could go all the way, so it’s just surreal at the moment.”

Gutierrez-Marengo moved to Las Vegas to delve into the poker world. However, after a rough go at the 2021 WSOP, he embarked on some alternate careers. The 40-year-old now works three different jobs. Luckily Event #18 fit into his scheduled so Gutierrez-Marengo could claim victory because he has still been putting in the effort to excel at poker.

“I’ve just been watching all these grinders,” Gutierrez-Marengo mentioned, referring to studying he has pursued to improve his game. He added some of his thought process too. “As long as I just keep learning and get out of my bad ways, I think that I can do something.”

Through meticulous final-table play, solid lay downs, and of course a string of good luck, Gutierrez-Marengo reached the WSOP winner’s circle. Along with the gold ring, Gutierrez-Marengo pocketed the top prize of $5,406, and earned an automatic seat in the 2022 Tournament of Champions.

The last ring event of the Bally's Las Vegas Circuit is down to a final table. The final 10 players have redrawn seats with a mere minute remaining in Level 18. Following the conclusion of the level, a 45-minute break for dinner will be held, then they will come back to Level 19 and play out the home stretch.

Chip leader going into the one-table redraw is Ireland's Lorraine McGarry with a quarter of a million in chips. She is one of four females represented at the final table. The average blinds per stack will be very low when players return from break.

Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts for the final ten players:

Seat 1: Priscilla Lake - 205,500 (20 bbs)
Seat 2: Mike Zeno - 121,000 (12 bbs)
Seat 3: Romeo Vivo - 90,000 (9 bbs)
Seat 4: David Benson - 93,000 (9 bbs)
Seat 5: Lorraine McGarry - 250,000 (25 bbs)
Seat 6: Jose Gutierrez-Marengo - 68,000 (6 bbs)
Seat 7: Robert Vogiatzis - 164,000 (16 bbs)
Seat 8: Chiori Gannon - 137,000 (13 bbs)
Seat 9: Niklas Schwarzmann - 146,000 (14 bbs)
Seat 10: Gina Bacon - 119,000 (11 bbs) 

- Start of Level 19: 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante

Sunday brings about the last opportunity for players to claim a 2022 Bally's Circuit gold ring. Event #18: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty gets cards in the air at 11:00 a.m. Late registration, including unlimited re-entry remains open till the start of Level 9. The tournament awards a $50 bounty to any knockout earned by players.

Here are the structural bullet points for the bounty ring event:

• Players begin with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Blinds start at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante
• Registration remains open until the start of Level 9 (~1:50 p.m.)
• Unlimited re-entry during the registration period
• All levels are 20-minutes long
• There will be a 10-minute break after Level 6, 12, 16, 24, and 30
• An extended break is scheduled for after Level 18
• Scheduled as a one-day tournament
• The winner will receive a WSOP gold ring and a seat to the Tournament of Champions
•  The top 5 finishers will receive an entry into the Bally's Bankroll Builder