It’s been a bit of a heater for the “Chainsaw” as back in October, Kessler topped a monster field of 41 runners to win the 2022 Orleans Fall Poker Open $400 Eight-Game Mix for $3,210. Prior to his recent victories, Kessler hadn’t had a tournament victory since 2015 according to the Hendon Mob.

$1,100 Limit Omaha 8B Final Table Results

Massive Opening Event Ends in Heads-Up Deal

The series actually kicked off with a $600 buy-in, $500K GTD No-Limit Hold’em event from December 1-4. That tournament attracted a massive 2,999 runners and more than tripled the guarantee by generating a $1,559,480 prize pool.

Among those to make deep runs were Eric Baldwin (14th – $13,800), Elvis Toomas (24th – $8,455), Thomas Middleton (34th – $7,430), Jose Barbero (43rd – $6,575), Dan Shak (52nd – $5,860), Mitchell Halverson (63rd – $4,743), and Ryan Riess (69th – $4,743).

The tournament ended in a heads-up deal between Jesse Lonis, one of the hottest players in tournament poker, and Idaho’s Sean Banahan. As part of the deal, Lonis finished in second place for $122,184 while Banahan was deemed champion for $136,220 and the tophy.

$600 NLH Opening Event Final Table Results

_{*Denotes heads-up deal.}

Esther Taylor Bests Benny Glaser to Win 8-Game Mix

Back on December 8, the $3,000 8-Game Mix $200K GTD attracted 131 entries, which created a $360,250 prize pool. That was paid out to the top 15 players, and among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Leonard August (10th – $8,538), Toby Lewis (11th – $8,538), Eita Sakai (12th – $7,475), Ken Aldridge (13th – $7,475), Nick Milgrom (14th – $6,621), and AJ Kelsall (15th – $6,621).

The final table was filled with recognizable and accomplished poker players, but after Brian Hastings bowed out in third place for $41,069, the title came down to Esther Taylor and Benny Glaser.