The 2023 Wynn Summer Classic kicked off on May 25 and is slated to run through July 19. The series features 48 events offering a total of $28 million in guaranteed prize pools at Wynn Las Vegas.
The six-week festival kicked off with a selection of mixed game poker variants and will culminate in July with events such as the $10,500 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Everyone for One Drop featuring a $10 million guarantee and the $111,000 buy-in WPT Alpha 8 for One Drop.
Here’s a look at some of the early winners of the 2023 Wynn Summer Classic.
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Ari Engel Takes Down $1,100 Limit Omaha 8/B
In the $1,100 Limit Omaha 8/B tournament, 130 entrants generated a prize pool of $126,100 which paid the top 13 players.
The trophy of the second event in the series went to Ari Engel. The two-time bracelet winner took down the tournament for $33,701 after defeating Joe Ford (2nd – $25,354) in heads-up play.
Nice to win this! Props to Joe F who got 2nd, played well and gave me props action the whole final table including… https://t.co/mYmGYh8E6C
Others to cash in the event included Jonathan Breneman (5th – $7,440), Dylan Linde (8th – $4,256), and Maxx Coleman (11th – $3,165).
Wynn Summer Classic $1,100 Limit Omaha 8/B $50K GTD Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ari Engel | Del Ray Beach, FL | $33,701 |
| 2 | Joe Ford | Eau Claire, WI | $25,354 |
| 3 | Dean Joe | Austin, TX | $16,754 |
| 4 | Darin Thomas | Las Vegas, NV | 12,088 |
| 5 | Jon Breneman | Burnsville, MN | $7,440 |
| 6 | Danielle Noja | United Kingdom | $5,977 |
| 7 | Dominick Sovle | Long Beach, NY | $5,019 |
| 8 | Dylan Linde | Las Vegas, NV | $4,256 |
| 9 | Logan Trindade | Las Vegas, NV | $3,657 |
“Miami” John Cernuto Back in the Winner’s Circle
On May 29, poker legend “Miami” John Cernuto found himself once again in the winner’s circle with a victory in the $2,200 H.O.R.S.E. $100K GTD.
Cernuto was victorious in a $1,100 Limit Omaha 8/B just a few months ago during the Wynn Millions series. In that event, he worked out a heads-up deal with the aforementioned Ari Engel to claim the trophy and $25,851.
This time around, Cernuto snagged himself another piece of hardware and $36,500 after an apparent four-way deal with Mark Roland (2nd – $29,568), Leonard August (3rd – $25,303), and Roland Israelashvili (4th – $24,269).
Wynn Summer Classic $1,100 Limit Omaha 8 $50K GTD Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Cernuto | Las Vegas, NV | $36,500 |
| 2 | Mark Roland | Las Vegas, NV | $29,568 |
| 3 | Leonard August | Las Vegas, NV | $25,303 |
| 4 | Roland Israelashvili | Las Vegas, NV | $24,269 |
| 5 | Hye Park | Las Vegas, NV | $9,870 |
| 6 | Jonathan Breneman | Las Vegas, NV | $7,910 |
| 7 | Jeffrey Taylor | Blaine, MN | $6,580 |
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Yulian Bogdanov Takes Down $3,000 NLH 6-Max for Over $200K
On June 8, the $3,000 NLH 6-Max featured a $200K guarantee. That amount was smashed by more than four times as 319 players battled it out on the felt to create a prize pool of $877,250 which paid out the top 36 finishers.
Bulgaria’s Yulian Bogdanov took home the first-place prize of $205,116 and the Wynn trophy after defeating 2022 bracelet winner Mohammad Abedi Arani (2nd – $130,710) in heads-up play.
Bogdanov navigated a final table which included Hui Chen “Kitty” Kuo (4th – $60,793), Jacob Daniels (7th – $27,765), and fellow Bulgarian Boris Kolev (8th – $23,019).
Wynn Summer Classic $3,000 NLH 6-Max $200K GTD Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yulian Bogdanov | Bulgaria | $205,116 |
| 2 | Mohammad Abedi Arani | Dallas, TX | $130,710 |
| 3 | Brendan Buckner | Salt Lake City, UT | $87,023 |
| 4 | Hui Chen Kuo | Las Vegas, NV | $60,793 |
| 5 | Michael Suggs | Carmel, IN | $44,433 |
| 6 | Johan Schultz-Pedersen | Denmark | $34,476 |
| 7 | Jacob Daniels | The Woodlands, TX | $27,765 |
| 8 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | $23,019 |
| 9 | Ran Koller | Israel | $19,519 |
2023 Wynn Summer Classic Winners Thus Far
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/25-5/26 | $1,100 H.O.R.S.E $50K GTD | 142 | $137,740 | Joseph Weinberger | Las Vegas, NV | $38,543 |
| 5/26-5/27 | $1,100 Limit Omaha 8 $50K GTD | 130 | $126,100 | Ari Engel | Del Ray Beach, FL | $33,701 |
| 5/27-5/28 | $1,100 Limit Omaha 8/Stud 8 $50K GTD | 125 | $121,250 | David Levi | Las Vegas, NV | $26,259 |
| 5/28-5/29 | $2,200 H.O.R.S.E. $100K GTD | 70 | $140,000 | John Cernuto | Las Vegas, NV | $36,500 |
| 5/29 | $400 NLH $40K GTD | 531 | $180,540 | Chunyu Yang | Jersey City, NJ | $36,924 |
| 5/29-5/30 | $3,000 8 Game Mix $150K GTD | 46 | $150,000 | Leonard August | Las Vegas, NV | $63,000 |
| 5/30 | $600 2-7 Triple Draw $30K GTD | 142 | $73,130 | Thor Morstol | Norway | $16,117 |
| 5/30-6/1 | $600 NLH $200K GTD | 801 | $412,515 | Garen Zobian | Las Vegas, NV | $75,494 |
| 6/1 | $500 Seniors NLH $100K GTD | 487 | $233,760 | Edward Hansen | Santa Ana, CA | $24,287 |
| 6/2 | $550 NLH $100K GTD | 630 | $302,400 | Riley Stahley | Woodbury, MN | $38,969 |
| 6/3 | $550 $5K Milestone Survivor $50K GTD | 334 | $160,320 | 32 Winners | N/A | $5,000 |
| 6/3 | $550 NLH $100K GTD | 705 | $338,400 | Carlos Caldas | Staten Island, NY | $55,146 |
| 6/8 | $3,000 NLH 6-Max $200K GTD | 319 | $877,250 | Yulian Bogdanov | Bulgaria | $205,116 |