Mike Gorodinsky was never too far from the top of the chip counts in Event 5, a $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low mix event. He bagged Day 1 third of 162 remaining and used his momentum to steamroll the competition on Day 2, finishing with the chip lead. There were some speed bumps along the way, but he eventually sealed the deal on Day 3 winning his first gold bracelet and $216,988 in the process.
Gorodinsky outlasted Kristopher Tong heads-up in a seesaw battle that saw both players so close to victory they could taste it. Gorodinsky relinquished the chip lead and had his back against the wall before crawling back into contention and finally sprinting into the winner’s circle.
Tong was awarded $134,017 for second.
Joining the duo at the final table was Julie Schneider. Her eighth place finish marks the first final table appearance for a woman at this year’s World Series of Poker. Last year, the women set a record for most final table appearances in a year with 14.
In a testament to the skill it takes to thrive in this format, both George Danzer and Owais Ahmed made their second appearance at the final table of this event. Last year, Danzer finished second to Oleksii Kovalchuk in this tournament, then turned in a sixth place finish this time around. In 2011, Ahmed won this event. This time around he finished in fourth place.
Other notables who cashed in the event include Allyn Jaffrey Shulman (33rd), Max Pescatori (32nd), Jeremy Ausmus (21st), two-time bracelet winner David "Bakes" Baker (19th), Mike Matusow (14th), and Daniel Negreanu (12th).
Here are the final table results from the $2,500 Sutd 8/Omaha 8 event:
1st: Mike Gorodinsky – $216,988
2nd: Kristopher Tong – $134,017
3rd: Matthew Ashton – $86,437
4th: Owais Ahmed – $62,631
5th: George Fotiadis – $46,048
6th: George Danzer – $34,348
7th: Mack Lee – $25,993
8th: Julie Schneider -$19,952
