The Orleans Open concluded with a $540 main event that attracted 166 entrants for a prize pool of $80,510.
Stacey Nutini, a 32-year-old Las Vegas poker pro who runs lasvegaspokersource.com, won the event after declining a five-way chop.
With more than 2.3 million chips during heads-up action, she looked down at 
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and made it 134K to go from the button. Her opponent, Russia’s Maxim Sorokin, responded by shoving his last 900K with 
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. Nutini’s hand held up and she took home $23,755 for first place, her largest payday and her second live victory. She scored $11,246 for winning the 2010 LIPS championship at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. She also cashed in Event 8 ($1,500 no-limit hold’em) at last year’s World Series.
She chatted with Ante Up’s Todd Lamansky after her victory.
How long have you been playing professionally? A year and a month.
What did you do before? I was a Carrie Underwood impersonator for two years here as I was starting to transition into a pro and I was a teacher before that.
What led to your decision to turn pro? I had been playing poker for eight years and decided I wanted to become better at it so I could do it for a living because I knew it could be lucrative. I started training with Ari Engel and David Chicotsky, which turned my whole game around, started playing super aggressively. Two months later I quit the impersonation job and have been playing full time ever since. I wanted to work for myself and liked the freedom that playing poker allowed.
Do you play mostly live or online? I’m mostly an online player, but obviously right now with the situation with the government, I’m actually considering relocating out of the country after the World Series is over so I can start playing full time on the Internet again.
What events are you planning to play this summer? I’ll be playing several $1,500 NLHE events (at the WSOP). I’m also going to play (the Grand Poker Series) at the Golden Nugget, Binion’s (fifth annual Poker Classic), and every ladies event in town, including the championship I won last year. The Rio also has a $235 deepstack tournament every day so any day I’m not playing a bracelet event, I’m just going to grind that because it gets about 900 people and it’s a really good structure.
Do you play anything besides NLHE? I’m just now learning how to play mixed games, so I dabble a little bit in Omaha, but not much. I’d like to eventually know how to play everything but I’m very, very focused on NLHE and tournaments. I’m not a big cash-game player.
Where are from originally? I’m from Ohio.
What brought you to Vegas? Weather brought me to Vegas because it’s really cold in Ohio. I just wanted to get out of the cold weather and do something totally different. I was just kind of going through that period where I was like, “You know what? I’m almost 30 and still living in Ohio.” I didn’t even know what I was going to do when I got here. I essentially cashed out my teacher’s retirement fund and said, “Wherever I go I know I will find friends, I’ll find something to do that I like.”
Looks like her gamble paid off.
Event 1 • $225 NLHE
Entries: 278 • Prize Pool: $53,930
1. Jeffrey D’ambrosia, Las Vegas, $14,830
2. George Folopoulos, Las Vegas, $9,440
3. Kendale Limahai, Kona, HI, $6,255
4. Amador Trinidad, Las Vegas, $4,315
5. Sarah Minsterman, Phoenix, $3,235
6. Leonard Dicenso, Murrieta, CA, $2,425
7. David Gyarmati, Ottawa, $1,890
8. Timothy Acker, Las Vegas, $1,400
9. Yohannes Muruz, Las Vegas, $915
Event 2 • $225 Omaha/8
Entries: 186 • Prize Pool: $36,085
1. Monica Rouse, Las Vegas, $10,825
2. John Macleod, Las Vegas, $7,215
3. Thomas Dolan, St. Louis, $4,290
4. Art Kargen, Williamsville, NY, $2,885
5. Fuad Koubi, Van Nuys, CA, $2,340
6. Stephen Kaiser, Los Angeles, $1,800
7. Anthony Merder, Las Vegas, $1,260
8. Lawrence Fujii, Las Vegas, $940
9. Tim Sweeton, Long Beach, CA, $615
Event 3 • $225 NLHE
Entries: 214 • Prize Pool: $41,515
1. Kenneth Inouye, Las Vegas, $11,415
2. Ashton Bernar, Anna, OH, $7,265
3. Richard Yelland, Aliso Viejo, CA, $4,815
4. Bruce Antman, San Morino, CA, $3,320
5. Randy Ohel, Las Vegas, $2,490
6. John Bruchhagen, Las Vegas, $1,870
7. Geary Madison, Las Vegas, $1,450
8. David White, Midland, TX, $1,080
9. Cory Dowd, Setaukel, NY, $700
Event 4 • $225 Omaha/8
Entries: 164 • Prize Pool: $31,815
1. Ryan Tepen, B. Green, MO, $9,545
2. Michael Rahmn, Bend, OR, $5,075
3. Tam Ho, Las Vegas, $5,075
4. Donald Merutka, Las Vegas, $2,550
5. Jean Merkel, Las Vegas, $2,070
6. Todd Beccoria, Danville, CA, $1,590
7. Mike Puskarich, Las Vegas, $1,120
8. Marc Ferguson, Las Vegas, $830
9. Tom Hufnagle, Las Vegas, $540
Event 5 • $225 NLHE
Entries: 268 • Prize Pool: $51,990
1. Michael Bryan, Rapid City, SD, $14,300
2. Adam Eastman, Wichita, KS, $9,100
3. Chad Winters, Las Vegas, $6,030
4. Keith Baldwin, Univ. Pl., WA, $4,160
5. Lenn Yonemura, Las Vegas, $3,120
6. Christian Bazinet, Peoria, AZ, $2,340
7. Jeffrey Lewis, Las Vegas, $1,810
8. Michael Schwartz, Las Vegas, $1,340
9. Kim Haeng, Portland, $880
Event 6 • $225 H.O.R.S.E.
Entries: 176 • Prize Pool: $34,145
1. Susan Abraham, Las Vegas, $2,120
2. Gerald Cheatham, Hen., NV, $2,120
3. Gregory Monaldi, Davie, FL, $2,120
4. John Woo, Henderson, NV, $2,120
5. Adam Schoenfeld, Las Vegas, $2,120
6. Dennis Decastro, Las Vegas, $2,120
7. Donald Webb, Las Vegas, $2,120
8. Pat Manning, Oklahoma City, $2,120
9. Lucas Johnson, Onalaska, WI, $2,120
Event 7 • $330 NLHE
Entries: 131 • Prize Pool: $38,120
1. Lee Sommers, G’town, MD, $6,845
2. Anne Spinetti, Las Vegas, $5,300
3. Gary Braufman, Las Vegas, $5,300
4. Kyle Anderson, Farm. Hills, MI, $5,300
5. Zac Engelman, Petoskey, MI, $5,300
6. Andrew Foster, Fishers, IN, $3,000
7. Steven Fowler, Las Vegas, $1,340
8. Noah Kawashige, Honolulu, $990
9. Michael Moed, Miami Beach, $650
Event 8 • $330 Omaha/8
Entries: 119 • Prize Pool: $34,630
1. David Jacke, Las Vegas, $7,400
2. Tam Ho, Henderson, NV, $5,860
3. Susan Abraham, Las Vegas, $4,400
4. Seb Bellomo, Lakewood, CO, $4,400
5. Warren Beres, Las Vegas, $4,400
6. Gregory Jamison, Las Vegas, $1,730
7. Ted Finkleman, Las Vegas, $1,210
8. Walter Smiley, Gardena, CA, $900
9. Mark Johns, Las Vegas, $595
$540 Main Event
Entries: 166 • Prize Pool: $80,510
1. Stacey Nutini, Las Vegas, $23,755
2. Maxim Sorokin, Russia, $15,800
3. Ken Mattox, Long Beach, CA, $9,580
4. Rie Woodward, Henderson, NV, $6,440
5. Robert Engle, Las Vegas, $5,235
6. John Moresi, St. Peters, MO, $4,025
7. Ricardo Alvarado, Ontario, CA, $2,820
8. Zachary Rooder, Las Vegas, $2,100
9. Jonathan Gerrick, Las Vegas, $1,370
10. James Bowler, $965
11. Matthew Pettit, Las Vegas, $965
12. Ravi Dayal, Las Vegas, $965
13. Daniel Snowden, Ark. City, KS, $965
14. John Macleod, Las Vegas, $965
15. Albertus Stegeman, $965
16. Derek Tornwall, Melrose, FL, $965
17. Richard Surmick, Las Vegas, $965
18. Arie Wisher, Las Vegas, $965
19. Brian Devonshire, Las Vegas, $700
