Michael Rocco wins 2019 Wynn Poker Winter Classic
Michael Rocco tops a field of 557 entries to win the 2019 Wynn Poker Winter Classic (photo: Wynn Poker Twitter)

The Wynn Las Vegas poker room stepped up its holiday game this year with the first-ever Wynn Winter Classic. Anchoring the schedule was the $5,300 Championship and it attracted a field of 557 entries to generate a prize pool of $2.74 million. Taking home the inaugural title was Michael Rocco, who earned $540,800 in first-place prize money.

Rocco defeated Michael Dyer in heads-up play to win the title. Dyer gained notoriety from his third-place finish in the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event, when he took home $3.75 million in prize money. For his runner-up finish in the Wynn Poker Winter Classic Championship, Dyer earned $353,242.

Also placing at the final table were Louis Salter (4th – $168,312), Joe Kuether (5th- $124,690), and Adam Hendrix (8th – $63,852).

Bubbling the final table was Galen Hall, who took home $45,987 for his 10th-place finish. Right behind him were notables Ankush Mandavia and Kahle Burns in 11th and 12th places, respectively. Mandavia also earned $45,987 and then Burns took home $39,474.

Final Table Results

1st: Michael Rocco – $540,800
2nd: Michael Dyer – $353,242
3rd: Ben Farrell – $239,789
4th: Louis Salter – $168,312
5th: Joe Kuether – $124,690
6th: Matt Yarra – $96,738
7th: Tomas Soderstrom – $77,006
8th: Adam Hendrix – $63,852
9th: Josh Bergman – $53,987

According to live reporting provided by PokerNews, the final hand between Rocco and Dyer saw Dyer open with a raise to 1 million and Rocco call to see the flop come down Ks6s3d. Both players checked and the dealer landed the Td on the turn. Rocco led for 2 million, Dyer called, and the river was the 2h. Rocco, having Dyer covered, shoved for effectively 9 million. Dyer called with the AdQc for ace high. Rocco had him beat with the Kc6h for two pair and won the tournament.

Others to cash in the event were Shannon Shorr (15th – $34,325), Justin Bonomo (25th – $19,797), Matt Glantz (31st – $17,290), Maria Ho (39th – $15,101), and Cliff Josephy (54th – $11,619).

Gerhart and Kamphues Also Score Big at Wynn

The $5,300 Championship wasn’t the only big event as part of the 2019 Wynn Winter Classic schedule. Two events that stood out were the $600 NL $250,000 Guarantee and $1,100 NL $500,000 Guarantee tournaments.

In the $600 NL $250,000 Guarantee, a field of 727 entries generated a prize pool of $380,366. The top 80 places paid, and it was Kevin Gerhart walking away with the lion’s share of the prize pool. Gerhart won the event for a score of $69,561.

In the $1,100 NL $500,000 Guarantee, a field of 1,230 entries created a prize pool of $1.204 million. Germany’s Timo Kamphues emerged victorious to win $202,787. After this result, Kamphues went over to Bellagio and finished seventh in the World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $273,695.