Eight Deuce · Tournament #16

Lee Ugarte Rebuys, Wins Anyway, and Takes Charge of the Season

Two wins in three tournaments, and the first man to buy back in and still be there at the end.

Lee Ugarte lost his stack early enough to buy back in, and won the tournament anyway — four knockouts, four hours and fifty-three minutes, a nine-minute heads-up match, and $405. No Eight Deuce tournament had been won by a player who rebought.

It is his second win in three tournaments, his third here and the eleventh of his career, and it puts him well clear at the top of the Player of the Year race.

Lance Cain finished second for $285, which is his second runner-up in four tournaments and his fourth cash of the year. He has now played forty-two at Canterberry and sixteen here — fifty-eight — and won none of them.

Paul Coffman, who won last month, was third for $190, and Justin Vaughn fourth for $140.

Where the money went

The undercard

Jason Dailey bubbled in fifth. Jeff Ferguson made two knockouts and came sixth, his best finish since he reached heads-up on debut thirteen months ago.

Jeff Holderman was eighth, and the story is now hard to avoid: six tournaments into his title defense, the reigning Player of the Year has not cashed once. Mike Conner was the first player out after an hour and thirty-eight minutes.

The bigger picture

Six tournaments have produced five winners, and Lee Ugarte is the first to take two. His 306.34 is sixty-seven clear of Paul Coffman, and he has two wins and two second places from his six starts.

Fifteen entries and three rebuys made $1,020. Every tournament this season has cleared $900.

Eight Deuce #16 — Friday, June 10, 2022. 15 entrants, 3 rebuys, four paid from a $1,020 prize pool. Player of the Year counts each player’s best eight scores.