Eight Deuce · Tournament #22

Two Years to the Day, Jeff Holderman Wins Another One

He won his first Eight Deuce tournament in February 2021. He had not cashed in one since August of that year.

Jeff Holderman won the second tournament this league ever held, in February 2021, and was Player of the Year that year. Then he stopped cashing: ten tournaments in a row without any money, a season in which he did not make a single payout, and a sixteenth-of-sixteen last month. On Friday he won $340, almost two years to the day since the last time.

He made four knockouts and finished it in one minute and fifty-four seconds heads-up, the quickest ending the league has had.

The man on the other side of that was Shawn Miller, who made five knockouts, more than anyone, and took $240 for a second place — his third here, against one win. Paul Coffman was third for $160 without a knockout, and Mike McEvoy fourth for $120, his first cash in eleven Eight Deuce tournaments.

Where the money went

The undercard

Eric Denny bubbled in fifth for the second tournament running. Lee Ugarte, who won last month and won four times last season, went eleventh — one of Shawn’s five.

Mike Conner was the first player out after eighty minutes.

The bigger picture

Fifteen players and, unusually, not one rebuy — the only other Eight Deuce tournament that has happened in was the very first one, two years ago. That held the pool to $860, the smallest since September.

Two tournaments, two winners, and the standings are tight enough to be meaningless: Lee Ugarte leads on 107.50 from Shawn Miller on 88.00 and Holderman on 86.18.

Eight Deuce #22 — Friday, February 10, 2023. 15 entrants, no rebuys, four paid from an $860 prize pool. Player of the Year counts each player’s best eight scores.