Eight Deuce · Tournament #39

Five and a Half Hours, Six Knockouts, and Steve McLean Wins the Longest One Yet

Warren Mervin’s runner-up finish puts him top of the standings with one tournament left.

Friday ran five hours and thirty-three minutes, the longest tournament the league has played, and Steve McLean was still there at the end of it. Mac made six knockouts — the players who finished second, third, fourth, seventh, tenth and eleventh — and took $360.

It is his fourth Eight Deuce win and the eighth of his career, and his first since June of last year.

Warren Mervin was second for $245 after a ten-minute heads-up match, and it moves him to the top of the Player of the Year race with one tournament to play. Justin Vaughn made three knockouts and was third for $170, his fifth top-three in six tournaments.

Jeff Ferguson took fourth and $125 without a knockout — only his fourth cash in four years of this league, and he has still never won a tournament in either one.

Where the money went

The undercard

Angela Cain bubbled in fifth and took out Lee Ugarte along the way; Lee, who had led the standings since June, finished twelfth.

Shawn Miller was the first player out after an hour and fifty-four minutes.

The bigger picture

Nine tournaments, eight different winners, and only Lee Ugarte has two. That already matches the most winners any season has produced, with one still to play.

The title is a three-man race and eleven points cover it: Warren Mervin on 302.99, Lee Ugarte on 295.05, Justin Vaughn on 292.61. Warren has played eight tournaments and Justin eight; Lee has played nine, so his total is the one that can only improve by replacing a score.

Eight Deuce #39 — Friday, September 13, 2024. 15 entrants, 1 rebuy, four paid from a $900 prize pool. Player of the Year counts each player’s best eight scores.