Eight Deuce · Tournament #44

Brian Connolly Wins the Biggest Prize the League Has Ever Paid, in His Third Tournament

Six knockouts, forty minutes heads-up, and $580 — a record that lasted a month.

Brian Connolly played his first Eight Deuce tournament in January and went ninth. He played his second in February and was the first man out. On Friday he played his third, knocked out six of the twenty-two who went out, survived forty minutes heads-up and won $580 — more than any first prize the league has paid outside the Annual.

It is the first tournament win of his career. Last month’s record of $535 stood for four weeks.

Lance Cain rebought and was second for $335, his second top-three finish in a row. Shawn Miller took third and $230, and Josh Reel fourth for $175.

Where the money went

The undercard

Lee Ugarte made three knockouts and bubbled in fifth. Eric Denny and Steve McLean made three apiece as well and finished seventh and eleventh.

Jeff Holderman, who won in February, rebought and was the first player out.

The bigger picture

Four tournaments, four different winners, and $5,160 in prize money already — more than half of what all of last season produced, in four months.

Twenty-two rebuys have gone in this year against seventeen in the whole of 2024, and every tournament so far has cleared $1,100. The standings have rearranged themselves completely: Shawn Miller leads on 171.86 without winning anything, and the four men who have won a tournament sit second, fifth, seventh and ninth.

Eight Deuce #44 — Friday, April 18, 2025. 17 entrants, 6 rebuys, four paid from a $1,320 prize pool. Player of the Year counts each player’s best eight scores.