Eight Deuce · Tournament #53
Jeff Ferguson Knocks Out Eight. Joe Johnson Knocks Out One and Wins a Third.
Three tournaments into 2026, and one man has won all of them.
Jeff Ferguson eliminated eight of the twenty-one players who went out on Friday, matching the most anyone has ever made in an Eight Deuce tournament. Joe Johnson eliminated one, beat him heads-up in twenty minutes, and won $495.
It is his third win in three tournaments this season, from the second, third and fourth Eight Deuce tournaments of his life. No player has ever won the first three of a season.
Ferguson took $320. His eight knockouts join Eric Denny’s in 2021, Lee Ugarte’s in 2024 and Rick Mazza’s last February at the top of the list; three of those four lost.
Brian Connolly rebought and was third for $220, his third cash in three tournaments, and Andrew Shier rebought and took fourth for $165.
Where the money went
| Player | Prize | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Johnson | $495 |
| 2 | Jeff Ferguson | $320 |
| 3 | Brian Connolly | $220 |
| 4 | Andrew Shier | $165 |
The undercard
Josh Maida bubbled in fifth, comfortably his best result in three Eight Deuce tournaments. Warren Mervin took sixth, and then came the two men who did the most for the least: Lee Ugarte seventh and Eric Denny ninth, three knockouts each and nothing to show for it.
Mike Conner was the first player out after one hour and forty-nine minutes, and Josh Reel followed him at two and a half hours.
The bigger picture
Nineteen players and three rebuys made $1,200, a third straight tournament with a field of nineteen or more. The league had never drawn nineteen before this season.
Joe Johnson is on 365.00 after three nights — a total that would have finished second in last year’s season-long standings. Brian Connolly is second on 143.17, two hundred and twenty-two behind.
| Player of the Year — after #53 | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Johnson | 365.00 |
| 2 | Brian Connolly | 143.17 |
| 3 | Jeff Ferguson | 138.33 |
| 4 | Andrew Shier | 134.78 |
| 5 | Justin Vaughn | 102.50 |
| 6 | Eric Denny | 94.00 |
| 7 | Warren Mervin | 82.68 |
| 8 | Mike Conner | 81.38 |
Eight Deuce #53 — Friday, March 13, 2026. 19 entrants, 3 rebuys, four paid from a $1,200 prize pool. Player of the Year counts each player’s best eight scores.