World Series of Parker · Event 1-4
The Round Robin Sorted Them, and the Bracket Threw It Out
Both top seeds went out in the first elimination match — to the two men who had finished last.
One night, thirty-six matches, and a format the series had not tried before: everybody plays everybody, the seven rounds decide the seeding, and then an eight-man bracket decides the event. It took six hours and fourteen minutes, which is the longest any World Series of Parker event has run. Greg Howell won it for $105 — his first in this series, at the fourth attempt.
He had been close all year. Second in the Omaha Hi/Lo opener, second in Razz, fourth in Stud — three events, three times in the money, no win. He made seven knockouts on Friday, more than anyone, four of them in the round robin and three in the bracket, and the last of them was Eric Denny in the final. Eric took $65 for second.
The round robin
Twenty-eight matches settled the seeding, and it settled on Andrew Shier and Lee Ugarte at the top, five wins and two losses apiece. Greg and Warren Mervin were a game back on four. Eric and Josh Martin came out at three, and Mike Short and Rick Mazza at two wins from seven, the bottom of the table.
| After the round robin | W–L | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Shier | 5–2 |
| 2 | Lee Ugarte | 5–2 |
| 3 | Greg Howell | 4–3 |
| 4 | Warren Mervin | 4–3 |
| 5 | Eric Denny | 3–4 |
| 6 | Josh Martin | 3–4 |
| 7 | Mike Short | 2–5 |
| 8 | Rick Mazza | 2–5 |
The bracket
Three and a half hours of sorting, and the bracket undid the top of it in a single round. Rick Mazza, seeded last, knocked out Andrew. Mike Short, seeded seventh, knocked out Lee. The two men who had won two matches all night put out the two who had won five, and the seeding was scrap by the time the second round started.
Greg came through Josh Martin and Eric came through Warren, which left the two lowest seeds still standing against the two who had beaten them. Greg put out Mazza; Eric put out Mike Short. Then Mike Short beat Mazza for third and $45, and Mazza took fourth and $15.
Where the money went
| Player | Prize | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Howell | $105 |
| 2 | Eric Denny | $65 |
| 3 | Mike Short | $45 |
| 4 | Rick Mazza | $15 |
| 5 | Andrew Shier | $25 |
| 5 | Lee Ugarte | $25 |
| 5 | Warren Mervin | $20 |
| 5 | Josh Martin | $15 |
Eight players and eight payouts — the only event the series has run where nobody went home empty.
The undercard
Andrew and Lee made five knockouts each and finished joint fifth for $25 apiece, which is more knockouts than the men who finished third and fourth managed. That is the arithmetic of a bracket: seven matches of evidence, one match of consequence.
Warren Mervin took $20 and Josh Martin $15, both of them beaten in the first elimination round by the two men who reached the final.
The bigger picture
Four events, four different winners: Eric in Omaha Hi/Lo, Mazza in Razz, Josh Martin in Stud, and now Greg. One remains — H.O.R.S.E. in March — and the series has yet to see anybody win twice.
For Mike Short the night reads better than the finish suggests. He was fifth in Razz and last of ten in Stud; on Friday he beat the second seed, and then beat the man who had knocked him out to take third.
World Series of Parker, Event 1-4 — Friday, January 26, 2018. Heads Up, 8 entrants, no rebuys, all eight paid from a $315 prize pool. A seven-round round robin seeded an eight-man elimination bracket; thirty-six matches in all.