By Sean Chaffin
Let the bounty hunting begin. One of the most unique events on the Main Tour schedule returns Oct. 11-15 in Jacksonville, Florida. The $5,000 WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble changes things up on the tournament schedule with plenty of extra money in play with 30 players featuring a $2,500 bounty on their heads.
That’s an extra $75,000 available for busting a bounty player. The bestbet Bounty Scramble also offers players a $1 million guarantee. This year’s bounty list includes some recognizable names to WPT players and fans including:
Darren Elias – four-time WPT champion
Anthony Zinno – three-time WPT champion
Mike Sexton – longtime WPT commentator and partypoker chairman
Matt Savage – WPT executive tour director
Tyler Patterson – 2015 WPT Bounty Scramble champion
Maria Ho – WPTDeepStacks champion and PokerGO host and commentator
Paul Petraglia – Season XVI WPT Bounty Scramble champion
Jessica Dawley – WPT regular and two-time defending last bounty standing
The annual event has become a favorite with players and features some interesting dynamics. bestbet is a top-notch poker and betting facility where players can also grab a nice meal or cocktail and even bet on simulcast racing in a relaxed, comfortable environment. The poker room is the largest in Florida with 88 tables among in 20,000 square feet gaming floor.
The event has produced some big-name winner champions through the years including Sam Panzica, Patterson, Jared Jaffee, and Noah Schwartz. Last year featured an amazing rally by Tony Tran to claim his first WPT title and take home $341,486 in first-place cash.
On Day 2 with 30 players left, Tran was down to only two big blinds. Quickly all in on the big blind, he caught some fire after winning that hand and was one of the bottom three in chips with 17 players returning for Day 3. He then went on to the final table, but entered fifth in chips. The comeback was complete when he finished off Jake Schwartz for the title.
“It feels amazing looking back at the win,” Tran says of the comeback. “I thought the competition was tough, which made it much sweeter to have been able to pull off the win. I was very fortunate. The thing that stood out most about the event for me was how great the staff was and how well organized the entire casino is.”
Becoming a WPT champion is now a source of pride for this part-time player from Philadelphia. A graduate of Temple University, Tran buys houses and resells them after fixing them up. His winnings allowed him to purchase more real estate.
“For me being a WPT champion means I was able to defeat some of the best in the world on that particular outing,” he says. “It means that I finally was able to accomplish something I felt I worked pretty hard for. I’ve been playing poker on and off for 16 years and because of family obligations, I am rarely on the poker scene so it meant a lot to accomplish such a historic feat.”
Tran says players can expect a great week of poker at bestbet. He plans on attempting to defend his title and this will be his first WPT of Season XVIII.
“The food and service is amazing,” he says. “The poker atmosphere features some of the best cash games beyond just the tournaments.”
Players heading to Jacksonville will also find a packed preliminary schedule featuring 21 events with something for every bankroll – with buy-ins ranging from $200 to $20,000. That includes some nice six-figure guarantees for plenty of big payouts.
As he gears up for what he hopes is another big run in Jacksonville, one aspect of the trip leaves Tran with some disappointment this year. As the property’s newest WPT champion, he wanted to be among the bestbet bounty brigade.
“It was pretty disappointing to have not been made a bounty since I am defending the title,” he says. “But I guess the casino decided it’s best to use the bounties to promote the casino. Being that I don’t have any social media, I guess I didn’t serve any benefit to [promote the event].”
Maybe he’ll add that Twitter or Instagram account by Season XIX and then have a target on his head.
For more information on the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble, click here. Here are links to a complete tournament schedule and preliminary event schedule.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.