Scott Sanders Claims Two WSOPC Rings in One Week!

Scott Sanders has been on an incredible roll this past week, having claimed two coveted gold rings at the WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe in California, including its Main Event. The 30-year-old San Jose resident’s accomplishment is even more impressive when you consider that he’s an amateur player whose main source of income is derived from his work at In-N-Out Burger.

Mental-Boosting Benefits of Poker

Scott Sanders first started playing poker after breaking his hip and being temporarily incapacitated. He said that the game helped to concentrate his mind and make him feel more positive during this difficult time, and ultimately give him “something to compete for even if you feel like you have nothing.” Elaborating further, Sanders explains:

“It really changed my life and my outlook on everything. It stimulated my brain and gave me something to fight for when I couldn’t walk for a few months.”

Between 2015-17, Sanders earned $72,409 playing live tournaments, but has now amassed $254,992 in 2018 alone, $172,515 of which has come from his recent WSOPC wins.

$400 Monster Stack

The WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe took place from Oct.25 to Nov.5, and featured 13 events with buy-ins mostly in the $250-$400 range, increasing to $1,700 for its Main Event. Sanders subsequently managed an 11th place finish at Event #6: $400 Pot Limit Omaha for $641, before diving into Event #8: $400 No Limit Hold’em – Monster Stack.

The tournament attracted a field of 332 players. Two days later, and Sanders polished off his final opponent, Marty Gorenc, to claim a top prize of $25,201, after which he commented:

“I want people to play poker, and poker is going to die if people don’t make it fun. So, that’s my goal in poker, just to make it fun for people.”

$1,700 Main Event

Sanders then entered Event #10: $1,700 Main Event alongside a field of 442 players, meaning the first 45 finishers would receive a share of its $669,630 prize pool. Among the notable pros making it into the money was Vincent Moscati in 29th ($4,192), Adam Owen in 28th ($4,192), Scott Stewart in 27th ($4,788), and Valentin Vornicu in 22nd ($5,538).

Headlining the final table was multiple WSOPC ring winners Nick Pupillo, and Brett Murray. Sanders would compete against his formidable opponents in three-handed play, and after Murray was reduced to just 11bbs, Sanders (K-J) picked off his all in shove to take a huge 99bb to 13bb over Pupillo into heads-up play.

Pupillo mounted a great comeback, though, and at one stage moved into a 63bb to 46bb lead. Nevertheless, Sanders quickly claimed the lead once more, with the deciding hand played soon after.

Pupillo (10-9) opened on the button, before calling a three-bet from Sanders (4-3). Sanders subsequently check-raised all in on a 9-6-5 flop, leading to a swift call from Pupillo holding top pair. Sanders didn’t have to wait long before filling in his straight draw, however, after a 7 arrived on the turn, with a harmless 6 on the river bringing the tournament to its conclusion.

While Sanders collected his second gold ring of the series, Pupillo had to settle for his second WSOPC Main Event runner-up finish in a row. In Oct. Pupillo placed second to Zachery Schneider at the WSOPC Horseshoe Casino for $186,823, and this time around collected $91,036 after falling just short once again in Lake Tahoe.

Final Table Result

1: Scott Sanders $147,314
2: Nicholas Pupillo $91,036
3: Brett Murray $66,521
4: Stephen Song $49,392
5: Ryan Stoker $37,245
6: Dann Turner $28,506
7: Ian Steinman $22,138
8: Michael Hubbard $17,437
9: Robert Georato $13,928

Next WSOPC Stop

The WSOP Circuit has since moved onto its next destination, the Choctaw Casino and Resort in Oklahoma. It is already half way through its schedule, with its Main Event due to get underway on November 9th. The tour will then move onto Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas from November 14-27, followed by Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina from November 22 to December 3.