Zach Schneider Triumphs at 2018 Horseshoe Hammond Main Event

From October 11-22, the Horseshoe Hammond Casino in Indiana played host to the WSOP Circuit, and featured fourteen tournaments with buy-ins ranging from as low as $250 all the way up to $5,300 for its High Roller. Amongst the notable names capturing gold rings during its run was 10-times ring winner Josh Reichard who took down its $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack event for $38,392, and poker reporter Mo Nuwwarah who increased his live earnings to $91,06 after winning the $600 H.O.R.S.E event for $14,008.

The hugely popular series then drew to a close with the conclusion of its $1,700 Main Event, which attracted an impressive 1,094 player field, and was eventually won by Zach Schneider for $302,492. The 25-year-old Illinois pro picked up his first WSOPC ring back in 2015 at the same venue after a winning performance at the $5,300 High Roller for $101,250. Following his latest success, the player who now boasts $486,259 in career earnings, commented:

“I feel blessed. I ran really well today. I didn’t really have any hurdles to get over. Things just kind of flowed naturally. It came to me today.”

$1,700 Main Event

There was no shortage of players lining up to take part in the Horseshoe Hammond $1,700 Main Event, and in the end the tournament’s prize pool swelled to $657,410 in excess of its $1 million guarantee. Amongst the big name pros seeing a return on their buy-ins was Maurice Hawkins in 75th ($3,795), Ralph Massey in 52nd ($5,005), Jeff Fielder in 31st($7,226), Chris Conrad in 26th ($9,679), and Aaron Massey in 14th ($19,707).

Final Table

Schneider entered the final table with one of the biggest stacks, and soon assumed pole position (Q-Q) after sending Royce Matheson (10-10) to the rail in 9th. A while later, Schneider’s pocket queens also came out ahead against the A-K of Young Koh to oust his from the competition in 5th. That elimination heralded the start of his assault on the final table, after which Schneider took care of David McDermott in 4th, and Sami Shurbaji in 3rd to take a 2-to-1 chip lead over Nick Pupillo into heads-up play.

Heads-Up Recap

Schneider’s last opponent was the most accomplished pro at the final table, with Illinois pro Nick Pupillo’s list of accolades including 2 WSOPC rings (2014, 2017), and a win at the 2015 HPT Ameristar East Chicago Main Event for $120,537. Nevertheless, Schneider had all the momentum on his side, and in the final hand Pupillo ran an aggressive semi-bluff holding 4-2 on a Q-6-5-6-K board, betting out on all streets, including moving all-in on the river.

Unfortunately for him, Schneider (Q-7) was going nowhere with his two pair, and after making the call Pupillo had to settle for a runner-up finish worth $186,823. Meanwhile, a jubilant Schneider collected the ring and his biggest score to date worth $302,492, after which he commented:

“Honestly, I know I’m a pretty good poker player and I’ve done this for a living for ten plus years. I know that I have an edge on the field for the most part so I always feel confident. But really it didn’t really hit me till today when everything just kind of got out of my way. So, it wasn’t really until today that I was confident that big things were happening.”

Final Table Result

1: Zachery Schneider $302,492
2: Nicholas Pupillo $186,823
3: Sami Shurbaji $138,825
4: David McDermott $104,417
5: Young Koh $79,506
6: Giuliano Lentini $61,528
7: Mark Wahba $47,750
8: Jacob Baumgartner $37,640
9: Royce Matheson $29,999

Other WSOPC Winners

In addition to Josh Reichard, Mo Nuwwarah, and Zach Schneider winning events, Jason Mangold claimed victory at the $5,300 High Roller (Re-entry) after making his way past a 68 runner field to earn a top prize of $119,000. A couple of months earlier, Mangold finished runner-up at the HPT Chicago Main Event for $127,689, and giving a hint as to the adaptable style of play that has served him so well, said that he had to alter his approach “seven times” during the latest Horseshoe Hammond tournament, and that some of the competitors would describe his play as being “incredibly passive”, while others would say that his style was “incredibly aggressive”.

In the meantime, Wendy Freedman followed up on her September win at the Black Hawk Main Event for $167,696 by subsequently claiming yet another victory, this time at the WSOP Circuit Hammond $400 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event for $12,197. As a result, she now boasts $1,119,236 in career earnings since 2012.

Finally, WSOPC winner David Larson may not have captured a further accolade at the latest stop in Indiana, but he was awarded the Casino Champion title following four cashes worth almost $25k, including a runner-up finish at the $600 No Limit Hold’em event for $14,780.