Winners of the Pearl River Poker Open

Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Mississipi hosted the 2020 Pearl River Poken Open from November 12-22. The tournament was a nine-event series that catered to 3,492 entrants and awarded a total of $865,851 in prize money. Players from Michigan, Missouri, Arizona, and New Hampshire were also present to compete in several events.

The maiden event in the series was a $250 NLH $100k GTD. The $100k guarantee was crushed, as 1,735 entries were made, ramping up the prize pool to $333,120. From the prize pool, $46,600 was paid out in double bag bonuses.

There was enough to go round, at least to the top 169 finishers. “Captain” Tom Franklin finished 164th and was rewarded with $377. The reward figures continued to go up as positions got closer to the winner of the event.

At the final table, Anthony Reynolds defeated Theirry Quintin in heads-up play to win the event. The Atlanta, GA native went home with $45,894. Thierry Quintin from Destin, FL was in the second position, earning $28,629 for his effort. The other top earners are:

Frank Boswell from Pell City, MS – 3rd ($19,968)

  • Kenny Prendergrass from Brandon, MS – 4th ($17,062)
  • Eric Yim, a native of Fairfax, VA – 5th ($14,156)
  • Sean Small from Douglasville, GA – 6th ($11,248)
  • Michael Owens, Chattanooga, TN – 7th ($8,342)
  • Thomas Pullens, Picayune, MS – 8th ($5,813)
  • Phyllis Pettit from Baton Rouge, LA – 9th (4,012)

The most exciting event of the series was the Main Event of $600 buy-in, $100k GTD. Christopher Nunnally came out victorious from 671 entrants that participated in the event. The total prize pool created was $335,500 and was shared among the top 63 finalists. Players started with 20,000 in chips and played 40-minute levels. That formula attracted enough runners that led to the surpassing of the guarantee.

The heads-up play between Christopher Nunnally and Matt Higgins ended in a deal where Matt secured $50,000 in prize money, while Nunnally claimed the title and $57,835. Among those to cash at the event were Trace Henderson (49th), Joe Saleh (28th), Robert Hankins (61st), Tiffany Keathley (20th), etc. Below is a full list of the top earners in the Main Event.

  • 1st – Christopher Nunnally, Birmingham, AL ($57,835)
  • 2nd – Matthew Higgins, Chatanooga, TN ($50,000)
  • 3rd – Jeffery Hewitt, Atlanta, GA ($27,679)
  • 4th – Dustin Steward, Biloxi, MS ($22,646)
  • 5th – Gerald Stogner, Kokomo, MS ($19,291)
  • 6th – Daniel Lowery, Ozark, AR ($15,936)
  • 7th – Joseph Hebert, Covington, LA ($12,581)
  • 8th – Shawn Calvit, Lafayette, LA ($9,226)
  • 9th – Kevin Henderson, Ft. Payne, AL ($5,871)

Title winners in all nine events in the tournament had a combined winning of $144,289, with Christopher going home with a considerably large part of the total winnings. An interesting event worth noting is the $125 Rookies NLH (Event #8). To qualify for this event, you must have less than $10,000 in career lifetime earnings as a poker player. The winner went home with $1,546 out of a prize pool of $7,600.

The Pearl River Poker Open-ended on November 22 with the $200 Survivor NLH Event. The event produced eight winners who each went home with $1,430 each out of an $11,005 prize pool.