Wynn Millions Won by Tony Sinishtaj for $1.6m, Vanessa Kade Fourth

The biggest major live event of the year so far, the 2022 Wynn Millions Main Event, ended at the weekend and after a thrilling final table, it was Tony Sinishtaj who took the title and $1,655,952 top prize. Getting his hands on the Wynn cardroom’s famous golden trophy, Sinishtaj saw off competition from Alex Livingston and Vanessa Kade in the final four players.

Neng Goes in Ninth

There was a predictable bust-out to kick off the eliminations, as Neng Lee was busted in ninth place for $171,280. The super short-stacked player was all in with pocket tens for his final 300,000 chips in the 18^th hand of final table action but couldn’t hold against Sinishtaj’s first successful all-in of the afternoon as his ace-king off-suit got there across an ace-high board where the ace came on the flop.

Sean Perry has enjoyed a spectacular period of success at the poker felt recently, having won two events at the PokerGO Cup in Vegas as recently as February. Also, Perry outlasted other superstars who played the Wynn Millions Main Event such as Daniel Negreanu, Dan Smith, Jason Koon, Erik Seidel and Alex Foxen. Perry was all-in and at risk with pocket nines, but was way behind Isaac Kempton’s pocket kings, and a flop of a king and two sixes meant Perry was doomed unless running nines hit 4^th and 5^th street. No nines came and the Vegas player was on the rail with $202,908.

Roland Shen was the unfortunate player to bust in seventh place for $244,541 as his call for his tournament life with king-jack on a flop of 9-4-3 put him in a world of trouble. The aggressor in the hand, Michael Stembara, held pocket nines and had flopped top set, so when the five of diamonds landed on the turn, it was all over. Despite that, a jack on the river prompted a good line from the defeated Shen.

“Hey, I got there.” He quipped as he made his pair of jacks despite his call costing him his tournament life.

Vanessa Kade Crashes Out

Tony Tran had enjoyed a lot of time as one of the prominent players in this year’s $10,000 buy-in event, but his run to the final table ended in sixth place. Tran, who moved almost all of his chips into the middle for around 18 big blinds, held pocket sixes, but again, pocket kings were waiting around the felt as Tony Sinishtaj re-shoved with kings and rode home with ease on the queen-high board. Tran cashed for a score worth $304,161.

Stembara was the next to go, losing out in fifth for a finish worth $390,053. The American busted with ace-king of hearts after losing a coinflip against the eventual winner. Sinishtaj would have been worried to see the ace-high flop, but a jack on the turn vaulted him into the lead. Only a ten would save Stembara, but instead, another ace gave Sinishtaj a full house of jacks over aces.

The overnight chip leader was Vanessa Kade, but she eventually busted in fourth place for $527,481. Kade went out of the event with pocket aces, as a fascinating hand devastated her stack and provided the biggest clue as to the destination of the title. Raising it up with aces pre-flop, Sinishtaj made the call with six-five of spades and two of that suit landed on the flop.

The turn brought the spade flush with the queen, and on the river of another queen, Sinishtaj shoved. Kade had a huge decision to make and made the wrong one, calling to see the bad news. It was a great move by Sinishtaj, however, and Kade deserves a lot of credit for a terrific run to fourth place and a half-million score.

Sinishtaj Seals Sweetest Victory

Sinishtaj virtually doubled his lifetime live earnings in one tournament.

Tony Sinishtaj was on the road to victory with that elimination, as he had 26 million chips, with Isaac Kempton and Alex Livingston both amounting to only 19.6 million. After Kade’s elimination, it was a second Canadian bust-out in a row as Livingston, who had entered the day second in chips, ended in third place for $745,749.

Livingston’s shove with king-jack was quickly called by Sinishtaj with ace-king and on a queen-high board, the latter breezed home to claim another hand. It had taken some time to get to heads-up, however, so by the time Sinishtaj won that pot, it only brought level with Isaac Kempton on 22 million chips as the two men went into the final duel neck and neck.

In the final hand, which took place just minutes after the heads-up battle began, Kempton opened the betting with pocket jacks, having fallen slightly behind his opponent. Sinishtaj three-bet to 2.3 million with pocket aces, before Kempton re-raised it to 5.6 million, getting a call.

The flop of 7-7-6 did not put either man off, with Sinishtaj check-calling a c-bet from Kempton of 4.2 million. The king on the river saw Kempton weigh up then commit to the shove before Sinishtaj made the call and saw the good news that he was $1.6 million richer after a mammoth 383 hands had been played at the final table. Sinishtaj, who virtually doubled his lifetime live earnings in one tournament, took home the $1,655,952 top prize, with Kempton claiming a seven-figure score too, his runner-up result worth $1,093,314.

After the result, the new champion described his strategy to PokerNews, saying: “I had a bad seat with the chip leaders to my left, so I played tight and kind of tried to ladder, play tighter than normal. But then once I got the chip lead, I kind of tried to switch it around on them a little bit.”

Sinishtaj certainly did that, winning the biggest live prize of his career and ruling a final table that included major stars of the game in the form of their careers.