Matt Brunskole Wins the Seneca Fall Poker Classic Opening Event For $36,024

When he’s not installing windows, to rephrase George Formby’s classic song, Matt Brunskole is winning poker tournaments – the 30-year old Canadian lifting the opener at the Seneca Fall Poker Classic and taking his career earnings over the $100K mark.

A total of 636 entries had battled it out over several days for a shot at the title – some who had evidently been struggling to wait for the Fall event at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino…

 …but when the prizefund hit $160,113 and over 100 players still there or thereabouts come the final day, it was a fast-paced affair as they played down to a winner.

For Brunskole, the home region has been a happy-hunting ground, his previous biggest cash of $28,465 coming in the 2016 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic at Niagara Falls and he also had a scary 666th place finish in the 2015 Millionaire Maker at the WSOP in Vegas. Tournament victories, however, had eluded him – until yesterday that is.

When the final table bubble burst, it left 10 men standing to battle it out for top honours – half of them quickly hitting the rails as the blinds forced play along, eventually leaving Brunskole heads-up against early chip leader Leo Kaplin.

A gruelling day’s play came to an end when Kaplin, no stranger to winning at the Seneca Casino with 4 wins this year alone in their small-to-mid stakes recurring tournaments, couldn’t find a card to fill out his draw, leaving Brunskole’s second pair to take the hand and the title.

The final hand looked like this, according to PokerNews.com – a scary flop for Brunskole but the wrong reds appearing for Kaplin.

All the chips went in on a flop of

9♦ 10♣ 8♦ 

Kaplin showed the

A♦ 7♦ and Brunskole called with the 5♣ 10♦ giving him middle pair. But the turn card

8♥ and river

Q♥ meant that Kaplin had to settle for second place while the title, trophy and big payday went to Brunskole.

Final table results