After starting the final table with less than ten big blinds, John Ross tore through the field like a Texas Tornado, finishing off the final table in record time and taking home the first Atlas trophy of the new season — and almost eighteen thousand dollars. Congratulations, John!
Event #1 - $400 Kick-Off — Wrap Up
Event #1 of the series got underway on Wednesday at Texas Card House Houston with the $400 Kick Off. The Kick Off event built to 206 entries and hit the $75,000 guarantee, setting up a nice payout slate for the 26 cashing players and $17,980 for the winner. The room was buzzing from the start as PokerAtlas runs a smooth operation and tournament director Justin Hammer and his staff know how to keep the action moving through an excellent structure.
Early on, stacks began to separate and several players pushed past the 150,000 mark by the second break, signaling an aggressive pace. Notable faces in the room included Texas mainstay Scott Dulaney, the WSOP bracelet winner known as Fireman Scott, and rising Austin player Arthy Saravanan, who continues to add live reps after a fast start to her tournament career.
The money bubble was short, bursting after just two hands of hand-for-hand play, and the tournament quickly turned toward a same-night finish. A key momentum swing came with a timely double for Mazumdar, keeping him in the hunt as the pay jumps loomed.
At the first final table of the series, Kahraman Senvardarli arrived with the clear chip lead at 1,580,000, ahead of Tommy Trinh on 1,145,000 and George Karvounis on 965,000. With blinds at 25,000/50,000/50,000 no stack is safe for long, but Senvardarli held the reins.
Then it all fell apart and Ross took over. By the time he busted Senvardarli, Ross was the chip leader. 30 minutes later it was over and he hoisted the trophy.
