Doug Polk and Ryan Fee Win 2016 World Series of Poker $1,000 Tag Team EventTeammates Each Earn Bracelet and Chop Up $153,358 First-Place Prize |
|
It has been 34 years since a team event was played at the World Series of Poker, but the variation made a comeback at the 2016 summer series with 863 teams consisting of 2 to 4 players each.
The $776,700 prize pool showed just how popular this event was with the players, but the event created an unexpectedly jovial atmosphere, even at the final table where big money was up for grabs. The rules stated that each member of the team must sit in for at least one round of blinds in order to qualify for the bracelet.
After three days of play, it was high-stakes cash game pros Doug Polk and Ryan Fee who came away with the win, and a shared first-place prize of $153,358. This was Fee’s first bracelet and Polk’s second. Polk won his first WSOP title in a $1,000 turbo event back in 2014.
While some teams, such as the Polk and Fee pairing, featured notable high-stakes poker pros, others were just friends and family looking to have a good time at the table. All four Mizrachi brothers, Michael, Robert, Eric and Daniel, finished in 26th place.
Poker pro Jonathan Little managed to make the final table along with his parents, Larry and Rita, before busting in ninth place. Michael Padula, Daniel Urban and Marco Caruso each cashed in a WSOP event for the first time, taking eighth place.
“I think being one of the skilled teams is a huge advantage," said Polk. “It’s not
a big deal if your teammate punts off your stack somewhat reasonably. But on the
weaker teams there is a lot more pressure to just not screw things up. So, we can play
our game and not really care if we bust. The less-skilled teams have players that don’t
want to be that guy that goes deep, makes a bad call, and busts out.”
“Two weeks ago, we were making fun of the format, that you could just play a round of blinds,” said Fee. “and we went on a [podcast] and really made fun of the whole concept. Then, we won! I’m not big on tournaments, but I would definitely do this again.”
Ryan Laplante, who won a bracelet earlier this summer, teamed up with fellow poker pro Leo Wolpert and managed a 22nd-place finish. It was his 12th overall cash of the summer and a new WSOP record.
Here is a look at the final table payouts awarded in this event:
| Finish | Team | Payout |
| 1 | Doug Polk – Ryan Fee | $153,358 |
| 2 | Adam Greenberg – Niel Mittelman – Gabriel Paul | $94,748 |
| 3 | Mohsin Charania – Marvin Rettenmaier | $66,458 |
| 4 | James Dempsey – Christopher Godfrey | $47,278 |
| 5 | John Gale – TJ Shulman | $34,118 |
| 6 | Owais Ahmed – Bart Lybaert – Adam Owen – Benny Glaser | $24,982 |
| 7 | Reuben Peters – Robert Altman | $18,564 |
| 8 | Michael Padula – Marco Caruso – Daniel Urban | $14,003 |
| 9 | Jonathan Little – Larry Little – Rita Little | $10,724 |
For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2016 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.
Winners photo courtesy of the WSOP.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
