High Stakes Newcomer Miles Rampel Wins 2021 Poker Masters $25,000 Buy-In Pot-Limit Omaha Event

Californian entrepreneur Miles Rampel had never entered a major live poker tournament prior to buying into the 2021 Poker Masters $25,000 pot-limit Omaha event. According to PokerGO reporters, his friends rooting him on in that event claimed he had never played a tournament with a buy-in over $100. Despite being a total newcomer to the high roller scene, Rampel managed to outlast a field of 43 entries to emerge victorious, securing his first big title and the top prize of $365,500.

“I’ve been playing $1-2 and $2-5 no-limit [hold’em] for 10 years, starting in college. “I went to [University of California Santa Barbara], so I played at the Chumash Casino in a little $60 max buy-in $1-2 game," said Rampel. “I started playing PLO this year and enjoyed it a lot. It’s fun to think a little bit more. Then my friends and I just came to Las Vegas on a whim and saw that this tournament was here. I thought, ‘You know what, I’ll take a shot.’ On the morning of registration, I was hemming and hawing thinking I didn’t want to start the trip stuck $25,000 with it being all pros, but I said, ‘You know what? I’ll register.’”

“I’m not like a pro poker player or anything, so as I became more successful in life the games got a little bit bigger – not as big as this, this was definitely taking a shot for me – and I decided to take a shot,” he continued.

The shot paid off. Not only did he secure a six-figure payday, he also took home 420 Card Player Player of the Year points and 219 PokerGO Tour points. His win was enough to put him in ninth place in the Poker Masters player of the series points race.

The final day of this event began with five players remaining and AP Lou Garza in the chip lead. World Series of Poker bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus was the first to fall, with his AQJ7 being out flopped by the AQ82 of Rampel. Ausmus took home $86,000 for his third final-table finish of the series. With $253,200 in earnings so far, he now sits in ninth place in the player of the series race.

Rampel earned his second knockout of the day when he called the all-in shove of bracelet winner Ben Lamb, who held an open-ended straight draw and backdoor flush draw. Rampel had flopped bottom pair. Neither player improved on the turn or river and Lamb was sent to the rail in fourth place ($118,250).

Sean Winter was the next player to run into the surging Rampel. His stack dwindled over the course of three-handed action. Eventually he got the majority of his stack in preflop with Q1098, and committed the rest after a 844 flop. Rampel had flopped trips with KJ54. Rampel improved to a full house on the 5 turn, locking up the pot and sending Winter to the rail in third place ($161,250). This was Winter’s 14th POY-qualified final table of 2021, with more than $2.6 million in earnings accumulated across those events. Winter now sits in 11th place in the POY race. The 97 PokerGO Tour points he secured with this latest deep run were enough to move him into fourth place on that leaderboard.

Despite having earned all of the knockout so far on the final day, Rampel still entered heads-up play trailing Garza. Rampel was able to surge into the lead when he made the nut flush against Garza’s second nut flush. He won another healthy pot with flush over flush later on to take more than a 5:1 chip lead. In the final hand, Garza got all-in on a J94 flop with AK87. Rampel held J1022 for top pair. The turn brought the 4 and the river the Q to lock up the pot and the title for Rampel. Garza earned $236,500 as the runner-up finisher. This was his fourth cash of the series, including three consecutive final-table finishes. With $550,200 in earnings so far during the series, Garza has edged into the outright lead in the race for the purple jacket.

Here is a look at the payouts and rankings points awarded in this event:

Here is a look at the current top 10 in the Poker Masters player of the series points race:

Photos provided by PokerGO.

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