The high-stakes pro books a $432k win before entering the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl.
The tournament started on May 6 at the Bellagio with a total of 54 entries, but the final table was delayed to May 25 and the venue was also changed, as the remaining players sat down at the Las Vegas Esports Arena at Luxor Hotel and Casino.
The last six players were all amongst the world’s elite, as it’s usual when it comes to buy-ins of this caliber. Ankush Mandavia finished in 8th place for $54,000, while Anthony Zinno in 7th for $67,500.
Rainer Kempe, who sits on the third place of Germany’s All-time Money List – behind his buddy Fedor Holz and Christopher Vogelsang – added $81,000 to his total earnings by finishing 6th. Rainer also took down the ARIA $25K High Roller for $282,000 on the 22nd of May. His total earnings now stand at $15,822,332.
Another high-roller crusher, Jake Schindler followed Rainer on his way out, to pick up the $108,000 compensation money.
Three of the remaining four players were familiar faces for poker fans, however, one name did certainly not ring any bells, as Aaron Ogus entered the tournament with only $52K in cashes. Even though Aaron is not a professional – he works as a development manager at Microsoft, he managed to outlast both David Peters (3rd; $135,000) and Sam Soverel (4th; 189,000).
Ogus started the heads-up with a slight chip advantage over Marchese, but the latter had the experience on his side and was able to use it to overcome his opponent. “I was least familiar with Aaron,” Marchese told WPT.com. “I tried to take it slow because the more you play with somebody, the better reads you’re going to have and be able to adjust against them.”
With this win, Marchese now has $17,415,175 in total live earnings. However even after so many victories, Tom still has the thrill when it comes to winning titles:
“No matter what 25K it is, it’s always amazing to win one,”
Final results
1. Tom Marchese – $432,000
2. Aaron Ogus – $283,500
3. Sam Soverel – $189,000
4. David Peters – $135,000
5. Jake Schindler – $108,000
6. Rainer Kempe – $81,000