Miles Rampel Wins Event #9: $25,000 PLO at the 2021 Poker Masters for $365,500
The 2021 Poker Masters is in the home stretch, and the ninth event of the 12-event series wrapped up on Thursday. Topping the 43-entry field in Event #9: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha was a newcomer to the PokerGO Studio, Miles Rampel. Rampel picked up a payday of $365,500.
“It hasn’t hit me yet, but I feel great, I feel great,” Rampel said with a big smile across his face. “I ran really hot. I picked up aces a bunch of times, and I ran hot. There are some plays I probably made that were bad, and I probably played middle of the road with my own unique style that has some leaks in it, but I ran hot and picked up aces like five or six times.”
The victory was Rampel’s first-ever live tournament score, and it was a big one for the internet entrepreneur from Chica, California. Naturally, we asked to know a little bit about him and his poker background.
“I’ve been playing $1-2 and $2-5 no-limit [hold’em] for 10 years, starting in college,” Rampel said. “I went to UCSB so I played at the Chumash Casino in a little $60 max buy-in $1-2 game. 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.’ Lots and ups and downs.”
Going from games at $1-2 and $2-5 limits to a $25,000 buy-in tournament with some of the best players in the world is no small leap to make. While celebrating, one of Rampel’s friends did he say that Rampel had never bought into a tournament with a buy-in of more than $100. Another one of his friends confirmed that to be true but added that thanks to finding success in other areas of life their poker games have steadily increased in stakes over the years.
“It was slow,” Rampel said of his progression up in stakes. “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.”
If you’d like to relive all of the action from the final table, you can find the replay on PokerGO.com.
| 2021 Poker Masters Event #9 Results | |||||
| Place | Name | Country | Points | Prize | |
| 1st | Miles Rampel | United States | 219 | $365,500 | |
| 2nd | Lou Garza | United States | 142 | $236,500 | |
| 3rd | Sean Winter | United States | 97 | $161,250 | |
| 4th | Ben Lamb | United States | 71 | $118,250 | |
| 5th | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 52 | $86,000 | |
| 6th | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 39 | $64,500 | |
| 7th | Jake Daniels | United States | 26 | $43,000 | |
Event #9: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha saw five players return for Thursday’s Day 2, with Lou Garza out in front. Jeremy Ausmus was the first play to bust in fifth place for $86,000, and then it was Ben Lamb falling in fourth place for $118,250.
During three-handed play, Miles Rampel climbed into the chip lead. Although he did double up Sean Winter once, Rampel was the one to send Winter home in third place. Winter was making his first cash of the 2021 Poker Masters and it resulted in a third-place finish worth $161,250.
For Garza, reaching at least the final two players in this event moved him into the lead for the race for the Purple Jacket.
At the start of heads-up play, Garza held a slight chip lead with 2.83 million in chips to Rampel’s 2.545 million. Garza started heads-up play by extending his lead, but then Rampel was able to double through him when a flush-over-flush pot happened. The double moved Rampel to nearly 4 million in chips and knocked Garza down to 1.435 million.
After Garza dipped below 1 million in chips, the final hand took place with the blinds at 40,000/80,000 with an 80,000 big blind ante. On the button, Garza, who began the hand with 880,000 in chips, raised to 240,000 with the [AhKh8d7s]. Rampel called with the [JcTc2s2h] and the flop came down [Jh9d4h]. Rampel checked and Garza bet the pot for 560,000. Rampel moved all in and Garza called off the remainder of his stack. The equity favored Garza, but after the [4d] turn and [Qd] river it was all over in favor of Rampel.
You can see the top 10 of the 2021 Poker Masters leaderboard below.
| 2021 Poker Masters Leaderboard | |||||
| Rank | Name | Points | Wins | Cashes | Earnings |
| 1st | Lou Garza | 376 | 0 | 4 | $550,200 |
| 2nd | Brock Wilson | 358 | 1 | 3 | $414,300 |
| 3rd | Chris Brewer | 320 | 1 | 3 | $490,800 |
| 4th | Daniel Negreanu | 281 | 1 | 2 | $281,400 |
| 5th | Sean Perry | 280 | 1 | 3 | $280,000 |
| 6th | Stephen Chidwick | 271 | 1 | 3 | $296,100 |
| 7th | Dylan DeStefano | 260 | 0 | 3 | $260,800 |
| 8th | Jeremy Ausmus | 219 | 0 | 3 | $253,200 |
| 9th | Miles Rampel | 219 | 0 | 1 | $365,500 |
| 10th | Matthew Wantman | 216 | 0 | 3 | $250,700 |
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Watch the Event #9 Final Table on PokerGO.com at 4 p.m. ET
The final table of Event #9: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha of the 2021 Poker Masters is set and will be airing on PokerGO.com at 4 p.m. ET.
Watch the Event #9 final table on PokerGO.com here!
Lou Garza finished Day 1 as the chip leader with 2,630,000 in chips ahead of Sean Winter, Miles Rampel, Jeremy Ausmus, and Ben Lamb. The final seven players are guaranteed $86,000 in prize money, but eyes are locked on the Event #9 title and $365,500 first-place prize.
| Event #9 Final Table | |||
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Ben Lamb | United States | 295,000 |
| 2 | Miles Rampel | United States | 800,000 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | United States | 1,010,000 |
| 4 | Lou Garza | United States | 2,630,000 |
| 5 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 640,000 |
When play resumes the players will begin level 13 and the button is in seat 5
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Lou Garza Leads the Final Table of Event #9: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
For the second day in a row, Lou Garza eliminated the final three players of the evening and leads the final table of Event #9 $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha. Joining Garza at the final table are Jeremy Ausmus, Miles Rampel, Sean Winter, and Ben Lamb.
After going by Ap Louis Garza for the last week, Garza made it a point at the table he wanted to go by Lou, but the new name didn’t affect the play as Garza continued his aggressive style being unafraid to play big pots.
Garza played his first million chip pot of the night to sent us to the final table when he eliminated Cary Katz on the money bubble. Katz was all-in on the turn holding top two pair and the nut spade draw against the straight flush draw, wrap, and nut diamond draw of Garza. The river completed Garza’s straight and sent Katz to the rail just shy of his second cash of the series. The hand gave Garza the chip lead heading into the final seven, and he added to it from there.
Jake Daniels was card dead for the majority of the final table and would get his last 350,000 into the middle holding [AcKcAh6c] against the [QcJh8h7c] of Garza. The board ran out [QhJc8s9h6h], and Garza flopped top two pair and improved to a flush by the river to eliminate Daniels in seventh place for $43,000.
On the last hand of level 12, with the rest of the players already headed out the door for a ten-minute break, Garza opened to 50,000 on the button and Stephen Chidwick three-bet pot to 180,000 from the big blind. Garza called, and the flop fell [Jc8c5s]. Chidwick potted to 400,000 with 20,000 behind, Garza moved all-in, and Chidwick called.
Chidwick held [AsKdKh4h] for a pair of kings, and Garza tabled [9d7s5h4d] for a pair of fives and a gutshot straight draw. The turn [As] improved Chidwick to a pair of aces, but when the river fell, the [7c] Garza improved to two pair to eliminate Chidwick and end the day with 49% percent of the chips in play.
The 43-entrant field created a prize pool of $1,075,000, with the winner taking home $365,500, with the remaining five players guaranteed at least $86,000. The race for the 2021 Poker Master title and the purple jack is heating up, and Garza is making a late run to try and claim the throne.
Garza finished third in the last two events and sits in sixth place with 234 points, 124 points behind Brock Wilson, who sits in first with 358 points. Garza needs a second place or better finish to jump Wilson and move into first place. Ausmus, Lamb, Rampel, and Winter all sit well outside the top ten, but with 219 points up for grabs for first place, and three events to go it’s still anybody’s jacket to win.
| Event #9 Final Table | |||
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Ben Lamb | United States | 295,000 |
| 2 | Miles Rampel | United States | 800,000 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | United States | 1,010,000 |
| 4 | Lou Garza | United States | 2,630,000 |
| 5 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 640,000 |
When play resumes the players will begin level 13 and the button is in seat 5
The final five players will return to the PokerGO Studio on Thursday, September 16, at 12 p.m. PT with the final table airing on PokerGO.com at 1 p.m. PT.
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End of Day Chip Counts
Pictured Miles Rampel’s bag and lucky water bottle
The play has been suspended for the evening, and the final five players will return to the PokerGO Studio on Thursday, September 16, at 12 p.m. PT with the final table streaming on PokerGO.com at 1 p.m. PT.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Garza | 2,630,000 | - |
| Sean Winter | 1,010,000 |
35,000  |
| Miles Rampel | 800,000 |
40,000 |
| Jeremy Ausmus | 640,000 |
-435,000  |
| Ben Lamb | 295,000 |
-90,000 |
Stephen Chidwick Eliminated in 6th Place ($64,500)
Action folded to Lou Garza on the button, and he opened to 50,000. Stephen Chidwick was in the big blind, and he potted to 180,000. Garza called.
The flop fell [Jc8c5s], and Chidwick potted to 400,000 with 20,000 behind. Garza raised, and Chidwick called all-in.
Chidwick: [KhKdAs4h]
Garza: [9d7s5h4d]
The turn [Ad] kept Chidwick in the lead, but the river [7c] gave Garza two pair, sevens and fives to eliminate Chidwick in sixth place for $64,500.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Garza | 2,630,000 |
630,000 |
| Stephen Chidwick | Busted |
-660,000 |
Jake Daniels Eliminated in 7th Place ($43,000)
With the cards already tabled, Jake Daniels was all-in for approximately 350,000, and Lou Garza called.
Daniels: [AhAcKc6c]
Garza: [Qc7cJh8h]
The board ran out [JcQh8s9h6h], and Garza rivered a flush to eliminate Daniels in seventh place for $43,000
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Garza | 2,000,000 |
420,000 |
| Jake Daniels | Busted |
-435,000 |
Miles Rampel Takes From Lou Garza
Miles Rampel limped from under the gun, and action folded to Lou Garza in the cutoff, and he raised to 75,000. The blinds folded, and Rampel called.
The flop fell [Qs4d3c], and Rampel checked. Garza bet 85,000 and Rampel called.
The dealer burned and turned the [Ad] and Rampel lead pot for 370,000. Garza folded, and Rampel collected the pot.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Garza | 1,580,000 |
-120,000 |
| Miles Rampel | 760,000 |
300,000 |
Sean Winter Doubles Through Stephen Chidwick
Action folded to Sean Winter in the cutoff, and he opened to 70,000. Lou Garza was next to act and called. Stephen Chidwick was in the big blind and called.
The flop fell [Ad4d2s], and Chidwick checked. Winter potted to 240,000, and Garza folded. Chidwick repotted, and Winter called all-in for 350,000 total.
Chidwick: [AhKcJd2d]
Winter: [AcAsJs7s]
The board ran out [3c] on the turn, and when the [Jh] completed the board on the river, Chidwick missed his flush, and Winter doubled.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Garza | 1,700,000 |
105,000 |
| Sean Winter | 975,000 |
665,000 |
| Stephen Chidwick | 660,000 |
-520,000 |
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
Seat 1 – Stephen Chidwick
Seat 2 – Ben Lamb
Seat 3 – Miles Rampel
Seat 4 – Jake Daniels
Seat 5 – Sean Winter
Seat 6 – Ap Louis Garza
Seat 7 – Jeremy Ausmus
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Garza | 1,595,000 | - |
| Stephen Chidwick | 1,180,000 |
50,000 |
| Jeremy Ausmus | 1,075,000 |
75,000 |
| Miles Rampel | 460,000 | - |
| Jake Daniels | 435,000 |
60,000 |
| Ben Lamb | 385,000 |
-35,000 |
| Sean Winter | 310,000 | - |
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