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Great Western Trail (GWT) WBC 2022 Event Report
Updated August 14, 2023
 
64 Players Dalton Versak 2022 Status 2023 Status Event History
  2022 Champion   & Laurels
 

A Whole New Trail

With the triumphant return of all of us "geeks" back to Seven Springs after two horrible years without WBC, Great Western has put on a new face since the Before Times. 2022 saw the takeover of our event by the latest greatest Second Edition. We played exclusively on the new edition for this event, subject only to a lack of copies.

Attendance was down for the event roughly in line with attendance for the Con at large. Considering that we cut down from three heats to two, made the event "A" level (experienced players only) and both the heats were scheduled during that opening weekend...it felt like a fair turnout!

The new edition makes some changes to turn-order compensation that are very welcome. Players are mostly really pleased with the slight tweaks to the rules and gameplay. We got heats done more efficiently than in previous years, likely due to the move to "A" level; there were no issues at all with the time slot, where in the past there tended to be some longer sessions.

We had 64 unique players, the first heat had 11 tables and the second had 12. I cut to the Top 16 for the Semifinal, and so it took a "Win and Something" to make the cut. The Top Sixteen ended up being a horde of the best GWT players that I know, with just maybe a few of the Usual Suspects missing (Chris Wildes, Mike Brazinski and Chad Weaver come right to mind as familiar faces that weren't in the Semifinal, as well as Randy Buehler--who did make the cut but had to skip do to a conflict with another game).

And then also some new faces made a name for themselves this week: Matt Lahut, Bihn Phan, and the two internet mavens Dan Elkins and Patrick Maguire. "Internet mavens" I say? We had two top GWT players in our tourney this year who largely made the trip to the convention because of an interest in playing GWT against the best. It might be argued that--in the last few years, with no WBC and everyone playing the game online--the very best players are now the online ones. And maybe this is true. What is cool is that two of the greatest online players took their shot at our little World Championship (cough cough), and they did...pretty darn well. Dan went into the Semifinal with one of the coveted four top seeds (we break up the four best players in the Semifinal), and Patrick made it as well, defeating 2019 Finalist Randy along the way in a heat.

But in the Semifinal, they both ran into an old cowhand, Rodney Bacigalupo, a real veteran of the trail and a perennial contender (at WBC and other competitive venues) for the top prize, and the veteran made it past. Other Semifinal winners were Dalton Versack (who came a tiebreaker away from making the final in 2019), Nick Henning (both an Internet Maven and an old WBC vet at once!) and Scott Saccenti.

The Final was a bit anti-climactic. It can happen in this game. Dalton got into a great position early, and before long, the table kind of resigned itself to the inevitable. A couple great building placements early, and just flawless play separated the new reigning champion from the pack!

 
2022 Laurelists Repeating Laurelists: 2

Nick Henning Rodney Bacigalupo Scott Saccenti Matt Lahut Antony Saccenti
2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
 
Defending Champion Eugene Yee trying to repeat. GM Scott Saccenti on way to the Final.
Nick Henning on way to one of many finals in 2022. Robb Effinger contemplating his move.

 

 

 
GM   Scott Saccenti [3rd Year]