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The Garden State November Niner has been playing online poker and live cash games for a long time, yet this is @William Tonking's first major breakthrough on the live tournament scene. And what an appearance he's made - out of anonymity and $93,000 in live winnings and onto the biggest final table in poker with a guaranteed minimum prize of $730,000!
Tonking: "Seeing how genuinely happy the people closest to me have been for me has been one of the most humbling parts of this entire experience."
William Tonking has been living and playing in New Jersey for most of his 27-year life. He was born in Flemington, NJ. This is where he grew up with his parents and two siblings, where he went to high school and developed a passion for pro sports and poker.
Will Tonking attended the Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington and in 2010 graduated in Economics from the University of South Carolina. As evidenced from one of his online screennames - “amazin_mets”, Will is a die-hard fan of the New York Mets. He loves pro sports and aside from game watching and the occasional sports betting, keeps in shape by playing pick-up basketball and weight lifting.
I'm a huge pro sports fan and die-hard New York Mets fan. I'm a University of South Carolina alum and I still go back for football games.
Will Tonking took up poker in 2005, at the end of high school, and played only online throughout college. His very first live tournament score is from an event at @The Venetian Las Vegas in 2008, and his biggest cash prior to 2014 WSOP Main Event was $28,000. After 2011 and Black Friday, Tonking took his action to the poker tables in Atlantic City, and occasionally Las Vegas, playing cash games and up to a dozen tournaments a year.
“I was never much of a tournament player. This is only the third one that I’ve played this year. I’m more of a cash game player,” Tonking explained. “I play online on the New Jersey sites . I play live some. I play in a $10/$25 game at Sam’s in Bethlehem, some at Borgata, and I play some of the Borgata Open Series and the WSOP, but other than that I’ve never been much of a tournament player. That’s why there’s not much out there on me.” (PokerNews)
Photos from Borgata Open events, where Tonking scored four cashes between 2010 and 2013, incl. two 7th places and one fifth-place finish:
As for his previous World Series of Poker record, it includes one ITM finish in the Mixed Max in WSOP 2014, and two cashes in 2010:
In the 2014 Main Event, he progressed without drawing much attention until Day 7 and this crucial hand in which he risked his tournament life on the final table bubble:
| Hand #6: Martin Jacobson limped from under the gun and it folded around to William Tonking who completed from the small blind. Sindelar checked from the big blind and the trio took a flop of Jacobson: Tonking led with a flopped straight but Jacobson was drawing live with four to a club flush and a nine for a chop. The |
. Tonking checked, Sindelar fired 500,000, and Jacobson came over the top with a raise to 1.75 million. Tonking announced a check-raise all in for 4.675 million. Sindelar folded and Jacobson called.
fell on the turn, keeping Tonking ahead with his straight. The 
drilled the river, allowing Tonking's straight to hold and scoring him the double up to 11.25 million in chips.PokerNews Live Updates, Level 34, Day 7
| The whole time during it, I was trying to think about not being in this moment and playing poker. I kept on making myself refer back to the scene in 'Hoosiers' when Gene Hackman took them into the big stadium, the small-town team, put the tape measure up to the rim and down to the floor and said, 'Still 10 feet, gentlemen,’ Tonking told ESPN’s Andrew Feldman after making the final nine. |
William Tonking will come to the final table with the seventh chip stack - 15,050,000 - and says he has a 'puncher's chance' at winning:
I think I have a puncher's chance. I'm confident in my game and I think everyone that's left has a legitimate chance to win. It's poker, anything can happen.
I was fine before this happened, and I’ll be fine after. My expectations - to play well and live with whatever the results may be.
Sources and links:
http://www.rankinghero.com/william.tonking
ESPN podcast: http://bit.ly/1rH5XfF Tonking: "Podcast I did today for ESPN that is probably the closest thing out there to an accurate depiction of what I do/ have done."
http://www.pokernews.com/poker-players/william-tonking/
Gambling911.com: November Niner William Tonking Gives Self ‘Punchers Chance’ To Win WSOP Title
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