Joe Kuether Wins 9th Annual Arizona State Poker Championship
Wisconsin native Joe Kuether added another big result to his already impressive poker résumé by taking down the 9th Annual Arizona State Poker Championship at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, AZ for $246,161 this week. Kuether defeated a field of 1,299 entries to earn the largest score of his career.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Kuether | $246,161 |
| 2 | Kelly Minkin | $151,983 |
| 3 | Daniel Hirleman | $116,910 |
| 4 | Justin Riches | $88,982 |
| 5 | Zachary Kottler | $77,940 |
| 6 | Jason Bidwell | $64,950 |
| 7 | Ed Clark | $51,960 |
| 8 | Nidel Salem | $38,970 |
| 9 | Dave Kaminsky | $25,980 |
| 10 | Matthew Kursar | $19,485 |
The top 130 places paid out in the $1,080 buy-in event, and there were some big names attracted to Scottsdale for play. The biggest of them all was 13-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, although he failed to make the money. According to Hellmuth's Twitter account, he limped in with a pair of kings — K♠K♥ — then got all the money in on a flop of Q♦10♣6♥ against an opponent holding the Q♣10♦ for top two pair. Following the 8♣ on the turn and the J♥ on the river, Hellmuth was eliminated. His time at the event wasn't done, though, as Hellmuth stuck around to emcee the final few tables.
Some of the notables to make the money were "Miami" John Cernuto (34th - $3,572), David Plastik (58th - $3,312), Dan Heimiller (80th - $3,053), Jake Balsiger (91st - $2,598), and Billy Kopp (128th - $1,949).
"Pretty amazing," Kuether told PokerNews about winning the event. "I played all three starting days so it was actually a pretty long grind for a 1K, so it feels pretty great to end up winning it." He then went on to add that this score ranks right at the top for him as it was the biggest win of his career.
Since breaking onto the poker scene a few years ago, Kuether has been able to build up a record that includes nearly $1.7 million in live tournament earnings and several notable victories, including a WSOP Circuit championship ring from March 2012. Kuether won the WSOP Circuit Rincon Main Event for $111,104.
When PokerNews asked Kuether how it feels to be one of poker's brightest up-and-coming stars, his answer was a humble one. "Not really sure how to answer this one, sorry," said Kuether with a laugh. "But it obviously feels good."
Later this month, Kuether will be attending Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, an event that will have PokerNews MyStack App updates available to follow.
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