Scott Davies Follows Up WSOP APAC Main Event Win by Capturing First WSOP Circuit Ring
Back in October, Scott Davies topped a field of 329 players to win the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific Main Event for $737,907. That win came after he finished fourth in the 2014 WSOP $10,000 Heads-Up Championship for $111,942, and a month before he won the APPT 2014 Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) HK$8,800 No-Limit Hold’em Event for $46,881.
With over $1 million in tournament winnings, 2014 has proven to be a career year for Davies, who was recently the subject of the PokerNews feature piece From Circuit Grinder to Main Event Champ: Scott Davies' Journey to Poker Stardom.
Despite his success overseas, Davies returned to his poker roots earlier this month by attending the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina. It was there that Davies accomplished a long-time dream, capturing a WSOP gold ring. His win came after he topped a field of 353 players in Event #9: $365 No-Limit Hold’em, a tournament that created a $105,900 prize pool and awarded a $24,355 first-place prize.
“It’s pretty cool because I grinded the Circuit in 2012," Davies told the WSOP after the win. "I actually broke the single-season record for most cashes with 18, and fifth place was my best finish that whole year. It was super frustrating getting deep in so many events and not winning one. It’s cool to jump back on the Circuit and close a deal that I have never closed.”
Event #9 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Davies | Vancouver, BC | $24,355 |
| 2 | Eric Thompson | Tulsa, OK | $15,058 |
| 3 | Andrew Brinkley | Atlanta, GA | $10,985 |
| 4 | Robert Pound | Hopkinsville, KY | $8,148 |
| 5 | Chad Reynolds | Martinsburg, WV | $6,138 |
| 6 | Charles Brown | Atlanta, GA | $4,695 |
| 7 | Jesse Cohen | Ardmore, PA | $3,643 |
| 8 | Mark Handy | Charlotte, NC | $2,868 |
| 9 | David O’Brien | Raleigh, NC | $2,290 |
PokerNews had a chance to speak with Davies after his win to find out what it was like to complement his bracelet with a shiny gold ring.
PokerNews: How does it feel to win your first WSOP Circuit gold ring?
Davies: Feels great to come back and take care of some unfinished business. I traveled the WSOP Circuit and earned a National Championship seat back in the 2011/2012 season and while I had some success, the goal of capturing a Circuit ring eluded me. I remember seeing an article somewhere a year or so ago listing me in the top 10 for most cashes without a ring, and I’ve always wanted to get myself off that list.
How does winning a WSOP Circuit ring compare with winning a gold bracelet?
Well, it’s a different feeling for sure. Winning a WSOP bracelet has always been my primary goal, as it is for most poker players. I think it’s going to be pretty hard to ever win something that would compare to the feeling of winning the WSOP Asia-Pacific Main Event outside of shipping something absurd like the WSOP Main or the One Drop.
That said, it still felt pretty great to win the ring. It’s all been pretty unreal as this was actually the second tournament I’ve shipped since APAC and I’m just really trying to enjoy this run I’m on while it lasts.
After winning so big in Australia, what inspired you to travel all the way to North Carolina for a WSOP Circuit?
For the love of the game (laughs). Actually, it was pretty random that I wound up here in North Carolina. I happened to be on the East Coast for Thanksgiving since I was visiting my family in New Jersey. Initially I had intended on taking off until the World Poker Tour Bellagio Five Diamond, but I started to get the itch to play. I’ve been running so good lately I just couldn’t stay away, especially after seeing that they drew nearly 2,000 players for one of the opening events down here. So, I rented a car and drove down to North Carolina for a few days after Thanksgiving to play some side events and the Main event. I’m sure glad I did.
Will we be seeing you at other WSOP Circuit stops in the future? Will you be looking to qualify for the National Championship?
Not quite sure yet. I’m heading back down to Melbourne for the Aussie Millions and as of right now planning to hang around on that side of the world for a couple months. I’d also like to spend a month or two back home at some point so I still think its unlikely that I’ll play any other WSOP Circuit events this year, but you never know.
I might be tempted to show up for another stop or two since I’ll have extra equity with the National Championship seat in play. Since I’m in the top 100 on the WSOP qualifier list – currently No. 16 — I’ll most likely exercise my option to buy in directly if I don’t happen to win a seat via the Circuit, but it sure would be preferable to get in for free.
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