WSOP November Niner Josh Beckley Wins Circuit Gold Ring in Florida
After he reached the 2015 World Series of Poker November Nine back in July, Josh Beckley spoke with PokerNews about the accomplishment. He was soft-spoken, but the message that the Marlton, New Jersey native relayed was that he was simply going to let his play do the talking. Recently in Florida, that message was on full display, as Beckley emerged victorious in the opening gold ring event at the WSOP Circuit Palm Beach Kennel Club stop.
Now a West Palm Beach resident in the Sunshine State, Beckley entered the $365 buy-in "Monster Stack" event and became part of the 317-entry field that generated a $95,100 prize pool. Of that, $22,349 was to be awarded to the winner. When it was all said and done, Beckley had emerged as the last man standing to earn the top prize and score his first piece of WSOP gold jewelry.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Beckley | $22,349 |
| 2 | Aric Pluskat | $13,818 |
| 3 | Sean Syed Shah | $10,036 |
| 4 | Bobby Hodson | $7,413 |
| 5 | Joshua Sperko | $5,565 |
| 6 | Steven Sanzone | $4,244 |
| 7 | Jonah Miller | $3,288 |
| 8 | Vigorn Dancharnjitt | $2,585 |
| 9 | Adam Ruen | $2,063 |
While the money pales in comparison to the $1,001,020 he has already locked up by reaching the WSOP Main Event final table, confidence and success go hand in hand in poker, and this win will certainly move Beckley in the right direction.
"It's definitely an ego boost," Beckley told WSOP officials after the win. "It makes me more confident with my game. It might also show the other [November Niners] that I can win a tournament."
Indeed the other members of the WSOP Main Event final table should take notice, as Beckley became the first of the bunch to win a tournament in the interim. Even so, Neil Blumenfield's $25,000 score from a 29th-place finish in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $5,250 Championship is the biggest cash result any 2015 November Niner has posted since July.
According to the WSOP, Beckley began Day 2 of the event with the chip lead and 17 players remaining. Never wavering, Beckley landed himself in heads-up play against Aric Pluskat with a significant chip lead. Then, when Beckley picked up the A♥Q♦ to Pluskat's A♦J♦, all of the money went in and Beckley's dominating holding scored him the title.
As the WSOP Circuit Palm Beach Kennel Club series rolls on, we'll keep an eye on Beckley to see if he can land anymore impressive results.
"It's basically final table strategy," Beckley told WSOP officials when asked about how the win could help him come November. "The money is different and people are playing differently here, but I still have to consider a couple things. I think I'm fine tuning for the [Main Event]."
*Image and data courtesy of WSOP.
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