Jerry Ard Wins First Gold Ring
In order to give you an idea of what happened in Event #2, we thought we'd let WSOP media guru Nolan Dalla tell you through one of his official recaps, which went in part as follows:
Jerry Ard, from Monticello, MS won the latest poker competition. To say he had this victory coming would be an understatement.
“I have been playing seriously for about six years,” Ard said moments after achieving his first major tournament victory. “I’ve played in more events than I can count.”
Indeed, Ard has very much paid his dues as an amateur poker player who aspires to play more tournaments poker and eventually join the ranks of the game’s elite.
He began playing major events in 2006 and spent the next three years traveling throughout the South and Midwest hoping for a breakthrough score. But the cards back home were unkind to Ard, who discovered that his wife had a serious illness in 2009. He quit playing altogether to be with her.
It took a few years for Ard’s wife to finally recover and when she did, that seemed to energize his drive to compete and win. Two months ago, Ard finally achieved what he considered to be a breakthrough, coming in third place in the WSOP Circuit’s Million Dollar Guarantee event held the Palm Beach Kennel Club, in Florida. That achievement paid $86,611. It seemed that Ard was rewarded for the sacrifices he made and for the commitment he demonstrated to his family above everything else.
But that was just the start. Ard made two more final tables (finishing eighth and third) and then arrived in St. Louis where he entered the $565 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em. He ultimately won the tournament and collected $32,147 in prize money. He was also presented with his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Event #2 No-Limit Hold'em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$65 | 279 | $135,315 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerry Ard | Monticello, MS | $32,147 |
| 2 | William Arnold | Teutopolis, IL | $19,870 |
| 3 | Ruth Hagen | Troy, IL | $14,417 |
| 4 | Royce Cohen | Bensalem, PA | $10,637 |
| 5 | Dylan Thomassie | Champaign, IL | $7,978 |
| 6 | Kevin Azzariti | Antioch, TN | $6,079 |
| 7 | James Choquette | Austin, TX | $4,705 |
| 8 | Richard Hash | Maryville, TN | $3,697 |
| 9 | Gerald Paskert | Caseyville, IL | $2,950 |