Leif Force Wins Monster Stack for $97,676 & Third Gold Ring
The PokerNews live reporting team is currently in North Carolina to live report the Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee, but that is just one of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.
In Event #7: $400 Monster Stack, 1,193 runners created a $633,930 prize pool that was paid out to the top 277 places. Among those to make a deep run and cash were Marvin Rettenmaier (4th - $33,842), Austin Reilly (9th - $9,547), Eric Salazar (15th - $6,203), Justin Harvell (22nd - $4,126), David Jackson (24th - $3,531), and Alan Sacks (39th - $1,739).
In the end, longtime poker pro Leif Force, 36, bested Matt Ernst in heads-up play to win the tournament for $97,676 and his third gold ring, which compliments the bracelet he won in the 2012 WSOP Event #3: $3,000 Heads-Up NLH/PLO for $207,708. He also finished 11th in the 2006 WSOP Main Event for more than $1.1 million and 21st in 2014 for $286,900.
“It feels so great. I’m so excited about it,” said Force, who was at one point down to just a fifth of a big blind.
“I lost tens versus ace-ten to get down to 10,000 in chips when the big blind was 50,000. I had just gotten through the blinds, so I waited maybe four hands and went all in and doubled up the next four hands in a row and was up to 500,000 right away,” explained Force.
He added: “I don’t really go for any milestones. I love to play. I’ve been playing since when I was home schooled. I learned math through poker. I was playing blackjack at age two.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leif Force | Tallahassee, Florida | $97,676 |
| 2 | Matthew Ernst | Lexington, Kentucky | $60,377 |
| 3 | Chris Carey | Efland, North Carolina | $44,973 |
| 4 | Marvin Rettenmaier | Leonberg, Germany | $33,842 |
| 5 | Robert George | Decatur, Georgia | $25,729 |
| 6 | Louis George | Suwanee, Georgia | $19,765 |
| 7 | Henry Mcardle | Phoenix, Arizona | $16,072 |
| 8 | Gina Ham | Alpharetta, Georgia | $12,039 |
| 9 | Austin Reilly | Gulf Shores, Alabama | $9,547 |