Ohio's Jeffrey Stephens Wins Event #2: $400 NLH for $25,431
PokerNews is in town to live report both the High Roller and Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Planet Hollywood, but those are just two gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.
In Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em, 359 runners created a $118,370 prize pool that was paid out to the top 55 players. Among those to cash but fall short of making the final table were Jarod Ludemann (11th - $1,691), Scott Clements (16th - $1,231), Josh Prager (26th - $932), and Spencer Champlin (43rd - $633).
In the end, Ohio’s Jeffrey Stephens bested Arian Khatibshahidi in heads-up play to win the title and $25,248 top prize.
“It’s the monkey off my back. I’ve got a runner-up in a big tour Main Event, and I’ve been so close so many times so to finally get a championship in a very reputable circuit means a lot to me,” said the 34-year-old Stephens, who captured his first gold ring.
The father of two continued: ““I’ve got a family that means the world to me and spending time with them is pretty cool. But they’ve seen Dad on TV and they’d like me to go play poker. It’s what I love to do.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeffrey Stephens | Hamilton, Ohio | $25,248 |
| 2 | Arian Khatibshahidi | San Jose, California | $15,606 |
| 3 | Adam Christie | Brooklyn Park, Minnesota | $10,937 |
| 4 | Steve Foutty | Las Vegas, Nevada | $7,829 |
| 5 | Heriberto Almanza | Brownsville, Texas | $5,728 |
| 6 | Curtis Holt | N/A | $4,284 |
| 7 | Barbra Walston | Cincinnati, Ohio | $3,277 |
| 8 | Terry Fairchild Jr | Mount Morris, Michigan | $2,566 |
| 9 | Michael Cribier | Carlsbad, California | $2,058 |