David Larson Captures 5th Gold Ring in Kickoff Event
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team is at the Horseshoe Hammond to live report both the $1,700 Main Event and $2,200 High Roller; however, that is just one of more than a dozen gold ring events that have taken place over the past week. As such, we thought we’d profile some of the preliminary tournaments and those who struck it big.
The stop kicked off with Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em, which attracted 1,701 entries over five starting flights and created a $561,330 prize pool.
Coming out on top was 49-year-old David Larson, who captured a $76,589 first-place prize and his fifth career gold ring.
“There were so many people in this tournament,” explained Larson, “I was lucky enough to through to the last three tables let alone the final table.”
He added: “Anytime you have this many people in one field and you make it to the final table, there aren’t any weak players, they are all really good … You not only have to stay focused but also get lucky while playing your best game.”
The heads-up battle between Stephen Seim and Larson would see Seim hold the chip advantage but that only lasted one-hand after Larson flopped the flush with Seim holding a set of ducks. The board didn’t pair for Seim and the heads-up battle wouldn’t last longer than ten minutes after the first hand.
“This is so amazing,” Larson exclaimed after his victory, “It was a long day and I’m exhausted.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Larson | Las Vegas, Nevada | $76,589 |
| 2 | Stephen Seim | Louisville, Kentucky | $51,931 |
| 3 | Blake O'Brien | Maryland Heights, Missouri | $36,045 |
| 4 | Kamran Jamal | N/A | $25,576 |
| 5 | Eric Phillips | Glenview, Illinois | $18,860 |
| 6 | Steven Dascott | Crystal Lake, Illinois | $14,482 |
| 7 | Gerald Bauer | Oak Lawn, Illinois | $11,473 |
| 8 | Aaron Nickeas | Downers Grove, Illinois | $9,262 |
| 9 | Garry Kalmanovich | Skokie, Illinois | $7,593 |