Charlie Dawson Wins Opening Event to Capture 3rd Gold Ring
PokerNews is in town to live report the $1,700 Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Ameristar St. Charles, but that is just on gold ring event that will have played out by the end of the series.
The stop actually kicked off with Event #1: $400 NLH Double Stack, a tournament that drew 202 entries and offered up a $66,660 prize pool that was paid out to the top 32 players. Among those to cash were Frank Covich (6th - $2,789), Larry Conners (12th - $1,125), Jian Zhang (17th - $826), and Robert Jordan (26th - $630).
In the end, Charlie Dawson of Owensboro, Kentucky bested Ryan Pickerel in heads-up play to win the title for $15,920 and his third career gold ring.
“I actually got really lucky about three times at the final table,” Dawson explained, “My big turnaround was actually when I jammed king-jack suited, running into pocket kings and I flopped Broadway.”
The 50-year-old real estate broker added: “I am going to come back next week and play a few more events; I have been playing this series since 2006.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie Dawson | Owensboro, Kentucky | $15,920 |
| 2 | Ryan Pickerel | Belleville, Illinois | $9,841 |
| 3 | William Backes | O Fallon, Missouri | $6,955 |
| 4 | Adam Durham | St. Louis, Missouri | $5,019 |
| 5 | Shaun Emery | Girard, Illinois | $3,699 |
| 6 | Frank Covich | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | $2,789 |
| 7 | Chris Derby | Colorado Springs, Colorado | $2,146 |
| 8 | Sandi Muratovic | St. Louis, Missouri | $1,690 |
| 9 | James Basham | O Fallon, Missouri | $1,363 |