National/Global Casino Championship History: Ushering in the Global Casino Championship
In 2016, there was a rebranding of sorts as the National Championship, which had previously considered only US-based stops, became the Global Casino Championship after the introduction of the international circuit. That meant from players could earn qualifying points worldwide.
The Global Casino Championship was once again held at Harrah’s Cherokee and saw France’s Said El-Yousfi top a 126-player field to win the tournament for $343,256 and the gold bracelet. El-Yousfi had qualified after being crowned the Casino Champ at Casino de Marrakech in his native Morocco. He, therefore, became the first “Casino Championship” qualifier to win the title.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Said El-Yousfi | France | $343,256 |
| 2 | Yasin Ahmady | USA | $212,150 |
| 3 | Josh Turner | USA | $150,851 |
| 4 | Joe Kuether | USA | $109,192 |
| 5 | Sean Small | USA | $80,483 |
| 6 | Cody Pack | USA | $60,427 |
| 7 | Alex Rocha | USA | $46,231 |
| 8 | Brian Green | USA | $36,054 |
| 9 | Blake Whittington | USA | $28,673 |