JESSE WATSON WINS LUMIERE CASINO CHAMPIONSHIP
Cash game grinder records first three cashes of his tournament career in St. Louis, punches ticket to National Championship.

St. Louis, Mo. (March 6, 2015) — Jesse Watson, a cash player from Canton, Ill., made the 200-mile trek from his hometown to Lumiere Place in St. Louis with the intent to play in the property’s cash room. With him, he brought a pocket full of money and a tournament resume that included no major victories and a total of zero cashes. On a whim, Watson entered Event 2 of the World Series of Poker Circuit, a $365 re-entry event, and finished 41st. The $855 payday wasn’t anything to get excited about, but the deep run gave Watson the tournament itch. Less than a week later, he scratched that itch to the tune of Lumiere Place Casino Champion honors and a ticket to the season-ending WSOP National Championship.

In addition to his 41st-place finish in Event 2, Watson carded a gold ring victory in Event 5, a $365 six handed tournament, and scored $45,916 following a fourth-place finish in the Main Event. In all, he earned 95 points toward the Casino Championship, a full 20 better than second place Mark Fledderman.

“I came down here just planning on playing cash games. I played the re-entry and had fun so I decided to play the six handed, too,” he told the WSOP after his Event 5 victory.

In addition to a gold ring and a National Championship berth, Watson left Lumiere Place with more than $60,000 in earnings. While no one can take his trophy away from him, the crowning achievement of the 12-day series came in the $1,675 Main Event. Watson maneuvered his way through an in-the-money field that included bracelet winner Tom Franklin (43rd), 2012 WSOP Main Event 23rd place finisher Yuval Bronshetin (41st), Yossi Azulay (29th), Michael Sanders (28th), three-time ring winner Josh Reichard (25th) and two-time ring winners Chris Conrad (19th) and William Byrnes (10th). Watson finished fourth, pocketing better than $45,000 along with 40 points. From there, his 95-point total left him virtually no sweat as players in Event 11 and 12 — which played out alongside the Main Event — were unable to make a run of any significance.

For the title, Watson earns a seat in the WSOP National Championship set to play out after this summer’s Series at a yet-to-be-determined location. There, he’ll compete along the Lumiere Place Main Event champion, Josh Turner, for his share of an up-to $2 million prize pool and a gold bracelet.

Watson’s cashes at Lumiere Place mark his only reported tournament earnings on any circuit.

More information on the National Championship as well as a look at the national points leaderboard is available on WSOP.com.

Here’s a glance at Watson’s Lumiere Place in-the-money finishes:
  • Event #2: $365 no-limit hold’em re-entry with 792 entries - 41st place, $855 + 5 points
  • Event #5: $365 no-limit hold’em six handed with 187 players - 1st place, $15,428 + 50 points
  • The Main Event (Event #9): $1,675 no-limit hold’em with 415 entries - 4th place, $45,916 + 40 points