PHOTO CAPTION: Two five-time gold ring winners at Caesars Atlantic City -- Mark "Pegasus" Smith congratulates Chris Reslock and welcomes him to the club
Gold Ring Victory Number Five for Chris Reslock
Atlantic City Poker Pro and Gold Bracelet Winner Moves into Second-Place Tie for Most WSOP Circuit Career Wins
Poker Action Continues on the Jersey Shore Through March 11th
Atlantic City, NJ (March 4, 2013) – Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Bracelet.
That's the extent of Chris Reslock's jewelry collection accrued from winning World Series of Poker-related tournaments over the past eight years.
Oh, he's also got more than a million extra dollars sitting in his bank account – the total sum of his cash winnings in WSOP events since 2006.
Other than that, the Atlantic City poker player hasn't done much in WSOP events.
Seriously, Reslock just won his fifth WSOP Circuit title tonight, in the third gold ring event played at this year's Caesars Atlantic City series. He picked up another $25,480 in prize money, topping a field of 196 players in the $580 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament played over the past two days.
The victory places Reslock in uber-elite company. He's now just one win behind Alexandru Masek, who won his sixth career victory two months ago. Reslock is one of four other players currently with five victories. This illustrious list includes Mark “Pegasus” Smith, Kyle Cartwright, Ari Engel, and Kurt Jewell. With another three months remaining in the current season, the race is on to see if one of these four star players can catch Masek in wins.
Reslock's feat is particularly impressive considering he's played in fewer gold ring events than his contemporaries. Other than 2007-2008, he hasn't traveled on the WSOP Circuit, playing only in Atlantic City events. Four of his five gold rings were won here in Atlantic City, his home.
Prior to playing poker for a living, Reslock was a taxi driver. About ten years ago, he won a major tournament at the Sands Atlantic City and decided to park his taxi in the garage for a while and try to make it as a poker pro. A decade later, the old taxi cab is still sitting there, assuming it hasn't been towed. Indeed, it doesn't look like Reslock is going to return to the streets to make a living anytime soon.
Reslock's big break as a poker player took place in 2005 at the Showboat Atlantic City. He won the $10,000 buy-in Main Event Championship event that was part of the WSOP Circuit that year – good for $335,000. Two months later, Reslock won his second gold ring.
He ascended to event greater heights in 2006 when he made the famed Tournament of Champions final table that year, which was a prestigious nationally-televised competition among the world's best poker players in conjunction with the WSOP. Reslock took fifth place. However, bigger things were to come the following year.
Reslock won a WSOP gold bracelet in 2007, playing in the $5,000 buy-in Seven-Card Stud event. That moment capped a stellar one-year run during which Reslock won nearly a million dollars in tournament poker. He followed that success up with another WSOP gold ring win in 2007 (Harrah's Tunica) and then another victory in 2010 (Harrah's Atlantic City). Win number five came here at Caesars.
“It's always nice to win,” the mild-mannered Reslock said. “You don't get a chance to get here too often, so I'm really glad I was able to win it.”
As Reslock was getting paid, he was asked about his jewelry collection, which includes five gold rings and a gold bracelet.
“Oh, I keep them all for sure,” Reslock revealed. “They will always mean a lot to me, but I'm not really a jewelry person, so I don't wear them.”
As Reslock was talking, he pulled up the cuff on his long-sleeved shirt.
"See this wristwatch? This is really all I need so far as jewelry goes,” Reslock said. “It's a Timex that's served me well. I appreciate ordinary things that are good.”
That last statement said it all. He appreciates “ordinary things that are good.”
If ever there were simple words that reveal much about a man and his character, those are perfectly fitting for Chris Reslock.
And we certainly appreciate him – and what he's accomplished in what's been a magnificent poker career.
The final table finishers for Event 3 were as follows:
1st Chris Reslock ATLANTIC CITY, NJ, US $25,480
2nd Paul Sokoloff TORONTO, ON, CA $15,740
3rd Douglas Cressi GLEN COVE, NY, US $11,365
4th Christopher Heeney RALEIGH, NC, US $8,347
5th Michael Jukich ARLINGTON, VA, US $6,236
6th Everett Carlton ST PAUL, MN, US $4,738
7th Gregory Bonsignore HOWARD BEACH, NY, US $3,660
8th Michael Linster ISLAND PARK, NY, US $2,874
9th Patrick Matthews GREENLAWN, NY, US $2,293