JOSH REICHARD WINS HAMMOND CASINO CHAMPIONSHIP

Wisconsin pro wins the 12th and final ring event to don the honors in style.

Hammond, Ind. (October 30, 2015)Josh Reichard won the Casino Championship at Horseshoe Hammond earlier this week claiming victory in the 12th and final ring event. Reichard, a 24-year-old pro from Janesville, Wisc., came to the series-closing event with 67.5 points, 20 behind then-leader Jim Juvancic. After Juvancic bowed out 18th, Reichard needed a fifth-place finish or better to secure the honor.

He brought the chip lead to the final table, but stumbled during short-handed play. When just six remained, Reichard was all in a few times and faded any calls. He eventually regained the advantage besting George Pappas heads up, claiming his fourth-career gold ring in style and leapfrogging Juvancic to punch his ticket to the WSOP Global Championship.

“Locking up Casino Champ — going on to win the last tournament — it feels great,” Reichard said.

Reichard is set to join the Circuit’s best for the season-ending event for the third time in his young career. There, he’ll compete for a minimum prize pool of $1,000,000 and a WSOP gold bracelet. More information on the one-of-a-kind tournament is available on WSOP.com.

“The first one was disappointing,” he said of past experiences. “I ran deep and got it in good with 25 left and lost. The second one I was one of the first eliminated against [five-time ring winner Valentin Vornicu]. He’s so crazy it’s hard to play against him. He had top set against my bottom two. I look forward to having another shot at it.”

The Hammond series is perennially one of the largest of the year, and thus, Reichard’s title is one of the toughest to claim. For Reichard, the victory marked his fourth on the Circuit moving him into a tie for fifth on the all-time list four behind current leader Alex Masek’s eight. Additionally, it marked his 33rd WSOP-related cash and moved him to nearly $180,000 in career earnings.

Reichard’s Hammond results:

-Event #12 ($365 Turbo): 1st - $16,201 - 50 points
-Event #5 ($580 HORSE): 2nd - $9,364 - 37.5 points
-Event #8 ($365 Omaha Eight-or Better): 3rd - $6,054 - 30 points