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RIO LAS VEGAS CIRCUIT - FEB 2020
25 February 2020 (Las Vegas) – The Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit wrapped up Tuesday night, as the last events of the Circuit stop concluded. 14 gold rings, together with two seats at the Global Casino Championship and over 2.5 million dollars in total prize money was handed out throughout the series.
No less than 10 players got rewarded with their first WSOP rings, including Event #1 winner Kevin McCarthy, after taking down the first WSOP event he ever played. The most notable winner of the series was bracelet winner Ryan Leng, with his win in Event #7. The win gave Leng his third WSOP ring, and $9,722 to add to his $1,413,260 in total WSOP earnings.
The player who accumulates the most overall points during the 14 ring events at the Rio Las Vegas earns the title of Casino Champion and receives automatic entry into the WSOP Global Casino Championship. Additionally, all players who cash in ring events earn points that apply toward the season-long race to claim one of the limited at-large bids.
The Rio Las Vegas Casino Championship ended in dramatic fashion, and got down to a tiebreaker between Ian Steinman and James Duke. With his win in the $400 Double Stack , Ian Steinman took the lead in the Casino Championship with four events to go, and held on to the lead until the final day of the series. With Steinman’s 67th place finish in the Main Event, he appeared to have punched in the Global Casino Championship ticket, but James Duke’s 4th place finish in the Main Event was enough to tie Steinman at 82.5 points. The two players had to be separated by total prizemoney, and Duke’s $84,761 in total earnings topped Steinman’s $30,492, which ended up giving James Duke the Global Casino Championship seat.
The last day of the series featured the two most prestigious events of the Circuit stop, with the $1,700 Main event and the $2,200 High Roller. The small-town North Carolina native, Bradley Hinson, took down the Main event, to bring home $209,216 and his first WSOP ring. The win also sent Hinson to the Global Casino Championship. The Main event drew a total of 747 entrants, generating a total prizepool of $1,131,705.
Martin Zamani became the last winner of the series, with his win in the $2,200 High Roller. The event drew a total of 179 players, generating $358,000 in total prize money.
4,208 entrants participated in the Rio Las Vegas WSOP Circuit, and $2,552,925 in total prize money was distributed over the 12 days long Circuit stop.
Completed Events
Event #1: $250 No-Limit Hold'em - Kevin McCarthy defeats 470 entrants to win $17,508.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Kyle Draucker outlasts 292 players to win $20,449.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #3: $600 No-Limit Hold'em - Brandon Rios defeats 296 entrants to win $29,694
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #4: $250 Seniors Event - Richard Munro defeats 298 entrants to win $12,868.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed - Peter Morris defeats 151 entrants to win $13,214.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo Double-Stack - Gregory Hughes defeats 238 entrants to win $18,015.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #7: $400 NLHE/PLO 8-Handed - Ryan Leng defeats 103 entrants to win $9,722.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #8: $600 NLH Black Chip Bounty - Russell Serion defeats 168 entrants to win $17,527.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #9: $600 H.O.R.S.E. - Faith Klimczak defeats 148 entrants to win $20,201.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #10: $400 Double Stack - Ian Steinman defeats 339 entrants to win $24,635
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack - Matthew Thrun defeats 601 entrants to win $37,610.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #13: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo - Bobby Sanoubane defeats 210 entrants to win $42,000.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #14: $2,200 High Roller - Martin Zamini defeats 179 entrants to win $89,143.
Report | Winner Photo | Results
Casino Champion Update
James Duke won the Rio Las Vegas Casino Championship, with his three cashes, including a 3rd place finish in the $1,700 Main event.
About the Winners
Event #1 - Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy won the opening event at the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. The Arizona native topped a field of 470 players in the $250 No-Limit Hold’em event to earn $17,508 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring. He also earns 50 Casino Championship points for his victory.
The victory was not only McCarthy’s first WSOP ring, it was also the first WSOP event he’s ever participated in. The winner came to Vegas with his wife for their honeymoon and decided to spontaneously enter the event.
“My wife and I walked by the tables and I said: that’s the World Series of Poker, I’ve always wanted to play in one of those events, and she said: Go do it!”
McCarthy were able to take down the two-day event almost seven hours into Day 2. The winner had respect for the opponents, but said he was confident that he was going to win right when he entered.
“They were good players all of them. They all played really strong.”, said McCarthy. “But I knew I was going to win right when I got here. I told my wife that I was going to win it, and she said: I know you will.”, the winner said after taking down his first WSOP event ever played.
Event #2 - Kyle Draucker
Kyle Draucker struck gold in the second event of the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. Draucker outlasted a field of 292 players in the $400 No-Limit Hold’em event to earn $20,449 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring. He also earns 50 Casino Championship points for his victory. The 292 entries contributed to a total prizepool of $96,360.
The field in the two-day event trickled down to nine players after almost five hours of play during Day 2, with Draucker as the short stack to start the final table. After a few quick eliminations the event got down to a three-way battle between Draucker, Bennet McLaughlin and Sean Stevens.
“I came in as the short stack, so my plan was just to shove and get in with every hand, but then I started gaining chips back and it went all smooth from there on out,” said Draucker after his first ever WSOP cash.
Event #3 - Brandon Rios
32-year-old Rios was born in Riverside, California, but moved to Vegas nine years ago to work in the casino industry. The winner calls himself a family man, and started playing poker while in high school, after a friend of his introduced him to the game.
“I got into poker when I was a sophomore in high school. I was on the bus going back from a baseball game and my buddy asked me if I wanted to play poker, and at first I laughed at him and said, are you freakin’ forty years old, but we went back to his house and played and after that I was hooked,” said Rios.
The field of 264 entrants got down to final table four hours into Day 2. Rios found himself as the short stack for the majority of the final table action, and went up against a stacked field including ring winner James Duke, and two-time Circuit champion Gregory Armand. The two-day event came down to a heads-up battle between Armand and Rios that ended less than five minutes later. Armand went all-in with pocket queens but ran into two black aces, that held up, and a winner was crowned.
“As corny as it sounds, this is one of the best days of my life. This has been one of my lifetime goals, and now the bracelet is next.”
Event #5 - Peter Morris
Peter Morris has just won Event #5 in the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. Morris conquered a field of 151 players in the $400 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed event to earn $13,214 and his second WSOP Circuit gold ring. He also earns 50 Casino Championship points for his victory.
February 18th continues to be a good day for Morris, as he won the $400 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event at the Rio exactly one year ago.
“Unbelievable. I obviously wanted to play another 6-Max event because that’s what I won last year, but when I saw that it wasn’t on the schedule and that this event replaced it on the exact same day – I thought it was a must play,” Morris said after celebrating his one-year anniversary by winning his second WSOP ring.
Outside of poker, Morris travels around the world as a multi world champion battle rapper, and he believes that he can bring his rap battle knowledge to the poker table to gain an advantage.
“I feel like I have a pretty good gauge on being able to read people and figure out what they are capable of and how they withstand pressure, which is very similar to what I do on stage. When I sit down at a table, I’m aware of who I will be able to push around. But the biggest advantage is that, as soon as people realize that I’m a rapper, all credibility goes out the window and people think I’m a fish. I love it because that gives me so much more action than I should, and I use that to my advantage,” Morris said.
Event #6 - Gregory Hughes
Gregory Hughes has just won the $400 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo Double-Stack at the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. The Arizona native topped a field of 238 players, earning $18,015 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.
“It feels really good, and it feels especially good being as low in chips as I was and being able to come back, that feels great,” said the winner after a spectacular comeback win.
The one-day turbo event started at noon and got down to a final table after seven hours of poker action. Hughes’s tournament life appeared to be coming to an end a few hours earlier, as he was looking down at just 8000 chips which, at the time, was less than three big blinds.
“When we had three tables I was down to 8000 chips, but I tripled, then doubled and just rolled from there. It was almost like it was meant to be.”, said Hughes.
“I have been playing poker for a while but it has never been the only thing I do. Then the business I worked at got sold, so I had an opportunity to take some time off for three or four months to play poker, and three months later I got a ring,” said a happy winner.
Event #7 - Ryan Leng
Ryan Leng won Event #7 in the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. Leng conquered a field of 103 players in the $400 NLHE/PLO 8-Handed event to earn $9,722 and the third WSOP Circuit gold ring of his career. He also earns 50 Casino Championship points for his victory.
Leng entered the event as one of the most experience players in the field, with one WSOP bracelet, two rings and over $1,400,000 in total WSOP career earnings. Some players would get content and start lacking in motivation, but Leng explained that his love for the game keeps the fire burning.
“Winning a tournament is always so much fun. The money is obviously not one of the bigger ones, but I just really love the game and winning a tournament is always so much fun regardless of tournament, field size or buy-in. I love this game, I thoroughly love it. I’m constantly trying to improve, and I’m always trying new things. I also work on being creative, and learn new games. I’m always motivated to play, I want to win every tournament I enter so it is easy for me to stay motivated.”, said Leng.
Event #8 - Russel Serion
Russell Serion won the $600 Black Chip Bounty event at the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. Serion topped a field of 168 players, earning $17,517 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.
“It feels good, I have been on a heater. Last couple of years have been pretty good,” said Serion after the third WSOP cash of his career.
Serion is born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, but often travel down to Las Vegas to compete in the poker capital of the world. The winner started playing poker after getting a job in the security department of Full Tilt Poker, and his decision to start playing ended up earning him a WSOP gold ring.
The two-day event reached a Final Table at the end of Day 1, but Serion felt like he had a good chance of winning the tournament when twenty players remained. His gut feeling ended up being right, but the day could have ended in a different way, when heads-up opponent, Matthew Leecy, ran away with a sizeable chip lead late into Day 2. Serion, however, was never worried.
Event #9 - Faith Klimczak
Faith Klimczak took down the $600 H.O.R.S.E. tournament at the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit, after an impressive underdog victory performance.
“It’s amazing, I beat so many good players over these two days and I think it is because they underestimate the power of a girl,” said the first female winner of the Rio Las Vegas Circuit stop.
The ninth event of the Rio Las Vegas poker Circuit attracted one of the most competitive starting field so far. The field trickled down to nine players after four hours of Day 2 action, and the Final Table was stacked with bracelet winners. No less than four out of the nine final table players had a bracelet to their name, including Ron Ware, Tyler Groth, Kevin Gerhart and three-time WSOP bracelet winner Scott Clements.
Surrounded by the more experienced players, it was Faith Klimczak that got away with the upset victory.
“I never play poker; I only play for fun with my friends. All my friends came to play this tournament and that is the only reason I decided to come, just to be able to hangout with my friends. It’s fantastic.” said Klimczak.
Event #10 - Ian Steinman
Ian Steinman has just won Event #10 in the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit, earning $24,635 and his fourth WSOP Circuit gold ring.
“It feels good, it is always fun to win tournaments. This is the most money I’ve won when winning my rings, so that’s nice,” said Steinman after winning his fourth WSOP gold ring.
The $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double-Stack event started early on Thursday and did not end until late Friday night. The victor, Steinman, had to maneuver a field of 339 players that generated a total prizepool of $111,870.
Steinman was arguably one of the most experienced players in the starting field, with four WSOP rings and over $855,000 in total live earnings. Unlike most other poker players, when asked about his next goal in poker he does not immediately answer that he wants to win a WSOP bracelet.
“I’m just trying to play well honestly. I’d love to win a bracelet but that’s kind of a strange goal to have because I can’t control as much as I would like to. It is weird to have a goal if you can’t control the outcome. I can have a goal to win a bracelet and get all-in with pocket aces - and still loose. I want to win a bracelet, but I don’t want to make it my goal because I don’t want it to affect me mentality if I don’t do that,” said a diplomatic winner.
Event #11 - Matthew Thrun
“It feels amazing. I had a really bad year last year and almost quit playing poker, but instead I started studying and tried to improve my game, and this makes my feel that it I’m right there,” said Thrun after the second WSOP cash of his career.
Matthew Thrun won Event #11 in the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. The Minnesota native conquered a field of 601 players in the $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack event to earn $37,610 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.
The $400 Monster Stack drew a large starting field, and the total prizepool added up to $198,330 once registration closed. 102 players survived Day 1, with Thrun bagging as the chip leader. The chip lead gave Thrun hope, and despite his inexperience he felt like it was finally his time to go all the way.
“It was something weird about this weekend, I kept telling myself that, you’re going to win this weekend. I have never told myself that before, and when I realized I was the chip leader going into Day 2 I truly believed that I was going to win.”
Event #12 - Bradley Hinson
Bradley Hinson won his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring Tuesday night. He finished in first place in the $1,700 Main Event at the Rio Las Vegas WSOP Circuit, earning $209,216 and his first WSOP ring. Hinson, from North Carolina, has previously cashed in 7 WSOP events for a total of $64,135, and until now has never been able to come close to a final table.
“It feels really good because I have always been wanting to win one, but I don’t play that many tournament. 15 years ago, when I first started playing, I used to watch the ring events so this is definitely a bucket list thing for me. It’s pretty sweet,” said Hinson after earning his first WSOP ring.
Event #13 - Bobby Sanoubane
Bobby Sanoubane won Event #13 of the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. The Aurora native topped a field of 210 players in the $250 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo event to earn $9,968.
“It feels great. I have been playing a lot, so it is nice to finally get one,” Sanoubane said after winning the first WSOP ring of his poker career.
Sanoubane used to work as a dental hygienist but decided to make poker his full-time job three years ago. He admits that the life as a poker professional isn’t always as glamorous as the public thinks, but his occasional win makes it a lot more enjoyable.
“I have been playing poker full-time for about three years. It is definitely tough, and I would not recommend it. But wins like this makes it all worth it,” said the latest winner of the Rio Las Vegas Circuit stop.
Event #14 - Martin Zamani
Martin Zamani has just won the last event of the Rio Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit. The Florida native topped a stacked starting field of 179 players in the $2,200 High Roller event, to earn $89,143 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.
The two-day event attracted 164 entrants on Day 1, but only 55 of them survived to move onto the final day, including last year’s Circuit Main event winner Viet Vo, three-time ring winner Joe Kuether, and WSOP Main event finalist Alex Livingston. 13 additional players decided to take a stab at the last event of the series before the registration closed at the beginning of Day 2.
The field got reduced to a final table six hours into the final day, with Zamani finding himself as the short stack. Zamani’s tournament life was at risk multiple times during the final table, but the winner managed to stay alive until he was the last man standing. When asked how it felt to win his first WSOP Circuit ring Zamani said, "I'm rich!" with a laugh as he added another WSOP cash to his lengthy resume that already boasted over $2.1 million in live career earnings. The seasoned poker veteran had a visibly relaxed mentality at the table, and when asked about his final table strategy, he explained his unorthodox way to victory.
"I had four racks and then I had no racks...So I decided if I won a hand that I would celebrate with a drink and then I continued celebrating," Zamani replied with a smile.
