Event #2: $365 Buy-In Turbo No-Limit Hold'em ($25,000 Guarantee)

Event #2
No-Limit Hold'em Turbo
Buy-In: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 396
Prize Pool: $118,800

The first gold ring of the series goes to 53-year-old, Stuart Moody.

Cherokee, N.C. (November 29, 2015) -- Saturday at Cherokee saw players fill the entire room for the final starting flight of Event #1 - $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry, but also Event #2 - $365 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo. This turbo event had a $25,000 guarantee, but that was easily surpassed when the final number of players came to astounding 396, creating a prizepool of nearly 5x the guarantee.

The man on top by then end of the night was Stuart Moody. Moody maneuvered his way through the large field and a tough final table to earn his first WSOP Circuit gold ring and the top prize of $26,135. As far as turbos go, this was a long one due to the sheer size of the tournament. The tournament didn't finish until the early morning hours of Sunday.

"I was playing for the ring. I wasn't caring about the money. I was short stacked and I was pushing in with lesser hands than normal," said Moody.

It was that mentality that was needed to take down the gold ring with so many others at the final table with the exact same game plan. The final table featured two multi-gold ring winners, plus Robert Hankins, who went out on the final table bubble. Finishing in 8th place was Tripp Kirk. Kirk is a two-time gold ring winner and has more than a half a million dollars in earnings on the Circuit. His most recent gold ring came in 2012 when he won the Harrah's St. Louis Main Event for $190,961.

The other gold ring winner at the final table would end up competing against Moody heads up for the title. Michael Schneider is a two-time gold ring winner. He came to the final table 8th in chips and was able to work his way all the way to second place before being eliminated by Moody.

Moody is a salesman from Cary, N.C. He sells heating and air conditioning equipment for large buildings. This marks Moody's third career WSOP cash and is also his largest. He intends to play more events while he is here in Cherokee to go after the Casino Championship title. As the first winner of the series, he is at the top of leaderboard and in a good spot to make a run at the title.

Moody has two children and is transitioning into playing more poker now that his kids are off in college. Over time he plans to follow the Circuit on the east coast in search of a second gold ring.

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Event #2 was the second of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at Harrah's Cherokee. The $365 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo tournament attracted 396 players generating a $118,800 prize pool. The top 45 players were paid.

This was a one-day tournament. It began Saturday at 4 p.m. and finished midway through Level 31, just a few minutes before 4 a.m. Sunday.

Final table results:

1st: Stuart Moody - $26,135 + Circuit gold ring
2nd: Michael Schneider - $16,151
3rd: Charles Clubb - $11,802
4th: John Conits - $8,763
5th: James Holland - $6,608
6th: Allen Hughes - $5,057
7th: Kevin Beaudin - $3,928
8th: Tripp Kirk - $3,094
9th: William Reason - $2,471

Complete results are available under the “Results” tab above.

Michael Schneider and Stuart Moody are heads up for the first gold ring at Harrah's Cherokee. Currently Moody has about a 2:1 chip lead over Schneider. The winner will take home $26,135 and a WSOP Circuit gold ring while the runner-up finisher will have to settle for $16,151.

Schneider is looking to pick up his third career WSOP Circuit gold ring with a win.  A victory for Moody would give him his first career WSOP Circuit gold ring.

The tournament is down to its final 18 players and that means it is time for the two table redraw. At this point, the final 18 players are guaranteed to walk home with a minimum $1,366.

Final table seating assignments and chip counts will be made available once the final table is reached. All final table players are guaranteed $2,471 with the eventual champion earning $26,135.

Find yourself on the wrong side of the rail?

There is always a chance to play more poker in Cherokee. Starting at 7 p.m. is the $135 Nightly No-Limit Hold'em tournament. The Nightly has a $10,000 guarantee and is a one-day tournament. This is not a gold ring event.

The cash section has been full constantly. The games being spread currently include No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha with stakes ranging from $1-$2 to $5-$10.

The series' only turbo tournament begins at 4 p.m. The turbo is set up to play as a one-day tournament. The winner will be the first gold ring winner of the series.

Here is a closer look at the tournament:

Event #2 - $365 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo - Day 1 - 4 p.m.

• Players begins with 10,000 chips
• Blinds begin at 25/50
• Registration remains open until the beginning of Level 9 (~6:50 p.m.)
• Re-entry is not allowed
• All levels are 20 minutes long
  
• This is a one day tournament
• $25,000 guaranteed prizepool