The $1,675 Main Event, part of the 2014/2015 World Series of Poker Circuit, has just ended. It was held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and it took three days for the winner to be determined. And his name is John Eames.
The British poker pro was awarded $289,706 and a gold ring for his first place. What is more, his victory secured him a seat into the National Championship. This was Eames’ first WSOP Circuit event. Just a week before the biggest win in his career, he finished 25th in the HPT event that was held at the Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower.
A total of 1,044 players took part in the WSOP tournament. And as already mentioned, it took three days for the champion to be announced.
Sixty-nine hands were played at the final table before the first elimination. In Level 30, Michael Skomac’s cards just could not stand a chance against Brad Libson’s. Skomac took home the amount of $28,564 for his ninth place.
Then, it was on hand #84 when Eames sent Quang Ngo and Johnny Neckar to eighth and seventh place. They were followed by Corey Emery, who finished sixth with $53,537 of the entire prize pool, Libson, who finished fifth with $76,092, and Dustin Johns, who finished fourth with $100,067. Thus, the names of the final three were clear – Ping Liu from Chicago, Matt Berkey from Las Vegas, and John Eames from Southport, England.
On hand #164, Liu was eliminated by Eames and left the table and the tournament with the sum of $133,110 and the prestigious third place. It was obvious that the UK-born poker pro would have to face Matt Berkey, who was a chip leader on Day 1, in a heads-up play.
It took almost two hours and a total of 82 hands before the name of the winner was known. On Hand #246, Eames moved all his chips in and Berkey also called off his 3 million. The first had [Qh][Qd]
in his hand and the latter was holding [9d][6h]. Berkey flopped an outside straight draw, which he really needed. But with the board showing [4d]
on the turn and [As]
on the river, the name of the winner became clear.
Berkey took the amount of $179,119 for his second position. As for Eames, he was given a gold ring, a guaranteed seat into the National Championship, which will take place some time in May, 2015, and, of course, the sum of $289,706 of the entire prize pool. As previously mentioned, this was his biggest winning in a poker tournament.
The next 2014/2015 WSOP Circuit kicks off today, November 27, and will continue up to December 8. It will be held at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina.
