Minnesota-based poker player John Reading was awarded 2015 WSOP bracelet number five for winning the $1,000 Hyper Hold’em event. Apart from one of the most prestigious non-monetary awards in the world of poker, Reading also received $252,068 in prize money.
Event #6 or the $1,000 Hyper Hold’em was among the events that debuted at this year’s edition of the WSOP. Although it attracted as many as 1,436 entries, the name of the champion became clear only after two short days of play. The reason for this was its blind structure with increments two-thirds shorter than usual and its 20-minute levels.
It only took one day for the nine-handed final table to be set. Once the nine finalists were determined, Reading needed less than two hours to emerge victorious and capture his first-ever WSOP bracelet.
The player has been playing poker for several years now. He can be spotted at online poker rooms quite often. Apart from his online achievements, Reading recently won a Horseshoe Council Bluffs event to be awarded a WSOPC gold ring, the first in his career.
As mentioned above, it took less than two hours and a total of 48 hands for Reading to emerge victorious over his opponents at the final table. The player faced Irishman Marc MacDonnell in a heads-up play, which lasted 8 hands. It began with Reading as the chip leader, holding two and a half times more chips than his opponent.
The final hand occurred with the Minnesota-based player holding [Ac][7s] against Macdonnell’s [Qs][10d]. The board ran out [Jh][3d][8s][2s][Ad] and the name of the champion became clear.
Macdonnell pocketed $155,876 for his 2nd-place finish. Las Vegas-based player Harrison Beach finished 3rd to scoop $98,623 of the entire prize pool. Aleksandr Gofman from Russia took 4th place for $71,586. Matt Woodward from California finished 5th and received $52,807.
Robert Suer, yet another California-based player, took 6th place. His portion of the prize pool totaled $39,547. Kenneth Johnson from Minnesota pocketed $30,048 for his 7th place in the event. Ryan Julius from Illinois finished 8th to receive a payout of $23,133. Rounding up the final table, Wayne Boyd took 9th place with $18,041 for his efforts.
As mentioned above, the $1,000 Hyper Hold’em champion was awarded a WSOP bracelet and the amount of $252,068, the biggest live cash in his career. Up to now, Reading has collected a total of $429,716 in live tournament earnings.
