David Larson Captures 5th Gold Ring in Kickoff Event
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team is at the Horseshoe Hammond to live report both the $1,700 Main Event and $2,200 High Roller; however, that is just one of more than a dozen gold ring events that have taken place over the past week. As such, we thought we��d profile some of the preliminary tournaments and those who struck it big.
The stop kicked off with Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold��em, which attracted 1,701 entries over five starting flights and created a $561,330 prize pool.
Coming out on top was 49-year-old David Larson, who captured a $76,589 first-place prize and his fifth career gold ring.
��There were so many people in this tournament,�� explained Larson, ��I was lucky enough to through to the last three tables let alone the final table.��
He added: ��Anytime you have this many people in one field and you make it to the final table, there aren��t any weak players, they are all really good �� You not only have to stay focused but also get lucky while playing your best game.��
The heads-up battle between Stephen Seim and Larson would see Seim hold the chip advantage but that only lasted one-hand after Larson flopped the flush with Seim holding a set of ducks. The board didn��t pair for Seim and the heads-up battle wouldn��t last longer than ten minutes after the first hand.
��This is so amazing,�� Larson exclaimed after his victory, ��It was a long day and I��m exhausted.��
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Larson | Las Vegas, Nevada | $76,589 |
| 2 | Stephen Seim | Louisville, Kentucky | $51,931 |
| 3 | Blake O'Brien | Maryland Heights, Missouri | $36,045 |
| 4 | Kamran Jamal | N/A | $25,576 |
| 5 | Eric Phillips | Glenview, Illinois | $18,860 |
| 6 | Steven Dascott | Crystal Lake, Illinois | $14,482 |
| 7 | Gerald Bauer | Oak Lawn, Illinois | $11,473 |
| 8 | Aaron Nickeas | Downers Grove, Illinois | $9,262 |
| 9 | Garry Kalmanovich | Skokie, Illinois | $7,593 |