The 65-year old American poker player Mark Smith, also known among his fans as “Pegasus”, is a WSOP Circuit regular. Yesterday, Smith added yet another trophy to his collection of 5 WSOP-branded gold rings after topping a field of 127 players. The great interest in the $365 buy-in event generated a prize pool of $38,096. The tournament was played as part of the WSOP Circuit poker festival at Horseshoe Casino in Southern Indiana. Currently, the event is nearing its middle stages, leaving still a lot more prizes up for grabs.
Event #5: $365 No-Limit Hold’em was set to continue for 2 days, but the game saw a fast-paced poker action and the poker field was whittled to only 3 survivors after the end of Day 1. The remaining players decided to bring the event to a conclusion and they returned to the poker table for the decisive battle. Shortly after the game started, the winner was determined. Smith did not waste any time to demonstrate his master skills and secure the first prize and the trophy.
Smith’s Poker Career Accomplishments
Yesterday was Mark Smith’s lucky day, as the player defeated a stacked field of 126 other players to claim his sixth WSOP Circuit gold ring. Apart from the trophy, Smith bagged $10,668 in cash. The player accumulated a lot of experience and knowledge over the years and currently, he is recognized as one of the most accomplished professionals. Even though the player did not manage to snag a WSOP gold bracelet so far, he seems to compensate with the 6 gold rings. His career profile shows that Smith cashed 66 times and his bank account boosts a total of $635,967.
Mark Smith’s poker biography continues with some other accomplishments. In 2009, the player got the prestigious title WSOP Circuit Player of the Year. As if that is not enough, in 2009 the player set a new record for the most gold rings ever won. He did not relinquish that position until 2013, when another player broke his record. After Smith’s achievement yesterday, he is reported to have won 4 out of 6 of his gold rings in Southern Indiana. Smith’s best payday was in 2006, when he managed to defeat WSOP Circuit Grand Casino Tunica $5,000 Main Event, banking a solid amount of $306,003 in prize money.
Smith is easily-recognizable on the poker tables thanks to his signature – the “Pegasus” hat. Here it is important to note that the player considered to retire from his poker career and he stopped participating in live poker tournaments as often as before. But his success from yesterday seems to have inspired Smith as he shared his plans to continue with his participation in the current WSOP Circuit live festival in Southern Indiana.
