One of the most storied poker tournament, and more precisely the World Series of Poker Circuit has long been the subject of a great many dreams. The 17th stop on the 2017/2018 World Series of Poker Circuit schedule wrapped up its $1,675 Main Event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The popular tournament stop attracted 887 entries and generated a mammoth prize pool of $1,330,500. After three days of play and fierce competition, Kevin Iacofano walked away with the grand prize. The player proved that the dream of sitting under the bright lights and winning the long-coveted gold ring can become stark reality. Iacofano’s nest egg just got a whole lot heftier after he navigated his way through a stacked field to pocket $259,463.
According to the Hendon Mob, the recent gold ring winner has $1,094,982 in total live tournament earnings. In fact, Iacofano is no stranger to the poker world. His extensive poker portfolio is a proof of this. Needless to say, the goal on most players’ wish list is to make the money. However, this seems to be easier to achieve than winning the gold. Despite Iacofano’s staggering bankroll and impressive poker career, the recent victory is the player’s first live tournament win of his very established career.
En Route to the Victory
The event kicked off on 24th February, featuring 2 starting flights and 2 more days of play. Only 155 players managed to navigate their way through to Day 2. By the time the clock announced the end of Day 2, the field was narrowed to just 22 players. Brett Bader was the player who managed to nurse the biggest stack of chips and appear on top of the chip counts.
He and the other 21 survivors from Day 2 resumed action earlier today. Despite Bader’s flying start, he was eliminated by Iocafano in 6th place for $51,025. Yashvenn Mudireddy was the player to exit the game in 5th place for $66,631. Iacofano went on an epic hot streak to eliminate Jesse Cohen in 4th place. Shortly after that, the eventual winner even managed to speed up in front of the seemingly unbeatable Nikhil Gera and snag the chip lead.
The elimination of Boris Kasabo in third place gave the start of the heads-up battle. Iacofano began the heads-up match with a slight chip advantage over his opponent Gera. The chip lead changed hands yet another time after Gera managed to pull off an impressive heads-up comeback. The two-handed game can be best described as a back and forth battle. By the time the two players were locked in an all-in confrontation, Iacofano was the chip lead. After 12 hours of play, the board secured the pot for Iacofano. Gera picked up a cheque worth $160,325 for his runner-up finish.
