The 2017/18 World Series of Poker Circuit recently wrapped up its stop at Thunder Valley, but the prestigious festival is currently attracting flocks of poker enthusiasts at its latest stop at Horseshoe Tunica Circuit. It has become a WSOP Circuit tradition to award rings to those that have claimed the throne. The WSOP-branded gold ring has turned into one of the most long-coveted poker trophies as it symbolizes poker excellence. As many of you may know, winning a WSOP Circuit piece of gold requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
After 2 days of play, Jon Swift from Memphis walked away with top honors at the latest Event #8: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack. He netted a cool first-place prize of $35,026 after topping a 556-entry field. The total prize pool reached $166,800 that was distributed among the top 63 players. All busted in the money left the event with no less than $545. The deep-stacked tournament saw the players entering the game with two times more chips than usual. In that way, the players that appeared on the poker arena had the chance to play for a longer time.
By the time the clock announced the end of Day 1, the field was trimmed to 31 players and Swift found himself sitting fourth in chips. Even though Swift managed to secure himself a good position heading into Day 2, he still had a long way to go before snatching up the victory and his biggest lifetime live cash. The eventual winner entered the official final table with a relatively big stack of chips, but he needed to lock horns with some of the most fearsome poker players and fight tooth and nail for the first place.
Jon Swift Takes Down Star-Studded Official Final Table
It is interesting to note that the final table included 4 gold ring winners, who were vying yet another piece of gold. However, they were denied the chance to extend the list of their poker accomplishments. The elimination of Gary Bass in 3rd place sent the tournament into the heads-up stage. Swift needed to fight with the former gold ring winner Michael Reed for the grand prize. After only a few hands, Swift sent Reed to the rail and captured the $35,026 first-place prize. However, the cool six-figure payday helped Reed accept his runner-up finish with a smile. He pocketed $21,666 for his deep run in the event.
In a post-victory interview, Swift shared that he is a regular WSOP Circuit player, but he had cashed only in several tournaments. He said that poker is his hobby, while he is a software developer by profession. Swift is expected to try his luck in the upcoming $1,675 Main Event.
