THE RICH GET RICHER...KURT JEWELL WINS MORE JEWELRY
Kentucky Poker Pro Joins Three Other Players in Tie For Second Place in All-Time Wins

St. Louis, MO (April 23, 2012) – It’s rare, unprecedented perhaps, that the final tournament of a World Series of Poker stop could upstage the Main Event Championship, which customarily concludes on the same day.

But Kurt Jewell upstaged just about everyone at Harrah’s St. Louis on the final night of the two-week tournament series by winning his fourth WSOP Circuit gold ring victory.  With the win, Jewell moved into a three-player tie for second place in all-time wins.  He joins Men “the Master” Nguyen, Alexandru Masek, and Kyle Cartwright who each have four career victories.  Mark “Pegasus” Smith remains the gold ring heavyweight, with five WSOP Circuit titles to his name.

Jewell, from Frankfort, KY, comes off a smashing victory in the Main Event Championship, held two weeks ago at Council Bluffs (Iowa).  This marks his 12 WSOP Circuit cash.  Jewell collected $19,269 for this victory, which pushes him over the $200,000 mark thus month alone in WSOP Circuit earnings.

Jewell announced that he would give his gold ring to his mother.

The last of a dozen gold ring tournaments began on Sunday afternoon with Event #12 – a $355 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em competition.  The tournament attracted 276 entries.  The total prize pool came to $80,316.  The top 30 players were paid.  All players who cashed received WSOP Circuit National Championship ranking points.

Here is the final list of gold ring winners at Harrah’s St. Louis:

Event #1 – Shain Matthews (Marysville, CA) won $29,306 in $355 NLHE
Event #2 – Jerry Ard (Monticello, MS) won $32,147 in $565 NLHE
Event #3 – Kevin Balsman (St. Louis, MO) won $11,844 in $355 PLO
Event #4 – Roy Riley (Savoy, IL) won $57,139 in $355 NLHE (Re-Entry)
Event #5 – William Byrnes (St. Charles, MO) won $19,025 in $355 Turbo NLHE
Event #6 – Adam Laskey (Fargo, ND) won $23,449 in $355 NLHE
Event #7 – Nik Stone (Auburndale, WI) won $21,770 in $355 6-HANDED NLHE
Event #8 – Stephen Friedel (Vandalia, IL) won $33,664 in $565 NLHE
Event #9 – Eddie Smurzynski (Midlothian, IL) won $27,212 in $355 NLHE
Event #10 – Kyle Cartwright (Tulsa, OK) won $53,354 in $1,085 NLHE
Event #11 – Tripp Kirk (Atlanta, GA) $190,961 in $1,600 NLHE MAIN EVENT
Event #12 – Kurt Jewell (Frankfort, KY) won $19,269 in $355 NLHE

The next WSOP Circuit stop takes place at Harrah’s Chester, which is in the Philadelphia area.  The series takes place April 26 to May 7.

The final WSOP Circuit stop of the season takes place at Harrah’s New Orleans, from May 10-21.  One week later, the 2012 World Series of Poker begins in Las Vegas.

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MORE ABOUT THE WSOP CIRCUIT AT HARRAH’S ST. LOUIS

Harrah’s St. Louis is a casino-resort located in Maryland Heights, MO -- about a 35-minute drive from Downtown St. Louis.  The international airport is even closer, just 15-minutes by car or shuttle.  In fact, the shuttle bus is free for hotel guests.  For poker players residing throughout the Midwest, the casino can be reached easily, which is located right off Interstate-70.

Harrah’s St. Louis is the 15th (of 17) WSOP Circuit host properties.  The 2011-2012 season is rapidly winding down, with only three more stops remaining on the schedule.  Harrah’s St. Louis is the Midwest’s final destination this season.  The other two remaining WSOP Circuit stops are at Harrah’s Chester (Philadelphia) – April 26 to May 7 and Harrah’s New Orleans – May 10 to May 21.

This marks the third straight season that the WSOP Circuit has visited Harrah’s St. Louis.  Previous tournaments played here drew large turnouts and generated big prize pools.  This year’s series appears to be no different based on heavy registration for the first few events.

Harrah’s St. Louis first opened in 1997 and has been one of gaming’s flagship properties in the Midwest ever since.  The hotel offers 455 deluxe rooms and 47 luxury suites.  Special hotel rates for players are available.  The property also has several fine restaurants at all price levels.  See WSOP.com for more information.

Harrah’s St. Louis’ “12 Rings in 12 Days” series is taking place April 12-23.  All the poker action takes place right on the main casino floor.  The final table is stationed right in the center of the floor, a highly-anticipated destination for every poker player.  

There's a lot at stake for poker players who will make their way to Harrah’s St. Louis over the next two weeks.  Not only are a dozen gold rings up for grabs, lots of prize money will also be awarded to those who cash.  All players who finish in the money will also earn ranking points, which are used to determine finalists for the season-ending WSOP Circuit National Championship.

Since the season began in September, all tournament players have been in the running for 100 guaranteed pre-paid seats in the $1 million WSOP Circuit National Championship finale – which will be a WSOP gold bracelet event to be played in Las Vegas, around the time of the World Series of Poker Main Event.