Biloxi, MS (August 14, 2012) — 2010 November Nine participant and Gulf Coast poker regular, John Dolan, won Event #6 at IP Casino Resort and Spa in Biloxi, MS Tuesday evening.
Dolan is most recognized for his sixth place finish in the 2010 WSOP Main Event when he was a member of the November Nine and won almost $1.8 million. Jonathan Duhamel was the eventual champion of that record-breaking tournament and was awarded $8,944,310.
Dolan’s victory comes in a timely manner as ESPN’s coverage of the tournament that started it all for him, the WSOP Main Event, begins airing tonight (8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT) on ESPN. Hour-long episodes of the 2012 Main Event will broadcast back-to-back each Tuesday night for the next eleven weeks until the 2012 October Nine is reached. At that time, ESPN will air near-live coverage of the event and the viewer will be able to see first hand just how life-changing being among the final nine of the WSOP Main Event can be.
“I have more freedom in life and in poker,” said Dolan about life after the Main Event. “I can play when I want to for the most part and if I feel like taking a month off it isn’t that big of a deal anymore. It’s really nice in that sense.”
Dolan's list of poker results thus far in 2012 would make even 12-time WSOP gold bracelet champion Phil Hellmuth blush. With six final table appearances, two victories and earnings nearing $1 million, Dolan continues to make minced meat of anyone unfortunate enough to share a poker table with him.
Dolan’s most recent standout performance came on the poker circuit that started it all for him -- The World Series of Poker. With a WSOP resume that boasts $1,942,208 in career earnings, the $12,265 payday in Event #6 may not be Dolan’s largest score, but he’s humble enough to recognize the value of a championship performance.
“It always feels good to final table something and especially win something, even if it is small,” Dolan said. “I’ve always been pretty competitive and I like $12,000 just as much as anyone else.”
This was the sixth of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at IP Biloxi. Officially listed as Event #6, the $365 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 146 entrants. The total prize pool came to $43,800. The top fifteen finishers were paid. Dolan was awarded $12,265 for first. All players who cashed received WSOP Circuit National Championship ranking points.
Notes On The Event
- With a runner-up finish to go along with his third place showing in Event #1, Cory Wood overtook Christopher Conrad in the Casino Championship race. Additionally, he joined James Johnson and Conrad as the only players to record multiple final table appearances at the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit at IP Biloxi.
- Event 6 played out over the course of two consecutive days. It took just 12 hours and fifteen minutes to trim the field to a nine-handed final table. Day 1 play halted at the completion of level 19 (about 12:50 a.m.) with seven players remaining. The remaining seven came back for the final playing session at 3 p.m. the following day. Play finished at 5:30 p.m. making the total duration of the final table three hours and five minutes over the course of two days.
- Ryan Tepen began Day 2 with a 593,000 chips, almost twice that of second place Wood. Tepen’s run came up well short of gold, finishing sixth after a cold deck took its toll.
- On his final hand, Tepen moved all-in hold king-jack and was called by the pocket nines of Dolan. The flop came giving Dolan a full house and leaving Tepen drawing very slim. After a blank fell on the turn, Tepen called out, “Nine of spades! Nine of spades!” When the river brought the nine of clubs Tepen continued, “Oh! So close to a mis-deal…” remaining in good humor despite his misfortune. He was awarded $2,285.
Through six events, Wood sits alone atop the Casino Championship leaderboard with 67.5 points. He is trailed by Conrad (60) and Event #1 champion, Blake Barousse (52.5).
The player who accumulates the most overall points in IP Biloxi’s twelve combined gold ring tournaments will earn the title “Casino Champion” and receive automatic entry into the $1 million 2012-13 WSOP Circuit National Championship, as will the winner of the IP Biloxi Main Event. All players who cash in ring events will receive points that apply to both the Casino Championship race and the season-long race to claim one of the 60 at-large National Championship bids awarded to the top point earners throughout the season. More information on the points system is available on WSOP.com.