Every year we have a player on the Circuit go on the kind of run players can only dream of having. The kind where you win multiple events in a short span. The kind where every play is the right play and, at the end of the run, your bank account reflects your impressive efforts.
Daniel Gilmer's bank account is surely a testament to his success at Harveys Lake Tahoe, but so is his hand. Gilmer is now decorated with two WSOP Circuit rings after a great run at the Northern Nevada event. The two victories and a third small cash earned him $32,808 and, more importantly, a seat into the 2013 WSOP National Championship presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof.
The 24-year-old from Ashland, Ohio claimed his ticket to the New Orleans event without much of a sweat, thanks to wins in Event 2 and Event 6. Event 2 was a $365 No Limit Hold'em Turbo event that drew 220 players and awarded Gilmer a $16,426 payday and his first gold ring.
At the time, Gilmer thought one ring was a dream come true, especially after he came to Harveys last year and could only watch from the rail as his friends found success while he couldn't even notch a min cash. After two years of playing various Circuit events, this event wasn't just his first win, it was his first final table. He was just getting started though.
The pizza delivery guy turned poker pro won his second event days later, making him the first player of the 2012-2013 season to win multiple events at a single stop. When asked what he was doing differently at the Lake Tahoe event, he offered the following insight:
"I think I am trusting myself more now. I'll follow my own convictions, to make a play or even to get off a hand when I think I'm neat. You have to have that to win, and I'm getting to the point where I am trusting myself. If I think it's the right play, I'll go with it.”
Those instincts helped Gilmer earn a spot in the National Championship. Now we'll have to wait until May to find out if those instincts can help him find a seat at the televised final table.