CHESTER, PA (May 2, 2013) – The narrative about the all-time WSOP Circuit ring chase has largely revolved around some of the more visible and prolific players atop of the leaderboard such as Kurt Jewell, Kyle Cartwright, Mark Smith and of course, the current all-time Circuit champion, Alex Masek.
However, a quiet lion has roared to the top of the all-time standings.
Chris Reslock, a 65-year-old retired taxi owner/operator from Atlantic City, NJ dominated the Final Table in Circuit Event 6, $580 No-Limit Hold’em at Harrah’s Philadelphia to claim a record-tying sixth Circuit gold ring. He joins Alex Masek in all-time Circuit rings. Masek broke the record back in January which was previously held by Mark “Pegasus” Smith.
In addition to making WSOP Circuit history, Reslock was awarded $18,200 and 50 points toward a seat to the WSOP National Championship.
This was Reslock’s second gold ring since March, when he won the $580 No-Limit Hold’em event at Caesars Atlantic City. Reslock plays almost exclusively on the east coast and has only participated in three Circuit stops this season, a further testament to his poker acumen.
Reslock, who also has a WSOP bracelet and over $1,000,000 in WSOP tournament earnings, now has 105 National Championship points and is primed to claim one of the 60 at-large seats to the WSOP National Championship in May.
WSOP Circuit Event 6 at Harrah’s Philadelphia drew 130 players for a total prize pool of $65,000.
Play reached the money shortly before 11:00 am after which Reslock wreaked utter havoc on the remaining players. In just over an hour, eight players were eliminated, most at the hands of Reslock. After the carnage subsided, only four players remained.
Play ended for the night shortly before 3:00 AM with three players remaining and Reslock holding half the chips in play.
Day 2 resumed Thursday at 3:00 pm ET and would last under an hour. Reslock sent Sean Small to the rail in 3rd place ($8,120) to play heads up against Jonathan Hilton.
Hilton, who was the runner up in Event 59 $1,000 NLH at the 2012 WSOP, made a valiant effort, but shortly after heads up play began it was over, leaving Reslock as the last man standing. Hilton pocketed $11,249 for 2nd.
In addition to gaining a foothold in the National Championship points race Reslock’s win in Event 6 puts him in contention for a shot at the Casino Championship here at Harrah’s Philadelphia. He is currently tied with five previous event winners and is 20 points behind the current leader, Peter Ippolito who has 70.
The Casino Champion is the player who earns the most points through the 12 events at Harrah’s Philadelphia. This player will earn an automatic seat to the WSOP Circuit National Championship to be held May 22– May 24 at Harrah’s New Orleans. More information about the WSOPC National Championship can be found here. An explanation of the points system can be found here.
6 events are still to come. See the complete Harrah’s Philadelphia Circuit schedule and event results here. The WSOP Circuit Events at Harrah’s Philadelphia runs through May 6th. You can find the complete 2012-2013 WSOP Circuit schedule here.
The final results are as follows:
| PLACE | PLAYER | CITY / STATE / COUNTRY | CASH EARNED |
| 1 | Chris Reslock | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ | $18,200 |
| 2 | Jonathan Hilton | CHATTANOOGA, TN | $11,249 |
| 3 | Sean Small | DOUGLASVILLE, GA | $8,120 |
| 4 | Thomas Beckstead | Temecula, CA | $5,966 |
| 5 | Lance Garcia | HOUSTON, TX | $4,460 |
| 6 | Jesse Cohen | ARDMORE, PA | $3,391 |
| 7 | Raymond Palmieri | BUENA, NJ | $2,621 |
| 8 | Jose Silverman | SAN JUAN, PR | $2,059 |
| 9 | Eshed Hadaya | JERSEY CITY, NJ | $1,644 |
| 10 | Kennii Nguyen | LAS VEGAS, NV | $1,333 |
| 11 | Derrick Yamada | SACRAMENTO, CA | $1,333 |
| 12 | John Cernuto | LAS VEGAS, NV | $1,333 |
| 13 | Eric Pharr | HOUSTON, TX | $1,097 |
| 14 | Asher Conniff | BROOKLYN, NY | $1,097 |
| 15 | Drennon Rackley | Dalton, GA | $1,097 |
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The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport's top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker's longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2012, the event attracted 74,766 entrants from 101 different countries to the Rio in Las Vegas and awarded over $222 million in prize money. In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker Europe. The WSOP Circuit Tour is entering its ninth season in 2012-13. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit www.WSOP.com.
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Media Contact:
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