CASINO CHAMPION PROFILE: JED HOFFMAN
Council Bluffs, IA (April 23, 2014) — Jed Hoffman donned Casino Champion honors at the eighth annual Council Bluffs Circuit series following an impressive four cashes totaling 82.5 points. Amidst his run of in-the-money scores Hoffman recorded two final tables, including a runner-up finish, as well as a 19th-place finish in the Main Event.

The 12-tournament race to Atlantic City was far from decided on the 12th and final day of action at the Iowa property. Hoffman brought 52.5 points into the day while the eventual Casino Championship runner-up, Paul Ewen, brought 40. Despite the 12.5-point deficit, Ewen was the favorite for the title as he was among the final nine of the Main Event and guaranteed an additional 25 points.

Ewen eventually parlayed his final table berth into a fourth-place finish and 40 points topping him out at 80 and placing him atop the leaderboard. Hoffman, meanwhile, was making a run in the last-chance turbo event running alongside the Council Bluffs finale.

The field in the one-day $365 event was stacked with the likes of six-time ring winner Ari Engel and 2008 November Niner Dennis Phillips. Hoffman was running hot though, and he beat Engel out of pot late in the tournament to jump toward the top of the counts. Eventually, he’d outlast Phillips at the final table, too.

Hoffman began the nine-handed finale with a commanding chip lead and only needing seventh place or better. In little time and with little resistance, Matt Chang hit the rail ninth and Lauren Kucks eighth. With that, Hoffman officially took the honors and placed an exclamation point at the end of his title by finishing third for 30 points.

Hoffman is one of less than 20 player to earn multiple rings in the 2013/2014 season. He kicked things off at Harveys Lake Tahoe with a victory in a $365 event in September and continued his hot streak at Choctaw in January. He came to Council Bluffs having recorded five cashes on the season and almost doubled his total chalking up four more in Iowa.

Together, Hoffman and the Horseshoe Council Bluffs Main Event winner, Blair Hinkle, head to Bally’s Atlantic City May 22-24 where they’ll freeroll for their share of an up-to $2 million prize pool against some of the WSOP’s top performers. On top of the six-figure score, the eventual winner of the National Championship goes down as the first bracelet winner of 2014.

More information and full points standings for the year-long race are available on WSOP.com.

Hoffman’s Council Bluffs cashes:

Event 3, $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry, 499 entries - 13th place
Event 8, $365 No-Limit Holde’em - 2nd place
Event 11, $1,675 Main Event - 19th place
Event 12, $365 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo - 3rd place