August 18, 2017 (Cherokee, NC) - Todd Mercer was technically the first player to qualify for the 2018 Global Casino Championship earlier this week.
When Ryan McAllister and Chris Carey were eliminated from the main event at the World Series of Poker Circuit main event at Harrah’s Cherokee, Mercer won the Casino Champion title for that stop and locked up the first spot in next year’s GCC.
The Elon, NC native had an impressive two weeks of tournament poker in Cherokee. He cashed five times, made two final tables and won his first Circuit ring. He amassed $153,480 over the 12-day series, most of which came in his victory in opening event of the series.
Mercer won the massive, multi-flight $365 no-limit hold’em re-entry event that kicked off the series. He defeated a field of 2,842 entries to win $121,495, his first ring and an early lead in the Casino Championship standings. Since the first event concluded on the fifth day of the series, Mercer had already secured another cash before he won the first event.
Mercer finished 37th in the $365 no-limit hold’em turbo event during the layover between his Day 1A chip lead and putting the finishing touches on his first ring in the re-entry, which gave him a lead in the standings that he never relinquished.
He continued to extend the lead in the week after his win and leading up to the main event. In a four-day span, he finished 49th in the $365 no-limit hold’em six-max event, 126th in the $365 no-limit hold’em monster stack and then proved he could play with the best with a third place finish in the $2,200 no-limit hold’em high roller for $30,101.
The final cash of the series and his second final table gave him 90 points and a sizable lead in the race, but anybody within 50 points of Mercer was a threat to overtake him for the title.
Mercer’s main competition was Trey Walton. Walton made two final tables of his own and won his second ring in the $365 pot-limit Omaha event. He finished ninth in the $580 no-limit hold’em and 24th in the $365 no-limit hold’em monster stack to give him 75 points as he started the main event.
He was still alive once the money bubble burst on Day 2 and needed a 20th place finish or better to earn 20 points and move in front of Mercer for the lead. Mercer fell just shy of those 20 points and busted just before the dinner break on Day 2. He earned 10 points and finished the race in second place with 85 points.
At the end of Day 2, Mercer was in great shape to take down the title, but still had to fade two players on the final day of the series. With a second place finish from Chris Carey or a second or third place finish from Ryan McAllister, Mercer would’ve been passed over and one of those two players would take the crown.
Carey and McAllister were eliminated back-to-back and finished just shy of the final table. Carey busted in 14th and McAllister finished 13th and with 12 players remaining in the main event, Mercer was assured the Casino Championship.
Mercer’s Final Results at WSOP Circuit at Cherokee:
Event #1 - $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry: 1st for $121,495
Event #3 - $365 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo: 37th for $731
Event #5 - $365 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max: $49th for $623
Event #7 - $365 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack: 126th for $530
Event #9 - $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller: 3rd for $30,101