Thomas Alcorn is a recreational but as of recently his game has heavily padded his bankroll. He has played in three consecutive Circuit main events cashing in all three, Harrah’s Cherokee being the largest for $126,188 for his third-place finish.
This retiree has taken $20,000 out of his recent winnings to travel to other events on the circuit and it has already paid off, defeating a field of 357 players in the 2019 Horseshoe Southern Indiana Circuit Main Event, earning his first World series of Poker Circuit ring and $117,322 and also earning his way into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.
After winning the tournament Alcorn was asked how he feels, and he responded with a great big “Wahooo!” Followed by “a little bit of Yee-hah.” He says his success lately is mostly because of his unique strategy, knowing that the new generation of poker are raising and re-raising more often, he can get paid off when he has the better hands. “Even though I know the new strategy is very good, I do way less bluffing than the new style of poker. Everyone is so used to people betting their bluffs that I can get called when I am betting my monsters.” He explained, “The good players realise I am doing this, and they won’t bluff me, so I mess up their whole game.”
Final Table Action
All nine players managed to stick through the first level of play, despite many of them being under 15 big blind mark. Jesse Carter doubled through the eventual champion Thomas Alcorn the very first hand of the tournament when his pocket queens held after getting all of the chips in the middle preflop.
WSOP Bracelet winner Brett Apter was the first of the final nine to be eliminated when he moved all-in preflop for his last nine and a half big blinds with ace-high but couldn’t hold against Alcorn’s queen-high that turned a pair of tens.
David Winrich who seemed to be mostly card-dead until this point, had moved all-in for six big blinds with pocket fours, Alan Percal announced he was all-in as well for his 17 big blinds with Ace-King and right behind him John Gallaher called off his remaining stack with pocket kings which held, eliminating Winrich in eighth place and leaving Percal with less than a single big blind. Percal was eliminated by Robert James the very next hand in seventh place.
The hand directly after that Nick Pupillo raised the button and Carter three-bet jammed his remaining stack that had already took a hit from Pupillo which Kenneth Ware came along as did Pupillo. Ware flopped a set of nines and shoved his remaining 11 big blinds and Pupillo called with his straight draw, drilling the straight on the turn and eliminating Carter and Ware in 6th and 5h Place.
After this double knock-out the four handed battle continued for some time before Pupillo found himself with just 10 big blinds and moved all-in preflop over top of James’ raise. James called with a classic race, James’ Jack-ten suited against Pupillo’s pocket fives but unfortunately for Pupillo he couldn’t fade the flop straight and flush draw to go along with his two over-cards and he drilled the pair of tens to deny Pupillo his fourth WSOP Circuit gold ring and eliminate him in 4th Place.
Gallaher had grinded a short-stack for some time, moving all-in preflop on multiple occasions with no contest before eventually running into James’ aces when he jammed the flop with his ace-high and a straight draw. He couldn’t connect with the straight and was sent to the payout desk in 3rd place.
Now it was James’ versus Alcorn in a marathon of a heads-up match, with both players repeating passing the chiplead back and forth. After almost five hours of heads up, Alcorn came out on top when James had moved all-in with pocket fives and got called by Alcorn’s ace-four suited. An ace came on the flop crushing James’ hope as he said, “Ah in the window!” and the board completed with Alcorn making trip aces to eliminate James in second place.
On top of the money though, Alcorn has another reason to be excited about this win now earning a little bragging rights with Maurice Hawkins the all-time WSOPC ring leader who has 13 rings. “Maurice Hawkins and I used to play at the Seminole Hard Rock all the time. We wound up making final tables a lot, and he remembered me, he came up to me in one the tournaments, and I said, ‘Well, I’m gonna beat you today,’ and he replied ’12 rings!’ So next time I see him, I’m going to go up to him with one of these and go, ha!”
Final Table Results:
1: Thomas Alcorn - $117,322 & WSOP Circuit gold ring
2:Robert James - $72,512
3: John Gallaher - $52,190
4: Nick Pupillo - $38,145
5: Kenneth Ware - $28,318
6: Jesse Carter - $21,358
7: Alan Percal - $16,370
8: David Winrich - $12,754
9: Brett Apter - $10,103