Event #9: $580 No-Limit Hold'em

Event #9
No-Limit Hold'em
Buy-in: $500 (+$80)
Total Entries: 281
Prizepool: $140,500

Richard Fitzgerald won his first gold ring on Friday after a long career, including 19 Circuit cashes and eight final tables.

Stateline, Nevada (November 4, 2016) – The ninth ring event at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe saw a warrior win his first Circuit title. Richard Fitzgerald earned his first gold ring by vanquishing a field of 281 players in Event #9: $580 No-Limit Hold’em. This was a milestone achievement for the Construction Worker from South Dakota who invests in poker part time.

“I just play recreational, off and on, like the last ten years. I don’t get to go to many Circuit events because of my job,” said Fitzgerald.

Even though Fitzgerald does not play poker year-round, he has established a healthy World Series of Poker resume nevertheless. Before this victory, Fitzgerald could attest to 19 cashes and eight final table appearances on the Circuit tour. Along with banking his biggest WSOP Cash to date, at $33,720, Fitzgerald can finally say he captured the ultimate prize.

“I just felt like it was destiny that I was going to win tonight,” said Fitzgerald.

The assured feeling of fate may have stemmed from the recent loss of his father as well as his best friend. A win for them was simply in the cards. Fitzgerald played with grit and heart, boosting him to a validating victory, after a tough final table battle. His aspirations for the 12-event series are coming together beautifully.

“I made a goal that I was going to come out here and get three final tables and two rings, and I’m two final tables and one ring down,” stated Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald made the final table in Event #5 earlier in the week. There are three tournaments left, including the Main Event, for Fitzgerald to achieve his ambitions and he is more than happy to continue participating here at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe. Fitzgerald was beaming with admiration for the dealers, and overall tournament staff after his personal triumph.

“Shout out to these guys. Like I said, this crew is terrific, spot on. They don’t make mistakes and the dealers are the best in the world,” exclaimed Fitzgerald.

Here is a look at the final table results:

1st: Richard Fitzgerald - $33,720
2nd: Loren Cloninger - $20,839
3rd: Danny Elmore - $15,121
4th: Ned Mantua - $11,156
5th: Mark Lehnert - $8,367
6th: Shawn Roberts - $6,376
7th: Michael McDonough - $4,934
8th: Josh Mammon - $3,878
9th: Michael Karbushev - $3,094

Complete results can be found above, under the "Results" tab.

The remaining ten players have merged to the unofficial final table. Danny Elmore is the current chip leader. Shawn Roberts has made his second final table of the series. Players are now on the final stretch. The eventual winner will walk away with $33,720 and a WSOP gold ring.

Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts for the final ten players:

Seat 1: Loren Cloninger – 447,000 (37 bbs)
Seat 2: Michael Karbushev – 299,000 (24 bbs)
Seat 3: Michael McDonough – 125,000 (10 bbs)
Seat 4: Ned Mantua – 175,000 (14 bbs)
Seat 5: Richard Fitzgerald – 453,000 (37 bbs)
Seat 6: Joseph Rothway – 301,000 (25 bbs)
Seat 7: Shawn Roberts – 344,000 (28 bbs)
Seat 8:  Danny Elmore – 675,000 (56 bbs)
Seat 9: Mark Lehnert – 230,000 (19 bbs)
Seat 10: Josh Mammon – 320,000 (26 bbs)

The money bubble burst and the tournament has progressed to a three table redraw.

Twenty-seven players shuffle around, taking their newly assigned seats.

Players make their way back to their respective tables after the 60-minute dinner break.

Refueled, players will look to complete the rest of the day with a strong run. The field stands at 76 for the time being.

Included in the break is complementary pizza provided by the wonderful Harvye's Lake Tahoe. This generous offering has occurred every afternoon since the Circuit series has begun.

The seventh day at Harvey's Lake Tahoe sees the first increase in buy-in with Event #9. An entry fee of $580 will make for a boost in payouts. Also contributing to a possibly inflated prizepool is the one re-entry allowed for any player who busts out during the registration period, wich is open til the start of Level 9. There is a Mega Satellite into Event #9 at 9:00 am. The tournament is set to begin at 11:00 am.

Here is a quick rundown of Event #9:

• Registration is open until the start of Level 9 (~3:30 pm)
• One re-entry is allowed
• Players begin with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Blinds start at 25/50
• Levels 1-12 will be 30 minutes long, Levels 13-21 will be 40 minutes long, and 22+ will be 50 minutes long
• There will be a 15-minute break after Level 4, 8, 15, 18, 23, 25, and 29
• A 60-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 12
• Day 2 will resume at 2:00 pm on Friday
• Global Casino Championship points are awarded to all players earning a cash
• The winner will receive a WSOP Circuit gold ring

As this event progresses, this updates page will include prizepool information, end of the night chip counts and the winner's report.