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Monday, December 4, 2017 4:23 AM Local Time
Carolina part-timer wins the Turbo for a career-best payout
Ricky Robinson Jr. won the last of the 12 gold rings up for grabs at Harrah’s Cherokee. Robinson outlasted a field of 491 entries in the $365 Turbo, collecting the first victory of his WSOP Circuit career. It comes with a career-best payout of $31,665.
Robinson, 27, is a retail salesman from Mebane, North Carolina, located in the Piedmont region of the state. Despite his work schedule, he makes it a point to carve out time to play tournaments when the Circuit comes to town. “I always take off and come play at Cherokee,” he said.
He’s been playing poker for most of his adult life, turned onto the idea by a few of his friends. “They were like, 'I know how we can get rich and make a ton of money easily,’” he said. “And, boy, were they stupid.”
Robinson eventually realized that poker was not going to be a get-rich-quick scheme, but he’s settled into the life of a grinder just fine. It’s taken a lot of work to make it happen, though, as he explained: “You practice a lot. You get to a point where you get better, and then… here you are.”
Here he is.
Robinson made his first Circuit final table in August in the big re-entry event, bowing out in seventh place for what was, at the time, the largest payday of his career. He’s bested it this time with another five-figure score.
“I bubbled six tournaments this time around,” he looked back on his record after his win. “Hadn’t cashed in anything. I decided yesterday that I’d stay to play today. I’m glad I did.”
When he’s not at the poker tables or working, Robinson is probably playing video games. He says he’s ranked inside the worldwide top 500 for Overwatch, a popular first-person shooter.
Final table results:
1st: Ricky Robinson Jr. - $31,665
2nd: David Attride - $19,581
3rd: Mike Notarianni - $14,304
4th: Kevin Davis - $10,604
5th: Hamid Izadi - $7,975
6th: John Parmalee - $6,083
7th: Bryce McVay - $4,706
8th: Chris Carey - $3,693
9th: Chad Wise - $2,939
Click here for the full results.
Monday, December 4, 2017 2:13 AM Local Time
Right at 2 a.m., the field is trimmed down to a final table of 10 players. Here's the remaining lineup:
Seat 1: Mike Notarianni - 675,000 (11 bb)
Seat 2: Bryan Carter - 585,000 (10 bb)
Seat 3: Chad Wise - 650,000 (11 bb)
Seat 4: David Attride - 1,495,000 (25 bb)
Seat 5: Hamid Izadi - 575,000 (10 bb)
Seat 6: J. David Parmalee - 375,000 (6 bb)
Seat 7: Ricky Robinson Jr. - 1,945,000 (32 bb)
Seat 8: Kevin Davis - 755,000 (13 bb)
Seat 9: Chris Carey - 1,300,000 (22 bb)
Seat 10: Bryce McVay - 1,470,000 (25 bb)
Less than 24 hours ago, Bryan Carter was posing for winner's photos with the ring for Event #11, which was another one-day Turbo. He has a chance to pull off a remarkable repeat this evening.
Mike Notarianni has a chance to add to his own total for the week, too, after his win in Event #6 just a couple night ago. That one was a Turbo, as well.
Either man would be in contention for the Casino Champion honors with a victory in this one.
Blinds are 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante in the current level, so the average stack is just over 16 big blinds. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $2,370 this evening, and play continues until a winner is determined.
Monday, December 4, 2017 2:05 AM Local Time
The final ring event of this stop drew another big turnout to send the series out in style.
A total of 491 entries were tallied for this $365 event, creating a prizepool worth $147,300. That money will be shared by the final 54 players, with a min-cash worth $566.
The winner will collect the ring for Event #12 and the top prize of $31,665.
Sunday, December 3, 2017 2:13 AM Local Time
