Cherokee, NC (via WSOP.com) – A Main Event Champion has been crowned at the World Series of Poker Circuit series at Harrah’s Cherokee. After two starting flights and four long days of poker, Brad Albrinck has finally collected all the chips in play. Albrink conquered a field of 968 entrants in Event #10: $1,675 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event to win his second gold ring and a whopping $275,877. The signature, WSOP tournament finished around 11:30 pm Monday night on the Harrah’s Cherokee main stage.
This was Albrinck’s second Main Event triumph in just over three years, an astounding feat to say the least. Albrinck mentioned how his current first-place finish seemed to be not as likely to manifest as his first. “You know, I started the day pretty short-stacked. So, it was maybe less expected Especially because this guy had all the chips for a lot of the final table,” said Albrinck.
The “guy” Albrinck was referring to was his heads-up opponent, Jason Rivkin, who seemed to be the clear favorite to walk away the champion, particularly as the final table unfolded. Albrinck came into Day 3 in the bottom half of the chip counts and Rivkin came in as the overall chip leader. Both players made the final nine, but Rivkin continued to dominate.
By the time the two faced off, Rivkin held a 5:1 chip advantage against Albrinck. However, a fateful double up took place early in heads-up play that changed everything. Albrinck got it all in with pocket nines. Unfortunately, he ran into Rivkin’s pocket queens. It looked bleak for Albrinck, but then a nine on the river secured him the double and breathed life into the 31-year-old.
“If it was meant to be, it was meant to be,” Albrinck admitted to thinking why the pivotal hand took place. “It was going to be over, and I was not going to have to focus anymore. And then once I hit I knew it was going to be a grind after that.”
And a grind it was. The two competitors duked it out for nearly three hours before all the chips were in one man’s corner. Albrinck kept his head through and through till the end, proving yet again that he has the mental endurance to win these long-hour, multi-day tournaments.
“It does take discipline,” Albrinck stated. “Sometimes you just have to pass on a few spots and really think things through. It does take some mental focus.” The engineer, who has always enjoyed strategy games , now has nearly $800,000 in WSOP earnings. His impressive total comes from 27 different cashes, not bad at all for someone who only plays poker part time. On top of the six-figure payout and WSOP gold ring, Albrinck also earned himself an automatic bid to the 2017 Global Casino Championship, where he will look to continue his poker success.
Here’s a breakdown of the final table results:
1st: Brad Albrinck – $275,877
2nd: Jason Rivkin – $170,639
3rd: Vinny Pahuja – $125,946
4th: Russ Head – $94,235
5th: Chip Ervin – $71,395
6th: Kamran Munaf – $54,769
7th: Jerome Stroud – $42,529
8th: Jay Zeman – $33,440
9th: Jeff Mahon – $26,601
ABOUT THE WSOP CIRCUIT
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Events are a series of poker tournaments hosted throughout the United States and throughout the world beginning in early August each year, and culminating the following Summer with a $1,000,000 Global Casino Championship where the victor earns a WSOP gold bracelet as well. WSOP Circuit Events are designed to give the recreational and amateur player an opportunity to participate in the WSOP experience at a more affordable price point and with less of a time commitment than the traditional WSOP in Las Vegas. Each stop typically features 12 official events in 12 days, including a $1,675 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Official WSOP Circuit events range in buy-in from $365-$5,300 and award a prestigious WSOP gold ring to each victor. These poker tournaments are designed to reach a winner within two playing days, with some events even structured to complete in one day. In 2016-17, the WSOP Circuit domestic season consists of 22 stops all tied together by a cumulative points system that awards points based on finish in individual events. A season-ending WSOP Global Casino Championship is held each Summer. The winner of each stop’s Main Event (the only four-day structured event) gains automatic entry into the season-ending WSOP Global Casino Championship, as does each stop’s Casino Champion – the person who accumulates the most points throughout the 12 official events at a stop. Two players at each stop earn automatic entries into the season-ending championship, with the remaining players being made up of at large qualifiers whom have accumulated the most points throughout the Circuit season. Players who finish within the top ten percent of the field are typically awarded prize money on an escalating scale until there is one player who has captured all the chips. That victor wins the largest share of the prize pool, a WSOP Circuit gold ring and points toward the Global Casino Championship qualification. The WSOP Circuit Events are a regional and international offshoot of the longest-running, largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, dating back 46 years to 1970 – the famous World Series of Poker. This marks the thirteenth year the WSOP Circuit Events have been held. They were initially established by Caesars Entertainment (then Harrah’s Entertainment) after its purchase of the WSOP brand in 2004 as a way to bring the WSOP experience to Caesars-owned properties throughout the U.S. In the inaugural season (2004-05), the WSOP Circuit featured five stops – Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, San Diego and New Orleans. Now, with 22 stops domestically, the WSOP Circuit visits 12 U.S. states and cumulatively features more entrants than the Las Vegas version of the WSOP. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc., (CIE) owns the WSOP and the WSOP Circuit Events. Visit us at http://www.wsop.com/2016/Circuit/ or www.twitter.com/wsop.
ABOUT Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
An enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. The Casino has 150,000 square feet of gaming space, and offers traditional table games such as black jack, roulette and craps. The property also features over 1,100 hotel rooms, the Le Fu Men gaming area, 10 restaurants, the ESSENCE Lounge, the luxurious 18,000 square feet Mandara Spa and seven retail shops. In addition to the 56-acre property, guests have privileged access to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation-owned Sequoyah National Golf Club.
About Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel:
An enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel is located near Murphy, North Carolina. The Cherokee County, NC facility features 50,000 square feet of gaming space with over 1,000 slot games and 70 traditional table games, The Food Market and a 300-room, full service hotel.
