American poker pro Ryan Jones claimed the champion title at the 2017 World Series of Poker Circuit Rio $1,675 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Jones prevailed over a starting field of 945 entries earning the first-place prize of $269,327 along with his second gold ring.
The event took place at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and boasted a prize pool of $1,417,500. The final day of the tournament saw Jones competing for the champion crown against notable opponents like eight-time ring winner Ari Engel, overnight chip leader Jeremy Joseph, and Dylan Wilkerson.
This was not an easy win for the North Carolina native. Jones entered the final day of the tournament in the middle of the pack to face a total of 18 opponents. The American started out in 9th place but dropped to the bottom of the leaderboard. The player attributed his dropping to the cellar to a questionable river call which resulted in a losing hand.
However, Jones succeeded in maintaining his position despite his bad move. The American was still at the bottom of the leaderboard when he joined nine other survivors at the event’s final table. Despite his poor start, Jones managed to gain momentum and half an hour later emerged as a chip leader.
Six hours later Jones began a head-to-head battle with fellow countryman Muruz Yohannes with Jones still being the chip leader. Yohannes proved to be a worthy opponent and took the lead shortly after the start of the head-to-head battle. Despite this setback, Jones remained confident in his skills. He missed several draws and resorted to bluffing the river.
This strategy worked to Jones’ advantage as he succeeded in pulling ahead. Yohannes limped in with blinds of 150,000 – 300,000 and a 50,000 ante while Jones raised to 1,000,000. His opponent made the call and the flop resulted in [Js][7c][5c]. Jones responded with a 600,000 bet causing Yohannes to move all in.
Jones called immediately and prevailed over his opponent’s [8s][7s] with [Qs][Qh]. The turn brought a [Qc] and Jones secured the champion crown with a [Kc] on the river. Yohannes had no other option but to settle for the runner-up position, collecting a prize of $166,585. Jeremy Joseph earned the third-place prize of $122,954.
This is a second WSOP champion title for Jones, who earned his first ring in the 2015 WSOP Circuit Main Event, held at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina.
- Author
Harry Evans
