Valentin Vornicu is now the undisputed owner of 12 shiny gold rings of the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC). It was the most awaited moment for the San Diego-based 34-year-old poker pro Vornicu when he broke his tie with Maurice Hawkins (who holds 10 WSOPC Gold Rings) after winning his 11th and 12th WSOPC Gold Rings at Harrah’s New Orleans.
Yes, you heard it right! First, Vornicu defeated a strong field of 1,340 entries at the $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry event, where he won $64,205 in the prize prizemoney. 30 hours after this feat, he registered another win at the $365 Single Day NLH Re-Entry after beating the 349-entry field to pocket $24,084. With this, Vornicu also cemented a seat in the 2018 Global Casino Championship.
The $365 Single Day NLH Re-Entry
The $365 Single Day NLH Re-Entry formed a $104,700 kitty, which was shared by the top 36 players. After Andrew Mousmoulesz exiting in the 3rd place for $10,861, Vornicu found himself playing against Joshua Lowing for the title. Vornicu kept on maintaining his position as the chip lead and finally clinched his 12th WSOP Circuit ring after winning the event for an impressive $24,084.
In the post-win conversation, the super excited Vornicu was heard quoting, “What is there to say? Right now, I’m just super tired and super happy. Also, is this real? Is this real?”
“I’ve never won back-to-back tournaments. Definitely not live. Maybe online, but usually after I win a tournament live, the next one I play I just bust before the first break.” he added.
Vornicu began the final table as the chip lead but ended up doubling up 4 opponents and found himself as a short stack in between. However, Vornicu played his A-game and kept going. Eventually, he managed to make a comeback and ended up winning the coveted title!
Some notables who made money in this event included the likes of Blake Whittington (15th place for $1,502), Jonathan Hilton (16th place for $1,249) and Ricky Meyers (24th place for $898).
Final Table Payouts:
- Valentin Vornicu – $24,084
- Joshua Lowing – $14,887
- Andrew Mousmoulesz – $10,861
- Kien Tran – $8,056
- Mohammad Shahlaei – $6,068
- Michael Horchoff – $4,641
- Jerry Monroe – $3,602
- Sley Sanchez – $2,835
- Justin Brassieur – $2,264