The 15th season of the WSOP Circuit is currently underway at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida. Returning to the felt after several months, Martin Ryan, a Trinidad and Tobago native, has earned the sixth gold ring in his career by taking down the $1,125 No-Limit Hold’em event.
Ryan defeated a tough field of 57 entries and Richard Rice in heads-up to win the top prize of $21,375. Rice eventually settled for the second-place prize of $13,224 for his deep run.
Ryan entered several tournaments during the 2018/2019 WSOP Circuit and on Monday evening, he showed his poker skills by winning the third event of the series, the $1,125 NLHE. The 56-year-old entrepreneur told that some health issues prevented him from playing live tournaments for several months and the first-place finish at the 2-day event was a long-awaited success for him.
The $1,125 No-Limit Hold’em kicked off on Sunday morning with 16 levels, each continuing for 40 minutes. The players started with 25,000 in tournament chips and when the registration closed later that day, there were a total of 57 entries in the field. Paying the $1,125 entry fee to the event, they took the guaranteed prize pool to a hefty $57,000. Only the top 6 players were paid out with a min-cash of $3,363 going to Ofer Peleg, followed by Zyad Qasem who won $4,389 for his fifth place.
Ryan led the final ten survivors and maintained his lead throughout. The final four players who returned to the table on Monday were dominated by Ryan. The first elimination came in Gavin Gowie. Cory Henen exited in the third place, leaving Ryan and Richard Rice from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in heads-up. Rice battled it hard but couldn’t go all the way eventually finishing runner-up.
Final Table Payouts (USD):
- Martin Ryan – $21,375
- Richard Rice – $13,224
- Cory Henen – $8,664
- Gavin Gowie – $5,985
- Zyad Qasem – $4,389
- Ofer Peleg – $3,363