Roy Riley Wins Largest Poker Tournament in Missouri History
Last Thursday, the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit kicked off at Harrah’s St. Louis, and soon hosted the largest tournament in Missouri’s history.
The tournament was Event #4: $355 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry, which attracted 1,066 players and created a prize pool of $310,206. That number was up considerably from 843 entries the year prior, and saw Roy Riley defeat Javier Zarco in heads-up action.
In the final hand, Zarco, a 27-year-old student from Madrid, Spain, studying in the U.S., moved all in with 
on an 
flop. Riley made the call with a pair of sevens and held as the 
appeared on the turn followed by the 
on the river.
Zarco finished as runner-up for $35,327, while Riley became the champ and took down the $57,139 top prize. “I have the perfect life right now,” the 26-year-old physical education teacher and star of NBC’s Ironman World Championship reality show said after his win. “This was a great victory.”
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #4: No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 1,066 | $310,206 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roy Riley | Savoy, IL | $57,139 |
| 2 | Javier Zarco | Godfrey, IL | $35,327 |
| 3 | Tripp Kirk | Atlanta, GA | $26,253 |
| 4 | Douglas Campbell | Highland, IL | $19,736 |
| 5 | Aaron Wilson | Ballwin, MO | $15,007 |
| 6 | Matt Lawrence | Tulsa, OK | $11,545 |
| 7 | William Diepenbrock | Columbia, IL | $8,985 |
| 8 | Bradley Lipsey | Franklin, TN | $7,073 |
| 9 | Matthew Clerk | De Soto, IL | $5,634 |
For a look at the final table recap, visit WSOP.com.