Krauss Prevails in Nearly Four-Hour Heads-Up Battle in Event #5 $365 NLHE
Some tournaments seem to drag on forever, but every once in awhile, one will finish in what seems like record time. That was the case with WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #5 $365 No-Limit Hold’em, which began on Monday at 12 p.m. and lasted 21 levels. During that time the field of 186 players was trimmed to the final table of nine.
Those players returned on Tuesday and were cut down to the final two— Ryan Krauss and Pavlin Karakikov—in just three hours. The duo then played heads up for nearly four hours before Krauss was able to toppled Karakikov, who earned $8,962 for his runner-up finish.
“It feels great, man,” Krauss said after capturing the $14,505 first-place prize. “When we were head-to-head [Karakikov] was tough. He was playing tight and I had to grind it out a little bit.”
The 38-year-old investment advisor and instrument-rated pilot from Saint Paul, Nebraska overcame some stiff competition on the way to his first gold ring including WSOP gold bracelet champion and winner of Event #1 Nick Jivkov (10th) and 2011-2012 Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino Champion Mike Nellis (5th).
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #5 NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 186 | $55,800 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ryan Krauss | Doniphan, NE | $14,505 |
| 2nd | Pavlin Karakikov | Harwood Heights, IL | $8,962 |
| 3rd | Eric Hettinga | Woodstock, IL | $6,471 |
| 4th | James Devaney | Omaha, NE | $4,752 |
| 5th | Mike Nellis | Omaha, NE | $3,551 |
| 6th | David Chishko | Oklahoma, City, OK | $2,698 |
| 7th | Joel Conner | Des Moines, IA | $2,084 |
| 8th | Christopher Anderi | Chippewa Falls, WI | $1,637 |
| 9th | Kyle Schroeder | Lincoln, NE | $1,306 |