Bjerno Overcomes Tough Final Tables to Win Second Gold Ring
There are two ways to alleviate the pressure of qualifying for the National Championship—either win a WSOP Circuit Main Event or win the Casino Championship at a stop. Nathan Bjerno did the latter at the Bicycle Casino back in January where he won his first ring in a $580 no-limit hold’em event and then finished eighth in the Main Event.
Incredibly, Bjerno is the chip leader in this Main Event with 65 players remaining!
On Friday night, Bjerno managed to capture his second gold ring after defeating a stacked final table in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #9 $580 NLHE. Bjerno began the final table second-to-last in chips, but he managed to persevere as players like Tripp Kirk, who was looking to become the third three-time champion crowned during the Council Bluff series, and bracelet winner Michael Raimon were eliminated in fifth and eighth place respectively.
Bjerno, a 25-year-old from Corona, California, managed to take over the chip lead and ended up facing off against Ting Ho, the girlfriend of WSOP Circuit phenom Rex Clinkscales (who finished 16th in the event), in heads-up play. It was there Bjerno picked up pocket kings and got it all in against Ho’s flush draw. The turn and river blanked, and just like that Bjerno was the last player standing.
“I haven’t been much of a live player,” Bjerno said. “[The Casino Championship at the Bike] really sparked my interest in traveling and I’ve started following the Circuit a bit more. My motivation has been chasing more scores.”
“This tournament was extremely tough, actually,” Bjerno added. “When we got down to it there was a bunch of notables — really strong players … I was the short stack here and you never know what’s going to happen. Tournament poker is ridiculous.”
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #9 NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$80 | 203 | $101,500 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nathan Bjerno | Chino Hills, CA | $26,390 |
| 2nd | Ting Ho | Irvine, CA | $16,302 |
| 3rd | Sterling Savill | Dover, FL | $11,771 |
| 4th | Joshua Reichard | Beloit, WI | $8,645 |
| 5th | Tripp Kirk | Atlanta, GA | $6,458 |
| 6th | Joshua Mancuso | Baton Rouge, LA | $4,908 |
| 7th | Douglas Lang | Delmar, NY | $3,791 |
| 8th | Michael Raimon | Bradenton, FL | $2,977 |
| 9th | Quang Pham | Omaha, NE | $2,375 |