Randy Ratajczyk Jr. Finally Breaks Through w/ Gold Ring Victory
PokerNews is on-site at the Ameristar St. Charles for the latest World Series of Poker Circuit stop, and while we’re only doing live updates from the $1,700 Main Event, it’s not the only tournament that’s been playing out inside the casino.
For the past week, a slew of side events has taken place and awarded gold rings to the lucky winners. One such tournament was Event #11: $600 NLH, which drew 148 entries and created a $48,840 prize pool.
In the end, it was daily fantasy sports player Randy Ratajczyk Jr. coming out on top to win the title for $12,946 and his first gold ring.
“It feels amazing. Still doesn’t feel real. I’ve been playing poker for like 12, 14 years, so to finally get a big accomplishment like this is really cool,” Ratajczyk told WSOP officials after the win. “I’m mostly a tournament player. I used to play online when it was legal. Then, after that went away, I haven’t played as much lately, but I’ve been trying to get back into it.”
The 32-year-old husband and father of two added: “When I play online it’s usually fast structures, so I’m use to this; I’m use to all-in poker.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Ratajczyk | Du Bois, Illinois | $12,946 |
| 2 | Charles Aron | Laramie, Wyoming | $8,001 |
| 3 | Kyle Weaver | Portland, Indiana | $5,535 |
| 4 | Bruce Chahal | Saint Joseph, Michigan | $3,923 |
| 5 | Laurence Weinberg | St. Louis, Missouri | $2,849 |
| 6 | Keith Heine | Hillsboro, Missouri | $2,123 |
| 7 | Quentin Crossley | Springfield, Missouri | $1,624 |
| 8 | Li Wu | Webb City, Missouri | $1,275 |
| 9 | Alan Cutler | Chicago, Illinois | $1,029 |