Lenol Clark Wins WSOPC Harrah's Cherokee Opening Event
PokerNews is in town to live report the Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee, but that is just one of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.
In Event #1: $250 NLH Double Stack, 323 entrants created a $64,600 prize pool that was paid out to the top 49 players. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Vicky Towery (11th - $976), Moin Kazi (20th - $574), and Robert Hawkins (35th - $352), just to name a few.
After two days of play, Georgia book salesman Lenol Clark came out on top to win a $14,378 top prize and his first gold ring.
“It feels very, very good. It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been coming to Cherokee forever and ever and ever, coming three times a year and practicing. It feels good to finally get there,” Clark said after the win. “It is the highest cash that I’ve had. I basically practice and learn to read the other opponents.”
Clark recently spent two months in Las Vegas – he drove his motor home there – practicing his game.
“I played tournaments in 12 different casinos. I did better in the high denomination tournaments than going over and playing with all of the tourists,” he explained. “I went out there, played for eight weeks to practice, enjoyed and came back. I got lucky here a few times, and here we are.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lenol Clark | Trenton, Georgia | $14,378 |
| 2 | Damon Sandor | Asheville, North Carolina | $8,886 |
| 3 | Jean Tenhulzen | Tennessee | $6,354 |
| 4 | Harold Angle | Anderson, South Carolina | $4,618 |
| 5 | Nicholas Power | Mcdonough, Georgia | $3,413 |
| 6 | Milan Mizerovsky | Greenville, South Carolina | $2,566 |
| 7 | Fikret Kovac | Atlanta, Georgia | $1,962 |
| 8 | Savan Ratanpara | N/A | $1,527 |
| 9 | John Shepherd | Knoxville, Tennessee | $1,210 |