Gold Ring Win is Dream Come True for Sam Cynamon
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 #3: $400 No-Limit Hold’em, 552 runners created a $182,160 prize pool that was paid out to the top 83 players. Among those to cash were Ira Southwood (13th - $2,172), Chad Reily (23rd - $1,275), Jerry Daniels (36th - $764), Andrew Brinkley (42nd - $698), Lee Broquet (54th - $647), and Gaus Adlam (63rd - $609).
In the end, Sam Cynamon bested Dean Rutledge in heads-up play to win the title, $35,304 in prize money, and his first gold ring.
“Oh my God, it’s amazing. It’s a lot of fun. I do dream about winning tournaments like this,” the 50-year-old Cynamon told WSOP officials after the win. “We have a weekly house game that we play. We play two-table tournaments, but to win this is fun.”
He continued: “After all the bad beats I’ve taken in my lifetime, I think it paid off finally, and it just went my way tonight … My wife will have a little bit of say into [how to spend the money], but for the most part it’ll be well spent.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Cynamon | Indian Trail, North Carolina | $35,304 |
| 2 | Dean Rutledge | Clemmons, North Carolina | $21,826 |
| 3 | Shahin Shayesteh | Atlanta, Georgia | $16,063 |
| 4 | Dexter Burns | Pinson, Alabama | $11,967 |
| 5 | Yin Guo | Cary, North Carolina | $9,026 |
| 6 | Jason Powell | Lexington, Kentucky | $6,893 |
| 7 | Michael Ledford | Dickson, Tennessee | $5,334 |
| 8 | Jeremiah Finley | Hixson, Tennessee | $4,176 |
| 9 | Bryan Carter | Black Mountain, North Carolina | $3,314 |