Cash Game Pro Aria Homayounnejad Finds Tournament Success
The PokerNews live reporting team is currently in North Carolina 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 #9: $400 NLH, 333 runners created a $109,890 prize pool that was paid out to the top 50 players. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Curtis King (10th - $1,658), Eric Rivkin (12th - $1,658), Justin Harvell (16th - $1,140), Preston McEwen (22nd - $845), and Frank Schinco (34th - $591).
Coming out on top was Iranian-born Aria Homayounnejad, who took down a $24,330 first-place prize and his first gold ring.
“It feels good. I’ve been playing for about six years now,” he explained. “I play cash games for a living – not tournaments.”
According to the WSOP, heads-up play lasted around 90 minutes, and Homayounnejad battled with Danial Castle to come back from a deficit to win the ring and the title.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aria Homayounnejad | Marietta, Georgia | $24,330 |
| 2 | Danial Castle | Hazard, Kentucky | $15,037 |
| 3 | Matthew Brasher | Strawberry Plains, Tennessee | $10,765 |
| 4 | Kevin Freeman | Richfield, North Carolina | $7,832 |
| 5 | Ricardo Eyzaguirre | Miami, Florida | $5,793 |
| 6 | Merton Toler | Princeton, West Virginia | $4,357 |
| 7 | Andrew Zurow | Marietta, Georgia | $3,333 |
| 8 | William Jeffords | Columbia, South Carolina | $2,595 |
| 9 | Keith Reid | Fayetteville, North Carolina | $2,056 |