PokerNews is in town to live report the $1,700 Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Ameristar St. Charles, but that is just on gold ring event that will have played out by the end of the series.
In Event #7: $250 No-Limit Hold’em, 120 runners created a $24,000 prize pool that was paid out to the top 18 players including Steven Wills (3rd - $2,825), Chris Bibb (8th - $665), Rodney Spriggs (12th - $469), and Jerod Smith (18th - $383).
In the end, John Gallaher of Lebanon, Tennessee beat Blake O’Brien in heads-up play to win the title for $6,682 and his fourth gold ring.
“You know the first one is always the most surreal and I won my first one about eight years ago when I was about eight levels worse than I am now,” Gallaher joked. “I just know I have improved so much, especially in the last year and half, it feels good.”
The 53-year-old optometrist continued: “I feel like it’s just the 10,000-hour thing where all of the sudden everything is clicking. I know where I am at in hands and I am getting the value … It doesn’t matter how good you play sometimes, you have to run good as well. My nickname is ‘Johnny rungood’ though for a reason.”
Final Table Results
Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
1 | John Gallaher | Lebanon, Tennessee | $6,682 |
2 | Blake O'Brien | Maryland Heights, Missouri | $4,129 |
3 | Steven Wills | Willow Springs, Missouri | $2,825 |
4 | Ryan Collins | Seattle, Washington | $1,989 |
5 | Paul Fehlig | St. Louis, Missouri | $1,443 |
6 | Adam Elfazzani | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | $1,080 |
7 | Sergei Kisviantsev | Chicago, Illinois | $836 |
8 | Christopher Bibb | O Fallon, Missouri | $665 |
9 | Daniel Gitt | St. Louis, Missouri | $549 |