The first two starting flights of the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Opening Event went off without a hitch last Thursday. Following two more flights, the final flight took place this past Saturday, attracting more than 1,000 players. By the time the final count was taken, 2,563 players had signed up for the $400 buy-in event.
With registration closed, the tournament’s initial guarantee of $777,777 was easily beaten. With the last-minute push made by registrants, the event is offering a total prize pool of $845,790. The top 220 finishers ultimately took home some cash, the least of which was $849.
The turnout produced an incredible return on investment for many, but especially for the top ten finalists. For the buy-in of only $400, the first-place prize was $124,385. In addition, the winner added a Circuit gold ring to his or her jewelry box. If they don’t have one, they can certainly afford to buy one with the prize money.
The tournament wrapped up on Monday after a long day of action. It all came down to Chicago player Chris Fuchs battling it out against James Gregg, who almost didn’t make it to the final table. Fuchs has been a recreational player for about 10 years but, according to Hendon Mob, this was his first recorded cash win.
Fuchs was the chip leader going into the final table and played coyly to hang onto his lead. The 41-year-old IT salesman never expected to win and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. He said that he had “stuck it out most of the day, I got a lot of good hands, I got the cards and ran well.”
On the final hand of the day, Gregg moved all-in with pocket 3s. He was down in chips, and, staring down at A-8 suited, Fuchs didn’t take too long to weigh his options. Two clubs on the flop were a good sign for Fuchs and Gregg’s hopes of staging a comeback began to fade. The board wouldn’t produce any more clubs; however, an 8 on the flop had given Fuchs top pair and Gregg never found any relief. For his second-place finish, Gregg was awarded $77,362.
