Josh Mancuso picks up his first World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring, after defeating the four-time ring winner, Daniel Lowery, in heads-up action, at Harrah’s New Orleans.
Four down, eight to go, and Josh Mancuso has picked up the biggest score yet, as the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) drops its anchor in New Orleans.
The young man from Louisiana topped a field of 1,153 entrants in Event #4: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry, an event that’s proving to be mighty popular with the WSOPC crowd this season.
The WSOP slapped a $25,000 guarantee on the event. The players raised $345,900. Maybe there’s a bean counter walking around with a glass eye? The event contained three-starting flights, 154 players returned for Day 2, and by the time the cleaners had packed up and left only three remained. A third day of action would have to be planned.
Mancuso started the final day with the chip lead. Daniel Lowery was the danger man, sitting in second, and Joey Wideman was also ready to pounce in third. Lowery is a WSOPC veteran, with four gold rings to his name, most recently in Council Bluffs last month. Mancuso was making his second final table appearance in the first four events. He finished fourth in Event #2: $365 Pot-Limit Omaha. Wideman once won a WSOPC non-ring event back in 2013 (give the man a ring ffs).
The man with the least amount of bling exited in third. That left Mancuso to battle it out with Lowery. It was a tough match up that lasted five hours. The chip lead passed hands like the feverish handling of children playing ‘pass the parcel’. When the music stopped, Mancuso was the man.
His first gold ring victory takes his total live tournament earnings just below the $900,000 mark. More than half of that was won in 2012 when he picked up over half a million dollars by winning the Borgata Winter Open Main Event.
Gold ring winner Ken Christopher (4th), and WSOP bracelet, and two-time ring winner, Loni Harwood (6th) also made the final table. Mancuso secures his berth in the season ending WSOPC National Championships due to be held at the end of July.
Final Table Results
1st. Josh Mancuso – $63,130
2nd. Daniel Lowery – $38,990
3rd. Joey Wideman – $28,973
4th. Ken Christopher – $21,792
5th. Jeffrey Soffer – $16,593
6th. Loni Harwood – $12,784
7th. Jarreth Wheeler – $9,965
8th. Douglas Gambel – $7,855
9th. Matthew Jensen – $6,261
