Valentin Vornicu Wins Record 11th World Series of Poker Circuit Gold
The World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harrah’s New Orleans, which marks the last chance for players to earn points toward the 2018 Global Casino Championship, kicked off in a big way with Valentin Vornicu winning his record 11th gold ring.
In Event #1: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry, the 34-year-old Vornicu defeated a field of 1,340 entries to win $64,205 and his record piece of hardware. The victory allowed him to separate himself from Maurice Hawkins, with whom he had been tied atop the all-time ring leaderboard since last November.
“It’s the first time I’m at the top of the leaderboard with no ties,” Vornicu told WSOP officials after the win. “First, I tied Alex [Masek] and then I was tied with Maurice [Hawkins]… I just am happy with the win itself. I just like winning tournaments. It’s nice to win one of these bigger fields for more money. Now, I have more money to spend at the WSOP and fire HORSE events and stuff.”
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Vornicu | San Diego, CA | $64,205 |
| 2 | Clinton Boynes | Mandeville, LA | $39,002 |
| 3 | Jonathan Hilton | Chattanooga, TN | $28,839 |
| 4 | Timohy Acker | Las Vegas, NV | $21,988 |
| 5 | Vismantas Maijosius | Raleigh, NC | $16,971 |
| 6 | David Slaughter | Leland, NC | $13,249 |
| 7 | Joseph Hebert | Metairie, LA | $10,495 |
| 8 | Ryan Stephens | Foley, AL | $8,440 |
| 9 | Holly Meliet | Baton Rouge, LA | $6,891 |
The win marked Vornicu’s first from New Orleans and his eighth from a different WSOPC property. Like so many others, Vornicu traveled to the “Big Easy” chasing points.
“A lot of people think that I travel all the time. I stay local. I’ve got like five stops. I want to relax half the year. What’s the point of grinding all this poker if you can’t enjoy the beach for x amount of time. When I travel to the East Coast, it’s mostly for points. Or maybe I’ve never been somewhere, but New Orleans is a fun place to come.”
Vornicu entered the final table as one of the short stacks, and his intention was simply to ladder up to earn points. Believe it or not, winning wasn’t his primary goal, but then the table dynamics began to change.
“Everybody pretty much doubled up eight-handed,” said Vornicu. “Including myself. So, it was a game of ‘Cat and Mouse.’ There were like three super short stacks under 10 big blinds and there were pay jumps of a like two or three thousand [dollars]. Now, all of a sudden, you’re just kind of waiting around for people to bust and everybody is just waiting around.”
Down to the final eight, Vornicu would bust every opponent on his way to victory. The cherry on top of it all was that Vornicu earned 50 points, meaning he locked up a seat in the 2018 Global Casino Championship.
Others to case Event #1 included Hawkins (17th - $4,103), Jonathan Tamayo (22nd - $2,920), Timothy McReynolds (39th - $1,657) and David Jackson (63rd - $1,342).
Vornicu’s WSOP Circuit Gold Rings
| Date | Place | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2018 | Harrah’s New Orleans | Event #1: $365 NLH Re-Entry | $64,205 |
| Nov. 2017 | Harveys Lake Tahoe | Event #12: $365 Double Stack Turbo | $14,429 |
| March 2017 | Bicycle Casino | Event #12: $365 NLH Turbo | $13,675 |
| March 2016 | Bicycle Casino | Event #12: $580 NLH Re-Entry | $17,255 |
| Dec. 2015 | Bicycle Casino | $1,675 Main Event | $197,110 |
| May 2015 | Foxwoods Resort | Event #8: $580 NLH | $20,973 |
| Sept. 2014 | IP Biloxi | Event #5: $365 NLH | $12,231 |
| April 2014 | Lodge Casino | Event #2: $580 NLH | $20,299 |
| March 2014 | Bicycle Casino | Event #3: $580 NLH | $18,170 |
| Dec. 2012 | Harrah’s Rincon | Event #7: $65 NLH 6-Max | $10,858 |
| Oct. 2011 | Horseshoe Hammond | Event #3: $1,100 NLH | $50,943 |
