John Riordan: Youngest-Ever WSOP-C Ring Winner! ($210,180)
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Today was the concluding day of the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event in Palm Beach as the field played down from 24 players to a winner. It was a tournament of firsts. It was the first time a WSOP-branded event was held at a non-casino property. It was the first time a dog track hosted a major poker tournament of any kind. And it would end up being the first time a Circuit ring was awarded to a player younger than 21.
The day dawned with three tables still in play, and it took about seven hours to shrink the field down to the requisite nine. When the final table finally began, the action came at a fairly brisk pace. Thomas Aprea had just over 10 big blinds to start the final table, but a half hour and a couple of double-ups later, he was in second place with 50 bigs in front of him. A little over an hour into the final, Gerald Timmons got his money in with 
with a chance to triple up. Thomas Aprea isolated with ace-jack following the 
flop, and the 
on the river meant another pot for Aprea and the first elimination of the final table.
Overnight chip leader Jesse Okonczak was getting short on chips by that time, and he took his stand with 
. Riordan looked him up with 
, and a board full of blanks ushered Okonczak out in eighth place. Moments later, Dave MacDonald fell in seventh when his 
could not catch up to Aprea's 
. Well, it caught up momentarily on the 
flop, but the 
turn reversed the tides once again, and the 
river sent MacDonald to the cashier.
It was just another few hands before another all-in-and-a-call, and this time it was Jon Brody. He shoved with 
, and it looked like he was set to double as Riordan tabled the dominated 
. Despite Brody pleas for, "No ten," the dealer peeled one right off on the flop, and the 
board was the last one of Brody's day. Ryan Leneghan went out in fifth place, getting his last 1.65 million chips into the pot with his dominated by Buchanan's . Buchanan's chips didn't last long, though, and he was next to exit in fourth place. Buchanan took his 
up against Riordan's 
to no avail.
Mike Morton was the short stack with less than 13 big blinds when four-handed play began, but he was a man on a mission for the remainder of the final table. During four- and three-handed play, Morton seized control of the table. He doubled through Riordan with against 
, and he doubled through him again (
> 
) on the very next orbit. That got him close to 3 million in chips, and he kept on attacking Riordan. A couple hands later, Morton and his flushed their way to another big pot to pull his stack over 4.4 million and right on the heels of Riordan's. There was a war brewing between the two men, and the big one came in due time. On a board of 
, Riordan led the betting on the flop and turn. When the river came, he shoved in with , but Morton's had hit the river even harder. That 7.5 million-chip pot turned the tides in favor of Morton, and Riordan was playing from behind for the first time all day.
Thomas Aprea had done some good work through the middle stages of the day to make it to three-handed play, but that's where his run ended. His pocket fours ran right into Riordan's pocket fives to send him off in third, setting the stage for the heads-up match that seemed inevitable for the last half of the day.
It was Morton and Riordan heads up for the ring, and there was no pussyfooting around. Million-chip bets were flying around the table, and it wasn't long before another massive pot unfolded. Riordan had about 5 million chips when he got his money in on the turn of a 
board with 
, and he was in the lead. Morton's 
had plenty of outs to end the tournament right there, but the river swung the match back into Riordan's favor in a big way.
Just a few hands later, Morton shoved the rest of his chips in with 
on a 
flop. Riordan called him down with . The pair of sevens managed to hold for Riordan as the turn and 
river filled out the final board of the day.
With that, John Riordan becomes the youngest player ever to win a WSOP-C gold ring at the tender age of 19. We'll have to wait two years to see him play another major tournament in the U.S., but if today's performance is any indication, he'll be ready to make some waves when the time comes.
Our congrats go out to Riordan on a fine show here in Palm Beach this week. That wraps up our coverage for this stop, but the Circuit is headed to Atlantic City next, and we're headed there to continue the story. We hope you'll join us from Caesars March 11-13.
Until then, all that's left is goodnight.