Valentin Vornicu Wins Eighth WSOP Circuit Gold Ring; Now Tied with Engel and Reslock
It seems that winning your eighth World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring is the thing to do these days, and that's exactly what Valentin Vornicu did in the final event at the WSOP Circuit The Bicycle Casino.
In the 12th and final gold ring event on the schedule, after many of the traveling grinders that frequent WSOP Circuit events had moved on to the next stop in either Baltimore or Council Bluffs, Vornicu finished atop a field of 115 entries in Event #12: $580 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo Reentry to win $17,255 and his eighth gold ring.
"I want to be that guy that has the most rings," Vornicu told WSOP officials after the win. "It's up there on my priority list."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Vornicu | $17,255 |
| 2 | Yaacov Haviv | $10,660 |
| 3 | Rex Clinkscales | $7,590 |
| 4 | Adam Singer | $5,515 |
| 5 | Shawn Motameni | $4,085 |
| 6 | Albert Bragg | $3,085 |
| 7 | Brian Gorman | $2,370 |
| 8 | Arthur Cole | $1,860 |
| 9 | Allen Hodjat | $1,480 |
Vornicu is now tied with Ari Engel and Chris Reslock with eight WSOP Circuit gold rings. Both Engel and Reslock won their eighth pieces of jewelry at the recent WSOP Circuit Harrah's Atlantic City event. Engel won Event #7: $580 No-Limit Hold'em, and Reslock won Event #1: $365 No-Limit Hold'em.
All three men now trail current leader Alex Masek, who has won nine gold rings.
Here's a look at Vornicu's WSOP Circuit gold ring wins over the years:
| Date | Event | Entries | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2016 | The Bicycle Casino $580 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo Reentry | 115 | $17,255 |
| Dec. 2015 | The Bicycle Casino $1,675 Main Event | 641 | $197,110 |
| May 2015 | Foxwoods $580 No-Limit Hold'em | 154 | $20,974 |
| Sept. 2014 | IP Hotel & Casino $365 No-Limit Hold'em | 151 | $12,231 |
| April 2014 | Lodge Casino �� Black Hawk $580 No-Limit Hold'em | 145 | $20,299 |
| March 2014 | The Bicycle Casino $580 No-Limit Hold'em | 107 | $18,715 |
| Dec. 2012 | Harrah's Rincon $365 No-Limit Hold'em | 126 | $10,858 |
| Oct. 2011 | Horseshoe Hammond $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em | 202 | $50,943 |
*Photo courtesy of the WSOP Circuit.
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