Personal Dog Trainer Matt Koch Fetches a Ring in Event #3: $400 NLH
PokerNews is on site at the Ameristar St. Charles for the latest World Series of Poker Circuit stop, and while we’re only doing live updates from the $1,700 Main Event, it’s not the only tournament that’s been playing out inside the casino.
For the past week, a slew of side events has taken place and awarded gold rings to the lucky winners. One such tournament was Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold’em, which drew 157 runners and created a $51,810 prize pool.
Among those to cash but fall short of making the final table were Dennis Phillips (11th - $898), Brian McDaniel (13th - $763), Kyle Everett (18th - $667), and Tammi Ledbetter (24th - $555).
The tournament ended with Matt Koch, a 43-year-old personal dog trainer, on top. Not only did he capture his first ring, he notched his first-ever WSOP cash, good for $13,567.
“Really more than anything, I just got lucky,” Koch stated. “I got very lucky with hands, with flips, with everything. That table was filled with talent… I will chalk this one up to just a little bit of skill and a whole lot of luck.”
He continued: “This is kind of my first foray back into [poker]. I think the last time I played a tournament was two years ago. I’ve kind of taken a hiatus from poker for about four, or five, years; been pretty busy at work.”
“I was extremely excited. I took a bunch of days off of work, which is abnormal for me … I did take next weekend off, so I’m thinking about playing in the Main Event. I think that I’ll probably have to now.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Koch | Byrnes Mill, Missouri | $13,567 |
| 2 | Charles LeRoi | St. Louis, Missouri | $8,385 |
| 3 | Matthew Green | Canton, Georgia | $5,829 |
| 4 | Jerod Smith | Troy, Illinois | $4,147 |
| 5 | Robert Keeling | Portland, Missouri | $3,020 |
| 6 | Christopher Underwood | Mooresville, Indiana | $2,253 |
| 7 | Jake Ortiz | O'Fallon, Illinois | $1,351 |
| 8 | Andros Ioakimides | Ballwin, Missouri | $1,351 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Copeland | Saint Peters, Missouri | $1,087 |