Kyle Birdwell Reigns Victorious Claiming His Second Ring in Event #9: $600 NLH
While PokerNews is here offering live updates from the Main Event and High Roller, we��d be remiss if we didn��t tell you about the full schedule of side events that have been playing out over the past week at the World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw Durant.
In Event #9: $600 NLH, 248 runners created a $127,720 prize pool that was paid out to the top 38 players. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Christopher Staats (10th - $2,049), Steven Williams (13th- $1,703), Blake Whittington (15th - $1,703), Michael Lech (19th - $1,253), and Carlos Guerrero (24th - $1,111).
In the end, it was Texas native Kyle Birdwell who collected every chip in play to capture his second ring along with a $29,564 payday.
The victory arrived less than four months after Birdwell's first gold-ring run, which occurred at the prior Choctaw Durant Circuit in July. His monumental score of $102,195 among 2,206 players in the multi-flight may have provided Birdwell with a more secure mentality when it came to tournament poker.
��It feels great. I think my confidence is a lot higher actually because I��m taking it a little more seriously,�� said Birdwell. ��It��s my hobby, but you know been able to turn it into some income and actually have a blast doing it.��
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Birdwell | Fort Worth, Texas | $29,564 |
| 2 | Sid Naeimi | Poanoke, Texas | $18,274 |
| 3 | John Gallaher | Lebanon, Tennessee | $13,021 |
| 4 | Adam Hendrix | Anchorage, Arkansas | $9,447 |
| 5 | Koen Roelink | Amsterdam | $6,980 |
| 6 | Trung Pham | Temple, Texas | $5,255 |
| 7 | Thomas Olivas | Coppell, Texas | $4,032 |
| 8 | Lauren Bunch | Tulsa, Oklahoma | $3,154 |
| 9 | Brock Wilson | Ardsley, New York | $2,517 |