Retired Firefighter and Panoramic Photographer Wins First Circuit Ring In Bounty Tournament
While PokerNews is here offering live updates from the High Roller and Main Event, 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 Horseshoe Hammond.
In Event #4: $400 NLH Bounty, 233 runners created a $53,590 prize pool that was paid out to the top 35 players. Among those to cash but fall short of the official final table were Lloyd Crisp (10th- $868), Carter Meyers (15th - $724), Frank Maggio (20th - $1,067), Brad Sailor (23rd - $481), Matthew Levin (29th - $413) and John Sun (31st- $397).
In the end, it was Illinois native Brad LaPayne navigating the field to earn his first gold ring along with a $12,685 payday.
��I don��t really go out and play much poker,�� LaPayne stated. ��I normally just play on Monday nights with around 10 to 40 people, but I��ve only traveled to the series over the summer a few times.��
LaPayne��s lack of hitting the felt may have something to do with the 25 years he put into being a full-time firefighter, while working as a panoramic photographer on his days off for the past 15 years.
The non-stop work life for the past 15 years has been a blessing for the 65-year old retiree, as his hard work and dedication took him to the top stages of the sports world. LaPayne stated, ��I rose to a level in the photography world that amazed even myself.��
Picking up his second job as a panoramic photographer lead to dream gigs, as he has shot 10 NFL Super Bowls, 12 NBA Finals, 8 MLB World Series and lots of college sport which you can find at lapayne.com.
LaPayne has took his hard work/dedication to the felt, achieving his largest victory in his first WSOPC final table, earning his first ring and he hopes to continue his success.
��My wife reluctantly lets me play,�� LaPayne stated with a smile on his face.
��When you look at it from perspective, I haven��t made too much money playing but I��ll take the day off tomorrow to go home and give my wife some money... then I��ll be back out here.��
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad LaPayne | Champaign, IL | $12,685 |
| 2 | Michael Pariso | Elmwood Park, IL | $7,839 |
| 3 | Marco Townsend | Detroit, MI | $5,556 |
| 4 | Adrian Macarie | Niles, IL | $4,014 |
| 5 | Alex Barill | Plymouth, MI | $2,956 |
| 6 | Daniel Piela | Wheaton, IL | $2,220 |
| 7 | Mark Prentice | Howell, MI | $1,702 |
| 8 | Kenneth Baime | Glenview, IL | $1,331 |
| 9 | Yousri Ali | Chicago, IL | $1,063 |