Home / Poker News November 2013 / A Closer Look at Ryan Riess, 2013 WSOP Main Event Winner
A Closer Look at Ryan Riess, 2013 WSOP Main Event Winner
Posted by: Randy Williams - Wed, 2013-11-06 10:57
At only 23, Ryan Riess is the newest WSOP Main Event bracelet owner. He defeated Jay Farber heads-up on Tuesday, to grab the title and the $8.36 million top prize. Riess was a bit like a loveable and skilled underdog all through the November Nine proceedings, starting the final table 5th in chips, and having the smaller stack at the beginning of the heads-up stage too.
The fact that he had 25.87 million chips to his name at the beginning of the November Nine showdown – enough for 5th place at that stage - didn’t paint an accurate picture of the power-balance though. He was - after all - only about 4 million shorter than the chip leader.
Although only 23, Riess was by no means a newcomer to live tournament poker at the beginning of the
2013 WSOP Main Event. His proving grounds were the 2012 WSOP-C’s tables, which he used as a springboard into the world of high stakes live poker by finishing runner-up in the $1,675 Horseshoe Hammond Main Event in October. The payout in that event was massive: Riess picked up $239k, money which he then used to play in a bunch of other events and to buy into the Big Dance too.
Sticking with the WSOP-C, he kicked off 2013 on the right foot, finishing in the money three times in quick succession. During January, he added 5 more cashes to build his confidence.
Before the WSOP, he made the money in 8 more events, so by the time he got to the big proving grounds, he had the bankroll and the experience too. In the $1.5k Millionaire Maker, he made the money again. His deepest WSOP 2013 finish – before the Main Event obviously – came in a $1k
NL Holdem event, in which he finished 11th.
That was pretty much his build-up to the Big Dance, which turned out in the best possible way for him.
Full Tilt Poker is the top online cash game destination of the online poker industry. Register an account now, play and railbird the heavy hitters.
