WSOP Champ Ryan Riess Adds WPT Finale Title To Already Impressive Resume

2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, FL
$10,000 WPT Showdown Finale
Entries: 349
Prize Pool: $3,315,500
April 2 – 6, 2017

Ryan Riess wins 2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Finale

The second big World Poker Tour event kicked off on April 2 and the $10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Finale drew an impressive group of players. After battling through the tough field, Ryan Riess defeated Alan Sternberg heads-up for the WPT title for more than $700,000 plus a seat in the WPT Tournament of Champions.

“It feels amazing,” said Riess after his win. “The final table was so hard. It feels really good to be at the table with Cliff Josephy and Jason Koon and Alan [Sternberg] played great. He was tough. He was very aggressive and put me in a lot of hard spots. It feels really good.”

With the win on Thursday evening, Riess puts himself into an elite category of poker players. He joins Doyle Brunson, Joe Hachem, Scotty Nguyen, Dan Harrington, and Carlos Mortensen as the only players in history to win the WSOP Main Event and have their name on the WPT Champions Cup.

Riess won more than $8.3 million for his Main Event win in 2013 and added another $716,088 with his WPT title.

“I didn’t start crying,” joked Riess about the difference in his two wins. “I’m close, but it just feels great because I’ve been playing these and this is my first score over $100,000 in like four years or three and a half years or something. It just feels really good. I run really good in $10K’s and it brings all the best players out.

“So, to win a tournament where all the best players in the world, minus the few that are in Macau, are all here. It feels really good.”

Riess is now eligible for the WPT Tournament of Champions every year. He gets this year’s $15,000 entry paid for with his win, but it’s something that he’ll look to participate in in the years to come.

“I’m very excited,” said Riess about his chance to play in the Tournament of Champions. “The Tournament of Champions is great, but I don’t like tournaments that I can’t play in. So, to be able to play in it, I’m really excited. Hopefully I can go back-to-back.”

The WPT Finale featured a $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and a freeze-out format. Players had one shot to run up a stack, no re-entries allowed if they were eliminated. The tournament drew 349 players to easily surpass the guarantee and they grew the prize pool to $3,315,500 by the time registration closed at the start of Day 2.

Players came from all around the world to play in the WPT Finale alongside our local regulars and top US pros. Stephen Chidwick, Rainer Kempe, Eugene Katchalov, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, and Showdown Super High Roller champ Dietrich Fast were among the European contingent along with our Canadian friends Mike Leah, Noah Vaillancourt, and Kristen Bicknell.

The field was packed with WSOP bracelet winners, WPT Champions Club members, and past Seminole Hard Rock Poker champs. We also had three of the six players who have earned three WPT titles; Anthony Zinno, Darren Elias, and defending WPT Finale champ Chino Rheem.

Day 2 saw the close of registration to lock in the 349 players with 17 of them joining the game late. There were 193 players on Day 2 vying for the last 44 paid spots and the money bubble did not burst until late in the evening. Twelve hours after the start of Day 2, SHRP regular Dani Dayan was eliminated in 45th place to put the WPT Finale in the money.

Day 2 concluded with 27 players remaining with all eyeing the huge first place prize and the WPT Champions Cup. The three remaining tables included 2013 WSOP Main Event champ Riess, 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open champ Jason Koon, the popular Will “The Thrill” Failla, and 24 other tough players.

Sternberg ended Day 2 with the chip lead and finished in the same top spot for the final table. He kept up the pressure while other top players dropped around him such as Marvin Rettenmaier, Jake Bazeley, Alex Keating, and Jonathan Jaffe.

The WPT Finale final table featured players with almost $30,000,000 in combined earnings and 2011 WPT Bay101 Shooting Star champ Sternberg out front followed by Riess, Tim West, Jason Koon, Terry Schumacher, and 2016 WSOP November Niner Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy.

The stacks were deep but the action was fast from the very start.

Josephy was knocked out early when he ran his short stack into Sternberg’s kings and Koon followed a few hands later when his queen-high move did not get through.

Tim West was the shortest of the remaining four players and had an unfortunate chop against Riess before running out of chips in fourth place. Riess also eliminated Belgian Schumacher in third place and the heads-up match for the title was set.

Sternberg held a small lead against Riess but the WSOP champ was able to claw into the lead. The two exchanged leads several times, including an all in double up late for Sternberg, but Riess pushed his advantage. The final hand was a virtual coin flip with Riess’ big slick out-flopping pocket sevens for the win.

“I thought I had it in the bag when he was down to 2.5 million and I was wrong,” said Riess about the see-saw heads-up battle. “Because he doubled up and ended up taking the lead after that, I think. He was very aggressive and I don’t think he folded many buttons.

“Every break I was calling Joe Cada and a few other guys. Joe is like a heads-up specialist and he was kind of helping me prepare for this guy because I have no heads-up experience really. He was aggressive and putting me in tough spots. I am glad I won’t that flip in the end.”

Sternberg did not go away empty-handed. He cashed out for $491,081 and we will see him in the WPT Tournament of Champions. Riess earned $716,088 for his performance which includes a seat in the WPT TOC.

Riess continues to add to an already impressive list of credentials; the win pushed the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event champion over $10,000,000 in career earnings to go along with his bracelet and WPT Finale title.

Final table results:

1st: Ryan Riess – $716,088*
2nd: Alan Sternberg – $491,081
3rd: Terry Schumacker – $315,726
4th: Tim West – $204,466
5th: Jason Koon – $157,599
6th: Cliff Josephy – $130,370
* – Includes $15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions seat

Full WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Finale Payouts

WPT Finale: Ryan Riess Wins WPT Finale ($716,088), Alan Sternberg Eliminated in 2nd ($491,081)

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 31: 100,000/200,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 349

Ryan Riess

Alan Sternberg raised on the button and Ryan Riess moved all in on the button. Sternberg called and was the at risk player for 6,800,000.

Sternberg showed 7s7d and was flipping with Riess’ AhKh.

The flop was Kc6s6d and Riess took the lead after flopping a king. The turn was the Kd, giving Riess an unbeatable full house.

The river was the Tc and Riess won the pot and the tournament. Sternberg was eliminated in second place and earned $491,081 for his runner-up finish.

Reiss wins his first WPT title and takes home $716,088, which includes a $15,000 seat into the WPT Tournament of Champions, which starts tomorrow at noon.

Ryan Riess – WPT Finale Champion
Alan Sternberg – Eliminated

WPT Finale: Alan Sternberg Closing the Gap

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 31: 100,000/200,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Ryan Riess (left) versus Alan Sternberg (right)

Alan Sternberg limped in on the button and Ryan Riess checked his option in the big blind.

The flop was 7c6s4d and Riess checked. Sternberg bet 300,000 and Riess called. The turn was the 2h and Riess checked again. Sternberg bet 750,000 and Riess folded.

Sternberg mucked his hand and took the pot.

Alan Sternberg – 6,600,000 (33 bb)
Ryan Riess – 7,350,000 (36 bb)

WPT Finale: Alan Sternberg Doubles

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 30: 75,000/150,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Alan Sternberg

Ryan Riess moved all in on the button and Alan Sternberg called out of the big blind. Sternberg is at risk for 2,500,000 and the cards are tabled.

Riess showed 7c7h and needs to hit a two-outer against Sternberg’s 8c8d.

The flop is QsJd5c, which kept Sternberg’s pair in the lead. The turn was the 4d and the river was the 2s.

Sternberg doubled up with a pair of eights and he is just a couple pots away from being even with Riess. The blinds go up next hand.

Alan Sternberg – 5,050,000 (33 bb)
Ryan Riess – 8,900,000 (59 bb)

WPT Finale: Ryan Riess Pulling Away

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 30: 75,000/150,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Alan Sternberg raised to 375,000 on the button and Ryan Riess called out of the big blind. The flop was JdTd2s and Riess checked.

Sternberg bet 425,000 and Riess caled. The turn was the 9c and Riess checked again. Sternberg checked behind and the river was the 7s.

Riess checked and Sternberg checked behind. Riess tables KdTh and Sternberg mucked his hand.

Ryan Riess – 11,850,000 (79 bb)
Alan Sternberg – 2,100,000 (14 bb)

WPT Finale: Rockets For Ryan Riess

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 30: 75,000/150,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Alan Sternberg raised on the button and Ryan Riess three-bet out of the big blind to 950,000. Sternberg called and they take a flop of Jd9d7d.

Both players checked and the 6s came on the turn. Riess bet 800,000 and Sternberg called. The river was the Tc and both players checked.

Riess showed AdAc and Sternberg mucked his hand.

Ryan Riess – 8,750,000 (58 bb)
Alan Sternberg – 5,200,000 (34 bb)

WPT Finale: Ryan Riess Regains The Chip Lead

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 29: 60,000/120,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Ryan Riess

Ryan Riess raised to 300,000 on the button and Alan Sternberg called from the big blind.

They both checked a flop of Qh7h6h and the 6d came on the turn. Sternberg bet 375,000 and Riess called. The river was the 3s and Sternberg bet 650,000.

Riess called and showed Qd5d. Sternberg mucked his hand.

Ryan Riess – 7,775,000 (64 bb)
Alan Sternberg – 6,185,000 (51 bb)

WPT Finale: All In and Chop

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 29: 60,000/120,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Ryan Riess raised on the button and Alan Sternberg called out of the big blind. The flop was 7h4c3d and Sternberg checked.

Riess bet 250,000 and Sternberg check-raised to 750,000. Riess called and the turn was the Kd. Sternberg bet 1,000,000 and Riess called again.

The river was the 8d and Sternberg moved all in for effectively Riess’ remaining approximately 2,800,000. Riess called.

Riess showed Ks7s and Sternberg showed Kh7d. Both players have kings and sevens and they chop the pot.

Alan Sternberg – 8,795,000 (73 bb)
Ryan Riess – 5,165,000 (43 bb)

WPT Finale: Alan Sternberg Pulling Away

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 29: 60,000/120,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Alan Sternberg

Ryan Riess raised to 300,000 on the button and Alan Sternberg called out of the big blind. Both players checked a flop of QdJs2c and the As came on the turn.

Sternberg checked and Riess bet 300,000. Sternberg check-raised to 900,000 and Riess folded.

Alan Sternberg – 9,915,000 (82 bb)
Ryan Riess – 4,045,000 (33 bb)

 

WPT Finale: Ryan Riess Takes One

$10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale
Level 28: 50,000/100,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 349

Alan Sternberg raised to 255,000 on the button and Ryan Riess called out of the big blind. The flop was Th7c2h and both players checked to the Kd turn card.

Riess checked and Sternberg bet 250,000. Riess called. The river was the Ks. Both players checked and Riess won the pot with 9h7h.

Ryan Riess – 5,680,000 (56 bb)
Alan Sternberg – 8,280,000 (82 bb)