Poker professional Chino Rheem has claimed his third World Poker Tour title, and a handsome reward of $705,885 after besting a tough field in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock championship.
There are only three other players who can boast triple championship title wins in WPT events – Anthony Zinno, Carlos Mortensen and Gus Hansen.
Rheem previously won the 2008 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $1.5 million and the 2013 WPT World Championship for $1.15 million.
In addition he has a slew of other big money wins that includes a seventh placing finish in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event for $1.8 million, and an Epic Poker League victory that awarded him another $1 million in 2011.
A field of 342 players entered the $10,000 buy-in Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Finale competition. In the end Rheem faced the less experienced but equally determined US pro Aditya Prasetyo, finally besting him to take the honours. Prasetyo was well rewarded with a second placing pay day of $484,130.
In related news former World Poker Tour champ Stan Weiss (69) defeated a record 3,067-player field at the World Series of Poker Circuit Cherokee tournament in North Carolina this week to take home the winner’s $158,768.
Observers noted that the $365 buy-in event – including re-entries – attracted the biggest field in World Series of Poker Circuit history to generate a prize pool of $920,100, which enables 324 places to cash.
US player Joshua Snodgrass finished second, earning $98,211.