C.J. Sand Wins First Gold Bracelet in 2016 World Poker Series

The 47th annual Poker World Series kicked off with a lively fashion today, the first of 69 gold bracelet tournaments this summer. First place in the event was the Casino Employees' Championship, a two-day, $565 buy-in, no-limit, hold-down tournament at the Rio All-Sweet Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Christopher Sand won the first gold bracelet in 2016. He topped the list with a higher-than-expected turnout of 731 contestants, raising poker's most coveted prize money along with $75,157 in the process. This marked the Chicago native's first WSOP-related win and the biggest cash of his tournament career as a player.

Sand, who goes by "CJ," is a 45-year-old poker player who recently moved to Las Vegas from a diamond bar in California. A former bartender and part-time disc jockey, Sand currently works as a sportsbook writer and cashier at Caesars Palace. This is the second time for WSOP to win cash, after placing 1,596th in the famous "Coloss I" competition last year, which is the biggest turnout in poker history. His cash first place in the tournament has nearly quadrupled to his previous career prize income of nearly six digits.

In his post-victory interview, Sand credits his late mother for teaching him how to play poker. "It's amazing," said Sand. "She first taught me how to play poker when I was 13, so this is my 30th year in the making."

Sand mentioned that he switched to No-Limit Hold'em after the poker boom began around 2003 after he started playing the 7-card stud game. Sand admitted that he still prefers stud and mixed games, but he may have developed fanfare for Hold'em, too. This was only the third event Sand has ever participated in the WSOP, and now he has two chances.

"Study is still my favorite game," Sand said. "But maybe after today, I'll have to rethink that and go with Holdom."

Although he entered the last table as a chip leader, Sand seemed to be the least likely player to be a champion at one point. Early in the finals table, especially when his A-K lost to A-Q, Sand appeared destined for a significant early exit from the finale, with only seven large blinds remaining in his stack, one-handed, after a few bad games. However, Sand then began to grip the cards, shoved his strengths in, and eventually led to a huge chip lead until the game ended in three hands. It only took about 20 minutes for Sand to defeat his last opponent and achieve his victory.

"I'm never too high or too low, because I know it's poker," Sand said. "But at this moment, it's something really high. I'm blessed. This bracelet is for my mom who is watching me from the sky. Tonight I had some magic and I know where it came from. Poker is one of the best memories I have for her. Poker is in my blood vessel and now it's all thanks to her."

Kerrijane Craig, a poker manager from Sevenoaks in the United Kingdom, finished in second place. She collected a nice consolation prize with a prize of $46,420. 안전한 파워볼사이트

The Casino Employees' Championship has served as a starting pad for most WSOP calendars since it was first added to the official lineup in 2000. In its first year, the competition was called the "Dillers Poker World Championship" because the closing event was open only to eligible casino dealers at the time. In the following year, all casino employees were eligible and invited to the games. The first event only brought in 109 entries. However, the number of participants doubled in the following year, when it expanded to include all casino employees and has since applied the same requirements. However, the event transformed from a "Keeping Unlimited" competition to a "Keeping Unlimited" competition in 2004. The popular annual competition is meant to honor the dedication of the millions of employees working in the casino sector. According to the American Game Association, the industry's national trade association, more than 1.7 million jobs were created within the gaming industry, which is far more than the number of employees working in the aviation industry.