WSOP Circuit stalwart finally grabs 1st bracelet
Michael Lech has found success all around the globe under the World Series of Poker banner, but now he can finally call himself a WSOP bracelet winner.
Lech (screen name MiguelFiesta) won Event 13 of the WSOP Online early Tuesday on WSOP.com, a $1,500 buy-in No-limit Hold’em High Roller freezeout (no rebuys). He beat a field of 649 entrants, earning $164,248.92.
Lech has won eight rings for titles on the WSOP Circuit, a traveling series of tournaments around the world, amassing $307,318 in earnings. Internationally, he has won two rings in St. Maarten in the Caribbean and one each in France, Italy and Mexico. He has also claimed two rings in New Orleans and another in Mississippi.
Lech has won an additional $526,236 in flagship WSOP events in Las Vegas, including one second-place finish in 2016. And he has been piling up cashes in the WSOP Online, making money in seven of the 13 events so far.
But he had never won a bracelet until Tuesday morning. Lech won heads-up against William Romaine (SlaweelRyam), who earned $110,979.
The flagship WSOP that is normally held every summer at the Rio Convention Center has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. leg of the WSOP Online includes one event every day through July 31. Players must be physically located in Nevada or New Jersey to play.
Event 14, a $3,200 No-limit Hold’em High Roller that has the largest buy-in of the U.S. series, starts at 3 p.m. Tuesday and is expected to end early Wednesday. Event 15 is a $1,000 Pot-limit Omaha High Roller that starts at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
A series for players who live outside the U.S. — or Americans who can travel out of the country — will be held July 19 to Sept. 6 on GGPoker.
Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.