Home Articles Ryan Ko’s Long Awaited WSOP Gold Ring

Ryan Ko’s Long Awaited WSOP Gold Ring

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Another World Series of Poker Circuit has started, which means a lot of homegrown talent is about to be discovered. Poker players from all over the country will be coming together at one of the ten locations around the country, and Canada and the Caribbean, for a poker competition not to be missed.

As the Circuit trucks on, new names are being discovered. Are they going to go on to be one of the greats or will they head back to their casual poker playing, enjoying the craft and strategy of the sport?

One that we’re keeping an eye on is Los Angeles Bicycle Casino event winner, Ryan Ko. Read all the details of his extraordinary win here.

Who is Ryan Ko?

Ryan Ko has taken his place as the first ring winner of the Bicycle Casino WSOP Circuit. The San Francisco local beat out 113 entrants to the top spot, earning a great cash prize in the process.

This isn’t Ko’s first round at the WSOP, but it was definitely his most lucrative and rewarding. The 32-year-old has six WSOP final tables under his belt, so he has the experience. He has already made five appearances at the WSOP online circuits on ggpoker.com, resulting in cashouts that totaled $113,698 and ten appearances at the WSOP Circuit since 2018, which meant going home with $70,349 in total.

But there wasn’t a ring to speak of until the day that the WSOP Circuit total was created with a great injection from the Bicycle Casino No-Limit Hold’em Turbo event. Ko left the event $18,625 richer and with his first gold ring in hand, having finally done what he set out to do years ago.

How was his game?

Ko’s win came from a game of $600 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo, which is a notoriously fast-paced variation of Texas Hold’em that requires quick decisions and unwavering decisions. It has blinds and antes that increase faster over time and shorter levels.

Even with its faster pace, the 3 pm game went on for seven hours before the final table was established. Ko soon found himself heads-up for the gold ring against three-time WSOP gold ring winner, Edward Liu.

But Ko’s concentration and determination were at their peak as the game went on. After another hour of battling, Liu was knocked out of the competition, allowing Ko to finally strike gold with his first WSOP gold ring win.

What did he have to say?

It seems the Maryland native has used his experience at his final tables, his online games and his Circuit attendances to finally get that coveted WSOP gold ring.

“It feels good. I have come close a couple of times. Two second-place finishes and a couple thirds, so it feels great to finally get one through,” said Ko. “I have been getting better and becoming more experienced. Plus, it is a Turbo and more shallow. It’s a turbo. It requires a lot of run-good and you have to be lucky,” he said.

We’re sure to see Ko again, as he has earned, alongside his gold ring and cash prize, a seat at the table of the WSOP Circuit Tournament of Champions for his efforts. It’ll be interesting to see how far he gets.

Follow all the action on the GGPoker website, which has every event covered. Or you can have a go at the online poker rooms yourself and you might find you have what it takes to reach the WSOP Circuit tables.