It was just three hours after his Pops finished third in the $400 Monster Stack at WSOPC Grand Victory when Josh Reichard outlasted online specialist Kevin Ruscitti in a grueling heads-up match to win Event #8: $400 NLH for his 17th career Circuit ring.
Reichard's dad, Brett, is a regular on the mid-stakes scene with over $600K in lifetime earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. He was right there on the rail to watch his son take down #17, along with the $18,073 first-place prize and a $5,000 Package to Paradise.
Ruscitti put up a valiant effort after he held the final table chip lead and began heads-up play with a nearly two-to-one chip advantage, but with the deck smacking Reichard in the face, the momentum quickly swung the other way.
"I thought (Kevin) played really well," Josh told us after the win. "He was first in chips, I was second (when the final table started), it seemed pretty evident that we were going to get heads-up, no disrespect to the other players, but we just had all the chips. He played really well with the chip lead, and I just made a lot of good hands heads-up."
'Those guys are tough'
On the final hand of the tournament, Ruscitti found himself all in with 
for his last few big blinds and was ahead against Reichard's 
. The flop fell 
, keeping Ruscitti in the lead, but when the turn fell the 
, Reichard completed his straight, leaving Ruscitti headed to the payout cage in second place for $11,831 before the river 
completed the board.
With ring #17 in his pocket, Reichard now trails Maurice Hawkins by five for first on the all-time list. Meanwhile, he's three behind Ari Engel and two behind Daniel Lowery in the the race for a top-three spot. However, the ever humble Reichard couldn't help but praise his opponents.
"I am not really motivated (by the rings), those guys are tough," Reichard quipped to end the night. "I tied Maurice once at the top, which was a moral victory, but it is never something I am aiming for. It is hard (to win that many rings), a lot of competition, a lot of good players, a lot of options and places to play, and I don't really play the Circuit anymore, but it is nice to win another one."
Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Reichard | $18,073 |
| 2 | Kevin Ruscitti | $11,831 |
| 3 | Nickson Tigris | $7,965 |
| 4 | Spilios "Steve" Venetsanopoulos | $5,517 |
| 5 | George Dogandjiev | $3,934 |
| 6 | John Kurfman | $2,890 |
| 7 | Zach Skidmore | $2,190 |
| 8 | Richard David | $1,714 |
| 9 | Darrin Bell | $1,386 |
| 10 | Talia Khio | $1,159 |
