Brad Horner Wins 2017 Card Player Poker Tour Bicycle Hotel and Casino Main Event

A total of 1,754 entries were made in the 2017 Card Player Poker Tour $400,000 guaranteed main event at the Bicycle Hotel and Casino, a great turnout that built a final prize pool of $467,928. In the end there could only be one champion, and that player was Brad Horner. Horner was the chip leader when a seven-handed deal was struck. For the win Horner earned $49,123 as well as a CPPT trophy and a Card Player Magazine cover.

Horner is a 30-year-old IT professional who lives in Visalia, California. He utilized this event’s Quantum Reload structure and bought-in directly on day 2 for $1,750 with the dream of winning the title and fulfilling a promise that was dear to his heart: he told his mom he would make the cover of the Card Player Magazine for her.

“My mom has cancer, and she probably only has a couple months to live. Getting on the magazine will mean a lot,” said Horner. “I’ll show her (the live updates) when I get back. She’s proud of how successful I’ve been in my career, poker and the other things I’m into.”

A total of 26 players returned for the final day of action. Horner was the chip leader coming into day 3, but Ryan Lenaghan was likely the most accomplished tournament player in the field. Lenaghan had just under $900,000 in prior live tournament earnings. His biggest score came when he finished 16th in the 2011 World Series of Poker main event for $378,796.

Lenaghan lost a big pot early in the day and was left quite short. He tried to steal some blinds with an all-in move holding the 64 and ran into an opponent’s A-J, which held up to send Lenaghan to the rail in 20th place with $3,155.

Around the same time that hand took place Horner won a massive race with his pocket queens held up against an opponent’s A-K. The pot that really secured his chip lead heading into the final table came when he and Tigran Abgaryan saw a flop of KQ9. Abgaryan got all-in holding the KQ for top two pair up againt Horner’s KJ for top pair, a flush draw and a straight draw. The turn brought the 6 and Horner took the lead. The J on the river did pair the board, but did not improve Abgaryan and he was eliminated in 11th place. With that Horner took a sizable lead heading into the unofficial final table.

Negotiations for a deal began while play was still 10 handed, but kept unraveling. It wasn’t until after the elimination of Vanik Matousian that the remaining seven players all agreed to the numbers when presented with a chip chop.

With that the 2017 Card Player Poker Tour Bicycle Hotel and Casino has come to a close. Make sure to check out the CPPT when the tour returns to the Bike in October, with a series running Oct. 1 – 17. The $1,100 no-limit hold’em main event will take place from Oct. 14 – 17.

Here is a look at the payouts awarded at the final table:

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