CLARK HARNEY WINS BIKE OPENER
Clark Harney Wins Bike Opener

High School Math Teacher Wins Gold Ring in First-Ever WSOP Circuit Entry

Defending Champion Huy Quach Finishes 13th


It appears that the best prerequisite for winning a gold ring is to earn a college degree in mathematics.

That's what the most recent Casino Champion did, as Valentin Vornicu from San Diego managed to earn top honors at last month's WSOP Circuit stop at Harrah's Rincon. Vornicu is a math teacher and even operates his own academic website, featuring math topics.

Clark Harney must know how to add and subtract equally as well. He successfully divided up the field and then multiplied his poker winnings several times over with his first-ever major tournament victory, which just completed at The Bicycle Casino, in Bell Gardens, CA.

Harney, a UC-Santa Barbara graduate, now teaches high school math. The 23-year-old resides in Newhall, CA. Harney plays poker part time. However, this marked his first time to play in a WSOP Circuit tournament, ultimately resulting in a payday worth $19,660 in prize money. He also collected his first gold ring, which is the symbolic prize for winning a tour victory.

“I'm very happy right now,” Harney said afterward.  “I really think this was a tough final table, so to be able to get there at the end and win it is hard for me to believe.”

Harney played a magnificent tournament from start to finish. He never had the chip lead until the very end, when he seized the advantage away from the eventual runner up, Chad Bruhn, from Tempe, AZ.

The final hand of the tournament was a dream come true for Harney. He was dealt pocket nines. Little did he know, but Bruhn had pocket aces.  A nine flopped and the proverbial dye was cast. Bruhn raised all in, and Harney snapped called – leaving the underdog drawing to just two outs. They didn't come, which gave Harney the top prize.

“I got a little lucky on the last hand, that's for sure,” Harney said. “I was not just fortunate to flop the nine, but also that Chad had a big hand too, with the aces.”

Harney was adament in his belief that math helps him be a better player and also enabled him to win the tournament. However, he also conveyed that it's important to play people and situations.

“No doubt math is a big part of it,” he said. “But at a final table like this, you have to use everything you have – not just math but all the instincts you have.”

Harney doesn't plan to do much differently, despite just recording his biggest poker payday ever. He hopes to play in a few more events. But he's going back to class when school resumes next week.

“I'm going back to work on Monday morning,” he said.

At least Harney will be going back to work nearly $20,000 richer. And his students might notice he picked up a gold ring over the holiday break.