CASINO CHAMPION PROFILE: KRISTOPHER BRADSHAW
West Palm Beach, Fla. (August 14, 2014) — The first of 22 Circuit stops scheduled for the 2014/2015 season concluded Monday at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. The series boasted 12 gold ring events and awarded two seats to the season-ending National Championship. As will be the case with each series throughout the year, the first of those seats was bestowed upon the Main Event champion and the second was earned by the Casino Champion.

While it was bracelet winner Tristan Wade who laid claim to the Main Event title, Kristopher Bradshaw earned player of the series honors and punched his ticket to the $1 million freeroll. Bradshaw recorded three cashes in the form of a first-place finish in the prestigious $1,125 event, a fourth-place finish in the Main Event and a 49th-place finish in the 948-entry opening event. The performances earned him 95 points, clearing second place finishers Juan Mendoza and Edward LeBlanc by 7.5.

For Mendoza, it nearly marked his third Casino Championship title. He previously laid claim to the honor at Harrah’s Cherokee in back-to-back years becoming the only player in the Championship’s four-year history to complete such a feat. In the end, Bradshaw’s hot streak proved too much for Mendoza who had to leave town after he busted Day 1A of the Main Event.

Bradshaw, a 28-year-old Michigan-based semi-pro, has been around the World Series of Poker for some time. His first in-the-money finish dates back to October of 2010 when he placed 16th in a $350 ring event at Horseshoe Southern Indiana. In the years following, he recorded multiple Circuit Main Event cashes and even earned a cash in the 2011 WSOP Main Event when he finished 361st for more than $30,000.

His breakthrough performance came at PBKC, though. He earned an impressive $65,496 during the 12-day series along with his first gold ring and second Circuit Main Event final table appearance. For his efforts, he earned a berth in the $1 million season-ending National Championship where he’ll compete against some of the tour’s best for a gold bracelet.

Here’s a look at Bradshaw’s cashes from the PBKC series:

    •    Event 1, $500,000 guarantee no-limit hold’em re-entry, 948 entries, 49th
    •    Event 9, $1,125 no-limit hold’em, 95 players, 1st
    •    The Main Event, $1,675 no-limit hold’em, 303 entries, 4th