Tim West is a pro from California and doesn't usually come East, but he decided to come out for a big event in Atlantic City, and follow that up with a WSOP Circuit stop at Harrah's Philadelphia."I didn't really get on the [points] chase until…when I got seventh at Harrah's Philadelphia, that put me at 67.5 [on the National Leaderboard]. I took a shot at Colorado and that put me at 115 coming into here. It's been like a mission...I didn't want to just get my National Championship seat. I wanted to win Casino Champion."West started off slowly with a small cash in Event 2, and then a final table in Event 6, where he finished 5th. It was Event 8 where he won his second WSOP Circuit ring and put himself in contention for the Casino Championship with a total of 80 points. "Winning my second ring was fantastic," he said. "There's nothing like winning a tournament and not having to question yourself afterwards. It's the pinnacle, for sure."Going into the Main Event, David Nicholson led the race with 82.5 points, just 2.5 points ahead of Tim West. Once Nicholson busted out of the Main out of the money, it was up to West to get into the money and get the points -- which he did. He made it all the way to 16th place, picking up 20 points for an even 100. Since Nicholson opted not to play the final event of the series, West locked up the title when no other players remained that could overtake him. West made it to the National Championship in 2011, the inaugural year. "It's a really cool tournament…It's really awesome and I can't wait to play it again." His ambition is, "to be the best and never cease".
He says he used to weigh 290 pounds and now he's down to 190, having lost 100 pounds. He's also taking up yoga. Whatever he's doing, it's working for him. He finished the year with 215 total points on the National Leaderboard.
Tim West's Results at Harrah's New Orleans:Event# 2: $365 No-Limit Hold'em 21st $1,001 5 pointsEvent #6: $365 No-Limit Hold'em 5th $4,859 25 pointsEvent #8: $365 No-Limit Hold'em 1st $21,291 50 pointsEvent #11: $1,675 NLH Main Event 16th $8,815 20 points