Young Gun Takes Down Beau Rivage Million Dollar Heater

Posted on: January 30, 2013, 10:15h. 

Last updated on: February 4, 2013, 09:00h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

Tyler Reiman, a 24-year-old poker pro from Morton, Illinois, beat out 254 players to win January’s 2013 Beau Rivage Million Dollar Heater Main Event in Biloxi, Mississippi. His second major live poker title (his previous win was at the 2007 Heartland Poker Tour No Limit Hold’em Championship Event), Reiman walked away with more than $185,000 to go with his title. The event featured a $2,500 buy-in and a total prize pool of $618,375; (despite its title promise, the Heater’s Main Event guaranteed prize pool was actually just $500,000.)

Reiman already has an impressive live-event cache under his belt: along with his two championships, he finished second at the 2010 PCA Main Event for a $1.75 million take, and this recent win puts his lifetime tournament earnings at a hefty $2.5 million. He’s also finished in the money consistently at major live poker events worldwide; he recently cashed in both the PCA Main Event and the $25K High Roller event. His poker chops (and chips) extend to online play as well, where he is known as an elite MTT player under the names “puffinmypurp” on PokerStars and as “gimmed a1time” on Full Tilt. Reiman’s most substantial online win was his $228K first place finish in Poker Stars 2010 Sunday Million event.

Although he sat down at the final table second-to-last in chips, Reiman managed to fight his way back to a heads-up face-off with Floridian Lyle Vincent to take down the championship. Vincent is no stranger to final tables himself; he’s placed in the money previously at both World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker events, but scored his biggest cash with this $98,940 second-place finish.  The game was decided when the two players both went all in on the flop; Reiman with top pair vs. Vincent’s ace-high.

Louisiana native and poker pro Tim Hebert took third place in the event for a $55,564 cash.  Other final table cashes were Bert Ladner for fourth at $43, 286; Toan Trinh in fifth place for $37,103; Craig Thames in sixth for $30,919; James Arruebarena taking home $24,735 in the seventh spot; Cory Pansano pulling down eighth for $18,551; and Jacob Bazeley in ninth for $12,368.

The entire Beau Rivage Million Dollar Heater event was made up of 29 individual poker tournaments.