For the past 20 years, Lon McEachern has been the voice of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) alongside Norman Chad, and on Thursday night the former became a WSOP Circuit ring winner.
The long-time ESPN and CBS Sports Network announcer took down the first event of the series at Thunder Valley Casino in Northern California — $400 Seniors Event — for $15,008, his largest tournament payday ever.
There were 181 entries in the no-limit hold’em contest, which began and ended on the same day. McEachern, a local and regular poker player in the card room, defeated Calvin Norman heads up to win his first-ever Circuit ring. The runner-up took home $9,276, while the third-place finisher Michael Peters received $6,485.
WSOP Announcer is Now a Poker Champion
According to a live reporting update from poker media veteran Dan Ross of Hold’em Media, Norman was all in on the final hand for his tournament life with 
against the poker announcer’s 
. The board ran out 
and McEachern was crowned the champion.
In winning the tournament, it was his first recorded title. According to Hendon Mob, he now has just over $75,000 in live tournament cashes.
When the final table began, McEachern was fifth in chips and had around 25 big blinds. Norman was among the smallest stacks at 10 big blinds. Both players spun it up and would finish one-two, whereas the chip leaders at the start of the final table mostly faded.
McEachern accomplished more than just winning a Circuit ring. Despite playing in far fewer tournaments, he won a title before his long-time TV partner Norman Chad, who has swung and missed more times in WSOP bracelet events than a washed-up baseball player.
In his post-game interview with Ben Erwin, Thunder Valley’s director of tournament operations, he bragged about getting a ring before Chad.
Mission complete as @lonmceachern wins his first-ever @WSOP Circuit ring, taking the title in today’s $400 Seniors… https://t.co/pYdeiqXMbX
— The Poker Room at Thunder Valley Casino Resort (@TVPokerRoom)
On Thursday, the WSOP Circuit series at Thunder Valley also kicked off Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em The Opener, which is scheduled to play down to a winner on Friday. The entire series, set to wrap Jan. 23, features 13 ring events and is highlighted by the $1,700 Main Event (Jan. 20-23), a $500,000 guaranteed tournament.
WSOP Circuit Thunder Valley Event #1: $400 Seniors Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lon McEachern | $15,008 |
| 2 | Calvin Norman | $9,276 |
| 3 | Michael Peters | $6,485 |
| 4 | Anthony Banuelos | $4,633 |
| 5 | Nathan Fitzgerald | $3,835 |
| 6 | Gregory Agren | $2,530 |
| 7 | Jena Venturini | $1,935 |
| 8 | Paul Richardson | $1,516 |
| 9 | Ronald Henry Jr. | $1,110 |
| 10 | Jeff Rosen | $1,109 |
*Feature image courtesy Thunder Valley Casino.