As a reward, Hernz received a coveted seat into the 2016 WSOP Global Casino Championship. Interestingly, defending champion Chris Csik finished in 10th place for $11,054, while Phil Hernz of Plantation, Florida earned the title of Casino Champion at Horseshoe Baltimore after winning Event #7 - the Circuit’s first-ever Big O event – and making two other final table to bank a grand total of $11,531. Prior to the win, Xiao had a little more than $30,000 in live tournament earnings, which included $5,387 for finishing 28th in the WSOP Circuit's last stop at the Horseshoe Baltimore and a 21st-place finish in a 2010 WSOP $1,500 event for $15,222.

I play cash games for money and tournaments for the glory.

'I’ve always wanted a ring,' Xiao said after the win. That man ended up being local pro Ting Xiao, who rallied from a short stack at the final table to capture his first gold ring at his home casino and secure a seat in the 2016 WSOP Global Championship. That was distributed to the top 54 finishers, with a healthy $147,699 reserved for the winner. The 2015/2016 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore – the second stop of the tour's 12th season – attracted 458 entrants to the $1,675 Main Event, which created a prize pool of $687,000.