Sports

Vernon's Badecker Takes Third in Major Poker Event

He took home more than $200,000.

Vernon's Andrew Badecker took third in the first World Series of Poker tournament of the year open to all players at the Rio in Las Vegas.

And the 24-year-old former curtain salesman took home $224,029 for his efforts.

The no-limit hold'em event, which took place Monday through Wednesday, had a  $1,500 buy-in and drew 2,101 players. The total net prize pool was $2.8 million.

Winner Brent Hanks took home $517,725.

Badecker hit the half-million mark in career WSOP earnings with his showing at the Rio. He win a gold bracelet last year in the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Shootout.

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