By Dave Lukow
Kooroush Ghaedi was in comfortable surroundings.
A regular at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Ghaedi, after a three-way chop, finished first in the Main Event of the Beau’s 2023 Million Dollar Heater in January.
The resident of New Orleans earned $144,384 for the showing. The win was the first of his career. After realizing he was going to cash in the tournament, Ghaedi adopted somewhat of a casual approach.
“I was just going to see how far I’d go,” he said. Along with luck, Ghaedi credits his success to an ability to grasp what other players are up to. “I read some people and see how they play,” he said.
Overall, Ghaedi has cashed four times, three coming at the Beau Rivage, via tournaments. A few days before the Main Event, he was fourth in Event 5 of the Million Dollar Heater, a $400 no-limit hold’em seniors tourney.
The performance paid $9,087. Charles Westbrook took home $24,321 for the victory.
Brock Gary was second in the Main Event, while Jeremy Eyer was third. Part of the above noted chop, both pocketed $144,384. Jacob Corda earned $72,060 for a fourth-place finish.
Ghaedi, who’s been playing for 15 years, appreciates what the poker room at the Beau Rivage offers.
“The atmosphere and the way they set up is really good,” he said. “And plenty of people show up to play.”
Also fond of Harrah’s New Orleans, Ghaedi gets to test his game against players from a variety of places in Biloxi. “You have some usual people, but there’s plenty of people from other places as well,” he said.
With 1,074 participants, the Main Event had a prize pool of $1,127,000. Stanislav Angelov,
who was fifth, was paid $54,693.
Kyle Cartwright, who placed sixth, cashed for the 138th time in his career. He collected $42,063.
Mike Postle, playing in his first event in over three years since being accused of cheating, finished seventh for $32,703.
The 2023 Million Dollar Heater featured 11 events.
Benjamin Bell earned $163,424 for winning the opener, which had a guaranteed prize pool of $750,000.
The annual series attracted more than 8,300 players.
