Michigan State Grad Advances To Final Table At World Series Of Poker

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) - Ryan Riess of East Lansing, Mich., has a better shot than most of winning big in Vegas.

One of the final nine competitors in the World Series of Poker, Riess paid $10,000 to participate in the tournament, as did over 6,000 others. Now he has a chance at the first-place prize of $8.3 million when he returns to Las Vegas in November for the main event final table.

Needless to say, he was excited.

One word: YES

— Ryan Riess (@RyanRiess1) July 16, 2013

As one of the last nine remaining, Riess is definitely going home with $733,224 - not a bad return on his $10,000 investment, to say the least. Even the final-nine money is the biggest payout of Riess' career. He has been a regular on the World Series of Poker Circuit this year.

This the second Michigan man at the final table in five years. Joe Cada of Shelby Township won it all in 2009.