PROFILE
Name: Joshua “Josh” Beckley
Age: 24
Hometown: Marlton, NJ
One of the breakout stars of the 2015 World Series of Poker Championship Event is Joshua “Josh” Beckley, who made his inaugural trip to the WSOP this year and has done fairly well, earning four cashes prior to the Championship Event. While this payday is going to be his largest ever, Beckley is going to have to work hard to drive deeper into the tournament with his 11.8 million in chips.
Before he became a star on the WSOP stage, Beckley was one of the many online poker players taking part in legalized online poker in the United States, in particularly his home state of New Jersey. Beckley’s first official U. S. online cash came at the now-defunct Ultimate Poker in New Jersey, when he finished in fourth place for $500 in a $5000 Guaranteed $10 R&A (rebuy and add-on) tournament on the site. Since then, Beckley has gone on to earn 56 cashes as the array of New Jersey online poker sites, topped by his best ever $2405 win in a $3000 Guaranteed Turbo tournament on BorgataParty.com in March 2015.
Beckley also has been earning his stripes in the live tournament arena. His first live cash came at the Parx Casino in Pennsylvania in August 2014 when he won a $1500 No Limit Hold’em preliminary tournament on the Bix Stax VII schedule for a $98,348 payday, which was his biggest ever tournament score until now. Within the past year, Beckley has been able to amass 18 cashes and earn $219,526 overall, a figure he will definitely add to with a guarantee of the minimum million dollar payout for this tournament.
HOW HE GOT HERE
Day 1(C): 62,200
Day 2(B): 84,600
Day 3: 505,000
Day 4: 1.021 million
Day 5: 1.44 million
Day 6: 3.745 million
KEY HAND
As you can see from his daily finishing numbers, Beckley has the patience to play off the short stack. That patience has earned the respect from one of the veteran players that he will face this fall to determine poker’s next World Champion.
On Day 6, Beckley raised out of early position and 72-year old European Poker Tour veteran Pierre Neuville protected his big blind. Both men would check an 8-J-3 flop, but a deuce on the turn brought a check-raise out of Neuville, which Beckley calmly called down. An Ace on the river completed a potential flush draw and, after Beckley fired out for the first time in the hand, the wary Neuville pushed his hand to the muck.
