Nevada Gubernatorial Candidate Final Tables Tournament with WSOP Main Event Champion

The United States is gearing up for the upcoming midterm elections — now only 3 weeks away — with 435 House of Representatives seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships up for grabs.

One of the governorships in contention is that of Nevada, the gambling capital of the world. Governor Joe Lombardo of the Republican Party is the incumbent. He is facing a challenge in his re-election bid from two people named Ford: Aaron Ford of the Democratic Party and independent Danielle Ford.

The latter, 40-year-old Member of the Nevada State Board of Education Danielle Ford, showed the voters of Nevada that she has what it takes at the poker table, not just on the campaign trail. 

She entered a $300 Charity Series of Poker NLHE event at the Via Brasil Steakhouse in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 3. She made the final table in the tournament, along with a face very familiar to poker fans: 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Ryan Riess.

This final table is a party! Featuring @TrusteeFord and @RyanRiess1 https://t.co/BM5b1THXsg

— CharitySeriesOfPoker (@TheCSOP) October 4, 2026

Ryan Riess finishes second in CSOP Event, NV governor candidate comes in fifth

Riess won the WSOP Main Event for $8.362 million 13 years ago.

Now, he took second place in the $300 CSOP event for a little more modest $1,500 prize. He lost the heads-up battle for the title to Tamar Berkowitz, who thus bagged $2,000. To keep the charitable atmosphere, the payout structure was made very flat.

Ford ultimately finished in 5th place and was awarded two tickets to one of the home games of the Vegas Golden Knights NHL team.

Danielle Ford describes herself as a “Nevada-first nonpartisan” on her campaign website. Her platform calls for “practical systems repair to the public systems Nevada families rely on every day,” focusing on public education and health care in the Silver State.

One thing is for sure: she would not be satisfied with a 5th-place finish in the governor’s race in November, unlike in the charity poker tournament with a WSOP Main Event champion.