Mississippian Christopher Kimmel finishes 27th at World Series of Poker

The Mississippi businessman competed in Las Vegas for the No-Limit Hold ‘Em World Championship among over 10,000 poker players with a $93 million prize pool up for grabs.

Last night, Daniel Weinman of Atlanta, Georgia took home a record breaking $12.1 million prize and was the ultimate victor in the World Series of Poker. This year, 10,043 competitors entered the contest, making the prize pool a whopping $93 million. 

Mississippian Chris Kimmel finished 27th in the competition, taking home a nice prize of $280,000.

Before being knocked out on day seven of the competition, Kimmel had been in 13th place in total chip count with just under fifty competitors remaining. Kimmel was unfortunately eliminated by a pair of aces while holding onto pocket kings and snap-calling an all-in raise. However, leading up to his top thirty exit, Kimmel had battled back from adversity. 

On day six of the competition, Kimmel was served a bad beat to lose a chunk of his stack. Facing off against another competitor, Kimmel called and then lost with pocket kings due to a flush coming up on the river. However, he was able to battle back, later winning a large hand with a straight, helping him move up the chip count leaderboards.

Outside of poker, Kimmel is a very interesting character. When he doesn’t have his poker face on, he is the CEO of his own pest control business, Mosquito Marshals. Kimmel has built his business from the ground up, franchising and opening 13 locations across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas. 

A graduate of Ole Miss and a native of the Jackson area, Kimmel has competed in poker tournaments since 2021. Before his most recent performance and payday, Kimmel’s personal best finish was 38th.

When speaking with Kimmel’s friends, they say he has never been someone who fits into the typical workforce. For example, Kimmel earned his pilot’s license in high school. After graduating from college, he attempted to work as a commercial airline pilot, but decided to give it up after realizing he didn’t like the structure of the position. While he still flies privately, Kimmel seems to have found a career and passion that he enjoys in professional poker.