2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City
Event #2
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 (+60)
Total Entries: 621
Total Prize Pool: $301,185
December 5-6
Tough Competition
Shawn Sniffin beats out challenging final table that shared a total of five
WSOP Circuit Rings
Doug “Rico” Carli improves on the all-time WSOP Circuit Record with his 40th
Circuit Cash
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ- There are some records that are just within reach of being broken. Phil Hellmuth’s record 11 WSOP bracelets, for example, is just one ahead of Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan with Phil Ivey moving voraciously up the ladder.
Then there are records that are almost untouchable, such as Doug “Rico” Carli’s record 40th WSOP Circuit Event cash at the 2009 World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.
Carli holds a profound lead in this category. The player with second most cashes, Dean Shultz, has 21.
Many on the Circuit would tell you that Carli is the best all-around player that you’ve never heard of. “Rico”, as he is known in poker circles, doesn’t put much weight on notoriety.
“You just let your results speak for themselves,” said Carli.
“I don’t wear my rings much, the only time I might bring one out is if I want to use it as a card protector.”
Carli won a Circuit ring in a H.O.R.S.E. event at Caesars (now Horseshoe) Indiana in 2007, took third later that year at the WSOP $2,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low event, and has final tabled numerous WSOP and WSOP circuit events in Omaha, Hold’em and Stud.
Event #2 of the WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s AC was business as usual for the 54-year old retired stockbroker from Alliance, OH as he sat down to a tough final table that included rising phenom, Maurice Hawkins, who in less than a year, has won three WSOP Circuit Event rings.
The final 10 players resumed play around 7:30 pm.
The end of day one chip leader was Shawn Sniffin, a land surveyor from Phillipsburg, NJ, who earlier in the day suffered a massive bad beat that cost him half his stack. Sniffin sat undaunted among his more experienced competitors.
Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Shawn Sniffin Phillipsburg, NJ 1 668,000
Joe Pittillo Greenville, SC 2 320,000
Maurice Hawkins Fort Luaderdale, FL 3 902,000
Doug “Rico” Carli Alliance, OH 4 2,400,000
Charles Slayden Ellington, CT 5 271,000
Kambiz Behbahani Fairfax, VA 6 467,000
William Hegger Levittown, PA 7 501,000
Andrew Egan Hockessin, DE 8 438,000
Gabi Hecker Netanya, Israel 9 370,000
Micah Raskin Old Westbury, NY 10 978,000
With a lot of short stacks among the final ten, the first few bustouts happened in short succession.
The official final table began twenty minutes after play resumed when 34-year old software developer, William Hegger was eliminated.
The ninth place finisher was Gabi Hecker. The 32-year old Israeli poker player found himself on the bad end of a coin flip when the board did not improve his Ad-9c over the pocket 8’s of Micah Raskin. Hecker earned $7,530.
A few hands later, Joe Pittillo shoved the rest of his stack in with Ac-10d but was dominated by Maurice Hawkin’s Ad-Ks. The board had no effect on either players’ hand, sending Pitillo out in eighth with $10,541.
Kambiz Behbani went out in seventh after re-raising Charles Slayden all-in preflop with a pair of nines. Slayden called and turned over Ah-Ad. A third ace on the flop ended Behbani’s run. Seventh paid $15,059.
Play slowed considerably after most of the short stacks were eliminated. It wasn’t until about 45 minutes later that sixth place was determined when Sniffin raised to 150,000 in late position pre-flop and Micah Raskin moved all-in for a whopping 1.8 million. Sniffin insta-called, turning over pocket kings while Raskin showed J-10 suited. A king on the flop was too much for Raskin to overcome. The 41-year old direct marketing company owner took home $18,071 for his two-day campaign.
In fifth place was Maurice Hawkins. Hawkins saw his stack cut short after losing a couple of coin flips earlier in the evening. Hawkins called Charles Slayden’s all-in for the remainder of his stack. The third time was not at all charming for Hawkins who found himself on the short end of yet another toss up. His 10h-10d could not hold up against Slayden’s Ad-9s after an ace hit the flop. Hawkins failed to improve on the turn and river, ending his run. Fifth paid out $21,083.
It was a little while later that Slayden himself was eliminated when he called Andrew Egan’s all-in with pocket eights. Egan turned over a pair of nines. The nines held for Egan, sending Slayden, a 24-year old engineer out in fourth for $24,095.
The final three saw Egan versus the monster stacks of Doug Carli and Shawn Sniffin. Egan tried to double his stack shoving it with Ah-7s, but the timing was bad as Sniffin called with Ad-9s. The board improved neither player’s hand and Egan was eliminated in third, taking home $27,107.
Heads up play was between Carli and Sniffin. Sniffin had a considerable chip lead on Carli but saw it disappear after doubling him up. A few hands later, Sniffin flopped a set of nines against Carli’s pocket aces, winning him a sizable pot that gave him a more than 2-1 chip lead. Sniffen then went to work, re-raising Carli pre and post flop and bleeding away his stack.
The final hand came when Carli moved all-in with Kh-6s against the pocket aces of Sniffin. The aces held, giving Sniffin the WSOP Circuit Event ring and a $60,237 payday. Carli earned $32,980 for second.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Sniffin on how he felt about his first major tournament win.
Said Carli of second place, “Very disappointed.”
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City is the fourth stop of the 2009/2010 WSOP Circuit Events. With one event now completed at Harrah’s AC, the tournament has now attracted more than 1,677 total entries and has awarded in excess of $608,481 in total prize money.
Still to come are 15 more events and 27 nightly satellites which begin at 3 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City continues through December 20th.
Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP
Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City
Jay Snowden – Senior Vice President and General Manager
Alyce Parker – Director of Public Affairs
John Arthur – Poker Room Manager and Tournament Director
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