WSOP & WPT Tournament Blog

2010-2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Season Seven
Harrah’s St. Louis
No-Limit Hold’em Main Event
Buy-In: $1,600
Total Entries: 449
Total Prize Pool: $646,762
April 10-12, 2011

Final Results:

1 Kyle Cartwright Bartlett, TN $142,290
2 Asheesh Boyapati Sterling, VA $87,927
3 Ronald Segni Ln, CA $64,249
4 Phillip Stelzer Columbia, MO $47,705
5 Troy Weber W Terre Haute, IN $35,973
6 Christopher Viox Glen Carbon, IL $27,533
7 Mitchell Franks Tupelo, MS $21,382
8 Steven Goff Secor, IL $16,842
9 Nick Jivkov Des Plaines, IL $13,453
10 Scott Carlson Green bay, WI $10,891
11 Yury Parad Chicago, IL $10,891
12 Samuel Ansley Colleyville, TX $10,891
13 Matthew Thornton Keokuk, IA $8,938
14 Gary Herstein Chicago, FL $8,938
15 Thomas Cronin St Peters, MO $8,938
16 Mark Koeln St Louis, MO $7,438
17 Lance Craig Grapevine, TX $7,438
18 Ryan Sponaugle Palm Harbor, FL $7,438
19 Douglas Winters St Louis, MO $6,267
20 Matthew Stern Rock Island, IL $6,267
21 Harris Paroya N Kansas City, MO $6,267
22 Terry Stuhldreher St Charles, MO $5,349
23 Kelly Johnson Louisburg, Ks $5,349
24 Samuel Devers Fenton, MO $5,349
25 Gaetano Mondello Chesterfield, MO $4,624
26 Daniel Chambers St Louis, MO $4,624
27 Steve Galey Petersburg, IN $4,624
28 Dylan Thomassie Champaign, IL $4,049
29 Brett Schwertley Omaha, NE $4,049
30 David Schaarf Maryland Hts, MO $4,049
31 Brandon Steven Wichita, KS $3,590
32 Cory Drury Florissant, MO $3,590
33 Aaron Massey Elmwood, IL $3,590
34 Johnathan Dahlberg St Charles, MO $3,221
35 William Blood Excelsior Spgs, MO $3,221
36 Gary Lucht Cissna Park, IL $3,221
37 Clayton Hamm Yorkville, IL $2,923
38 Nadezhda Magnus Palatine, IL $2,923
39 Christopher Juul Kansas City, MO $2,923
40 Gary Schaan St Louis, Mo $2,923
41 J. Austin Hijar St. Louis, MO $2,923
42 David Potter Ballwin, MO $2,923
43 Gregory McCurry Prospect, KY $2,923
44 Timothy Hebert Maurice, LA $2,923
45 Todd Bartlett Dallas City, IL $2,923

Kyle Cartwright Wins Championship Main Event at Harrah’s St. Louis

Cartwright Clinches Seamless Victory in Four-Hour Final Table Whirlwind

2011 Harrah's St. Louis WSOP Circuit Main Event Winner Kyle Cartwright

Back in February with the encouragement of friends and just $2,000 to his name, 23-year-old online poker player Kyle Cartwright decided to make a go at the live tournament circuit.

The decision would soon prove to be one the best choices that the University of Memphis graduate had ever made. Just 100 days later, Cartwright is a three-time World Series of Poker Circuit champion and has parlayed that initial $2k investment into over $200,000 in WSOPC earnings.

Cartwright, who back in February accomplished the astounding feat of winning two consecutive WSOPC Gold Rings in only his third and fourth-ever live tournaments, picked up a third gold ring playing in only his 12th live tournament in the Harrah’s St. Louis World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event Championship.

For the win, Cartwright booked the largest score of his budding career – $142,290.

Cartwright started day two near the bottom of the leader board but after building up a healthy stack with the help of a good run of cards, the 23-year-old University of Memphis graduate turned up the aggression to distance himself even further from the pack.

“After that first day, Sam Barnhart (the Tunica Main Event Champion) told me how he started day two with around the same amount of chips and he gave me confidence,” said Cartwright.

“That really helped me a lot going into day two.”

The $1,600 buy-in event drew 449 players, generating a total of $646,762, the largest poker tournament prize pool in Missouri state history.

Greg Raymer, Dennis Phillips, Dwyte Pilgrim and TJ Cloutier were among the notables who competed in the three-day event.

Raymer, who went to high school in St. Louis and graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri-Rolla, took to the mic just before day one play began to share a few words with the players and make the announcement to shuffle up and deal.

A barrage of day one eliminations which included Pilgrim and Cloutier left 92 players bagging up their chips for the night and returning for day two play which began promptly at noon CST. Raymer and Phillips were among the survivors along with WSOPC veterans Mark “Pegasus” Smith and John “Cowboy” Land.

Unfortunately, all four men saw their exit on day two before the money bubble burst shortly after 4pm.

Harris Paroya of Lee’s Summit, MO started day two atop the leaderboard, but was eliminated late in the day finishing in 21st.

The final nine players resumed day three play just after 1:00 pm CST with Cartwright holding nearly a third of the chips in play to start the day. In less than four hours, it would all be over.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Kyle Cartwright Bartlett, TN 1 2,875,000
Mitch Franks Tupelo, MS 2 460,000
Nick Jivkov Des Plaines, IL 3 206,000
Ron Segni El Cajon, CA 4 983,000
Asheesh Boyapati Sterling, VA 5 1,138,000
Chris Viox Glen Carbon, IL 6 346,000
Troy Weber West Terre Haute, IN 7 1,000,066
Steve Goff Eureka, IL 8 1,270,000
Phil Stelzer Columbia, MO 9 637,000

Eliminations took place in the following order:

Ninth Place
With blinds and antes at 15,000/30,000 Nick Jivkov moved his short stack all-in UTG with [Ah][9s] and was called by Ron Segni with pocket sevens. The board was dealt out [5d][6c][6h][3c][4h], giving the pot to Segni and sending Jivkov to the rail in ninth. Jivkov is a former logistics company owner who now plays poker for a living. The 32-year-old married father of two collected $13,453 for ninth.

Eighth Place
Steve Goff got it all-in on the button with pocket deuces vs. Cartwright, who tabled [Ac][Kh]. Goff remained ahead after a [Td]Qc][7h] flop and [5s] turn, but the river was disaster – [Kd] and his tournament run was over. Goff is a 25 years old from Euerka, IL. Eighth place paid $16,842.

Seventh Place
A short while after Goff’s exit, Mitch Franks moved all-in, running his pocket tens into Phil Stelzer’s pocket kings. The jack-high board was no help to either player, sending Franks on his way to collect seventh place prize money. Franks is a 41-year-old engineer from Tupelo, MS. He is a married father of three and an avid fan of Mississippi State University athletics. For his seventh place finish, Franks took home $21,382.

Sixth Place
The final table exodus continued when Chris Viox found himself all-in for his tournament life in a race situation with Cartwright after showing A-Q to Cartwright’s pocket nines. The nines held steady through a king-high flop and blanks on the turn and river, moving Cartwright up to over 4.7 million in chips and sending Viox to the payout table to collect $27,533 for sixth.

Viox is a 35-year-old poker player and investor from Glen Carbon, IL. The married father of two placed third in the 2008 $1,500 buy-in Razz event. For his performance at the Harrah’s St. Louis Main Event he pocketed $27,533.

Fifth Place
With blinds now at 20,000/40,000, Troy Weber would be the fifth place finisher. All in with pocket fives vs. Asheesh Boyapati’s [Ah][Jd], Weber was outflopped after a spread of [Kd][Js][3d]. Weber stayed behind after a [9d] turn and [7h] river, and his Main Event was finished. Weber is a 40-year-old salesman from West Terre Haute, IN. He has numerous previous circuit event cashes with his latest one worth $35,973.

Fourth Place
It was another all-in coin flip after Segni opened for 125,000 with pocket sixes only to see Stelzer move all-in over the top with [As][Kd]. Segni made the call for his tournament life and the two went heads up to an 8-9-K flop. It appeared that Segni would be going home, but after the [6c] fell on the turn, Stelzer was drawing dead and was left crippled. He was eliminated by Boyapati a few hands later.

With his fourth place finish, Stelzer overtook the current all-around points leader at Harrah’s St. Louis, Jordan Drummond to claim the title of Casino Champion and earn an automatic seat to the WSOP Circuit National Championship to be held in May at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Stelzer is a 69-year-old grandfather of 12 children who began playing poker in 1950 for baseball cards. Stelzer’s fourth place finish earned him $47,705.

Third Place
Segni was soon all-in for just over a million in chips with [As][Ts] and was called by Cartwright who showed [Ad][Kh]. Segni fell farther behind after a flop of [Ac][Kc][2d] , where he stayed after the [2c] and [3d] fell on the turn and river. Segni is a contractor from El Cajon, CA and has a son and daughter both in college with his wife of 26 years. His $64,249 third place prize will hopefully be enough to keep the kids enrolled for another year.

Second Place
Heads up play began at about 4:30 pm with Cartwright at more than a 3-1 chip lead over Boyapati. Play lasted only a few hands before Boyapati moved all-in with [8h][5c] after Cartwright made it 110,000 to go pre-flop. Cartwright made the call, showing [Kd][Qs] and after a final board of [2d][Jd][Td][Tc][3s], Cartwright was declared the winner.

For second place, Boyapati took home a healthy $87,927 in prize money. Boyapati is a 25-year-old software engineer from Sterling, VA. He is a recreational poker player who picked up the game just last year.

Harrah’s St. Louis’ 2010/2011 Main Event Champion was awarded $142,290 and his third WSOP Circuit Gold Ring.

“I feel like I have a small advantage for some reason. I’m not sure how to explain it but I think I do,” said Cartwright about his phenomenal run over the last hundred days.

This was the second year that the World Series of Poker Circuit Events has come to Harrah’s St. Louis. Tournament organizers have deemed this year’s series to be an overall success with increases over last year’s attendance and prize pools. This year’s opening event saw a 20% increase in attendance over 2010.

2010-2011 Harrah’s St. Louis WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

2011 Harrah’s St. Louis WSOP Circuit Main Event Final Results

The next stop on the 2010/2011 World Series of Poker Circuit Event schedule is Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The sixteen-day event runs from April 14 through April 30th.

2010-2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Season Seven
Harrah’s St. Louis
Event #20 (Ring Event #7)
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $555
Total Entries: 276
Total Prize Pool: $131,171
April 7 – 8, 2011

Final Results:

#1 Keith Woernle Montgomery, AL $31,477
2 Joel Shulruf Buffalo Grove, IL $19,455
3 Alan Engel Las Vegas, NV $14,117
4 Gary Welch Perryville, MO $10,415
5 Don Norman Marion, IL $7,811
6 Shawn Arnold Tulsa, OK $5,953
7 Noah Nodine Oklahoma City, OK $4,607
8 Jovan Sudar Omaha, NE $3,620
9 Darren Dwyer Salem, IL $2,888
10 Jeffrey Bryan Ft. Calhoun, NE $2,339
11 Michael Frazin Deerfield, IL $2,339
12 Patricia Till Avon, IN $2,339
13 Bobby Byram Osceola, AR $1,922
14 Blake Barousse Lafayette, LA $1,922
15 Melissa Kubach Chesterfield, MO $1,922
16 Brian Combs Belleville, IL $1,602
17 Travis Lutes Crawfordsville, IN $1,602
18 Peter Mavro Little Neck, NY $1,602
19 Gregory Joslyn Milford, PA $1,354
20 Prasada Namburi Houston, TX $1,354
21 James Lakin Edwardsville, IL $1,354
22 Benjamin Kramer Terre Haute, IN $1,161
23 Riley Luttrell Oshkosh, WI $1,161
24 Jonathan Holloway Cherokee Village, AR $1,161
25 Travis Brassfield Norman, OK $1,009
26 David Hiers Council Bluffs, IA $1,009
27 Richard Edinger West Fargo, ND $1,009
28 William Ellis II Blue Springs, MO $889
29 Larry Hicks Mount Vernon, IL $889
30 Judith Barnosky Pt Charlotte, FL $889

Keith Woernle Wins Ring Event #7 at Harrah’s St. Louis

26-Year Old From Montgomery, AL Takes Home $31,477 and the Ring

2011 Harrah's St. Louis WSOP Circuit Ring Event 7 Winner Keith Woernle

The World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s St. Louis continued Friday evening with the conclusion of Ring Event #7.

The winner of the $555 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament was Keith Woernle of Montgomery, AL. It was his largest-ever major tournament win, earning him $31,477 and the coveted WSOP Circuit gold ring.

276 players entered the two-day tournament, generating at total prize pool of $131, 171. The event paid out 30 spots.

16 players returned on day two to play it out on day two and a few hours into play it was down to the official final table. Although Woernle started the final table as the chip leader, it would not be an easy road to victory. Joining him was notable pro Ari Engel who was in the middle of the pack.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Keith Woernle Montgomery, AL 1 974,000
Shawn Arnold Tulsa, OK 2 341,000
Don Norman Marion, IL 3 100,000
Gary Welch Perryville, MO 4 113,000
Darren Dwyer Salem, IL 5 250,000
Joel Shulruf Buffalo Grove, IL 6 740,000
Noah Nodine Oklahoma City, OK 7 283,000
Ari Engel Las Vegas, NV 8 408,000
Jovan Sudar Omaha, NE 9 100,000

Ninth Place
A couple of the short stacks were able to double up early after final table play began at 3:25 pm with blinds and antes at 1,000/4,000/8,000, but Darren Dwyer wasn’t as lucky after moving all-in with [Ac][Jc] from the small blind and getting a call from Shawn Arnold who tabled [Ah][Qs]. The board paired both players’ kickers, leaving Arnold trailing through the river. The Salem, IL resident earned $2,888 for ninth.

Eighth Place
2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs Main Event champion Jovan Sudar couldn’t get much going with his deficient stack of chips and was eliminated after moving all-in preflop with pocket jacks vs. Joel Shulruf’s K-Q when a king hit the turn. Since his first major tournament cash back in 2007at the Horseshoe Classic in Council Bluffs, Sudar has had strong results, including two final table finishes at the Venetian deep stack in February. The 28-year-old poker pro from the former Yugoslavia now living in Omaha, NE earned $3,620 for his efforts in Ring Event #7 at Harrah’s St. Louis.

Seventh Place
Blinds crept up to the 6,000/12,000 level before Noah Nodine made a final all-in stand with [Ad][6s] and was called by Engel, who had pocket 8’s. The eights held firm through a jack-high board giving Engel the pot and eliminating Nodine. Nodine is a 37-year-old pharmaceutical sales rep from Oklahoma City, OK. He has numerous major tournament cashes worth over a total of $176,000. He added another $4,607 to his total earnings for his seventh place finish.

Sixth Place
The rest of the level saw a number of double ups by the short stacks, but the 8,000/16,000 level of blinds brought a barrage of bust outs. Shawn Arnold was the first in the level to bust after moving all-in from the big blind with [Qd][3d] vs. Engel’s pocket jacks. Don Norman was eliminated a short while later after getting rivered with A-J all-in vs. Shulruf’s A-8. Fifth and sixth places paid $7,811 and $5,953, respectively.

Fourth Place
The fourth place finisher was Gary Welch. He saw his exit after moving all-in pre-flop with [Kc][Js] and failing to improve on the board against Engel, who called with pocket queens. The Perryville, MO resident earned $10,415 for fourth.

Third Place
In addition to playing poker for a living, Engel is an esteemed poker coach. Years ago, he picked up Shulruf as a student, teaching him much of what he knows of the game. Through most of the second half of the final table, teacher and pupil were atop of the leader board.

However, when play got down to three, the two chip leaders got tangled in an all-in pot when Engel got all his chips in the middle with [Kc][Js] and Shulruf made the call with [As][7c]. The board ended up pairing the pupil’s seven, sending teacher to the rail in $14,117.

Engel is 27-years-old from Las Vegas, NV by way of Brooklyn, NY. He has numerous major tournament cashes including two WSOP Circuit championships. He added another cash worth $14,117 to his resume for third place.

Heads up play was between Shulruf and Woernle. With Shulruf at a 5-1 advantage over his opponent, it was almost certain to be a quick matchup. However, this is poker and after doubling up twice, Woernle was able to pull within even before cruising to a 2-1 lead over Shulruf. Heads up play lasted over two hours with the duo trading the chip lead back and forth between one another.

The final hand of the night occurred with both players all-in after turn on a [Ad][Kd][4s][Td] board. Shulruf turned over pocket tens for the turned set, but was left needing to pair the board or pick up the last ten in the deck after Woernle tabled [9d][7d] for the flush.

The river was the [Jd], giving Woernle his first major tournament victory and a runner up finish to Shulruf.

Shulruf is a 26-year-old poker pro from Buffalo Grove, IL. A one-time WSOP Circuit champion, Shulruf was denied a second gold ring but picked up $19,455 for second.

For his victory, Woernle pocketed a healthy $31,477 and the coveted WSOPC gold ring. He played a well-fought match to earn his win, coming back from a huge deficit to win it all.

2010-2011 Harrah’s St. Louis WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

2011 Harrah’s St. Louis WSOP Circuit Ring Event 7 Final Results

Still to come are 13 events and 3 ring events.