WSOP & WPT Tournament Blog

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #9
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 (+50)
Total Entries: 195
Total Prize Pool: $25,060
April 20-21, 2010

Final Results:

1 Kevin “Chewy” Chickowski Chatham, Ontario $25,060

2 Joseph Attila Tosaky Las Vegas, NV $15,132

3 Daniel Lowery Peter Pender, AR $9,694

4 Everett Carlton St. Paul, MN $7,566

5 Richard Yelland Las Vegas, NV $5,911

6 Jared Byczko Merrillville, IN $4,729

7 Samuel Anastasio Ft. Meyers, FL $3,783

8 Martin John Olean, NY $3,074

9 Jeremiah “J.J.” Gould Utica, NY $2,601

10 Michael Montegue   $2,128

11 Warren Sharp   $2,128

12 Chris Grigorian   $2,128

13 Scott Bateson   $1,892

14 Ronald Waxbery   $1,892

15 David Williams   $1,892

16 John Harris   $1,655

17 Robert Suer   $1,655

18 Joseph Labounty   $1,655

Champion Chewy

Kevin “Chewy” Chickowski Wins First WSOP Circuit Victory

Canadian Takes Gold Ring and $25,060 First Place Prize at Caesars Palace

Las Vegas, NV – Kevin “Chewy” Chickowski won the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit tournament held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. He conquered a strong field of 195 players en route to his first major tournament victory. In fact, this was Chewy’s first time ever to cash in a major event of any kind.

Chewy is a 43-year-old millwright, from Chatham, Ontario (Canada). He spends most of his days working on heavy machinery. Many nights are spent at the poker table — at private games and casinos close to his home. Yet this was his first time to play in a WSOP-related tournament. It didn’t matter than Chewy was up against players with considerably more experience. He confidently collected $25,060 in prize money, plus the coveted gold ring, the ultimate symbol of achievement for winning a WSOP Circuit tournament.

Immediately following his first victory, Chewy was asked what he plans to do with the prize money. Some of it will go towards buying a dirt bike for his son, he stated. Prior to making the trip to Las Vegas, Chewy told his son he would buy him the special present if he hit it big. When he returns to Canada, Chewy will now have to pay up.

The $500 (+50) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played on April 20th and April 21st. There were 195 entries, which produced a prize pool totaling $94,575. The top 18 finishers collected prize money.

There was only one former WSOP Circuit gold ring event winner among the final nine players – Everett Carlton, who won his first victory here at Caesars last week. Daniel Lowery arrived at the Final Table with a clear chip advantage over the remaining players. But five other players were within a double up of the chip lead, making the finale a wide open competition.

Chewy doubled up early, and was the chip leader much of the way. When the final table became two-handed, a deal was reached by the final two players.

When Final Table play began at 2:00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 J.J. Gould Utica, NY 132,000

2 Richard Yelland Las Vegas 203,000

3 Kevin “Chewy” Chickowski Chatham, Ontario 283,000

4 Jared Byczko Merrillville, IN 93,000

5 Martin John Olean, NY 72,000

6 Sam Anastasio Ft. Meyers. FL 148,000

7 Joe Attila Tosaky Las Vegas, NV 233,000

8 Daniel Lowery Peter Pender, AR 393,000

9 Everett Carlton St. Paul, MN 298,000

The final table lasted only about four hours and played until 6:00 pm. Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: J.J. Says Bye-Bye
Jeremiah “J.J.” Gould went out quickly, and accepted the consolation prize of a $2,601 payout. The college student from Utica, NY previously had two high finishes on the Heartland Poker Tour – taking 2nd and 5th place in events held this year. This was his only WSOP-related in-the-money finish, to date.

Eighth Place: Martin John Finishes Eighth
Martin John, a software consultant from Olean, NY was disconnected from the final table in eighth place, after lasting about an hour at the table. He took a brutal beat which cost him most of his chips and ultimately settled for a payout worth $3,074.

Seventh Place: Sam Anastasio Ends Up Seventh
Sam Anastasio, from Ft. Meyers, FL went out seventh. He has a previous win at the Windstar Casino, plus several in-the-money finishes. This was his best WSOP-related finish, which resulted in $3,783 in prize money.

Sixth Place: Jared Byczko Takes Sixth Place
Jared Myczko, who works in marketing and lives in Indiana, lasted about 90 minutes before going out in sixth place. He pocketed $4,729 in prize money.

Fifth Place: Richard Yelland Makes Second Final Table at Caesars, Finishes Fifth
Richard Yelland cashed for the third time this month, and second time at this Caesars series. A few days ago, he took ninth place. This time, Yelland moved four spots up the money ladder and ended up in fifth place. This was his eighth time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event, and fourth final table appearance. Yelland’s best finish was second place a few years ago at Harrah’s Rincon. He received a payout totaling $5,911.

Fourth Place: Everett Carlton’s Bid for a Second Gold Ring Falls Short
Everett Carlton, from St. Paul, MN appeared to be on his way towards a second WSOP Circuit gold ring victory within the past week. But he ran into trouble late in this tournament and went out unceremoniously in fourth place. Carlton now has six WSOP Circuit cashes, which includes a 1st, 3rd, 9th, 10th, and now a 4th. Carlton added $7,566 to his poker bankroll.

Third Place: Lowery Takes Third
Daniel Lowery, a 36-year-old sawmill owner from Arkansas, ended up as the third-place finisher. He had previously won a tournament held in Mexico, which was part of the Latin American Poker Tour. Lowery also cashed in various other tournaments, most notably the World Poker Open. Third place paid $9,694.

Second Place: Attila Agrees to Second
Joe Attila Tosaky (who goes by “Joe Attila”), who has tournament wins including the Binion’s Poker Classic, agreed to a deal where he took second place. His official payout amounted to $15,132. He is a poker pro from Las Vegas.

There was no final hand, since the two remaining players agree to a deal. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

First Place: Chewy Wins Championship
Kevin “Chewy” Chickowski became the 2010 WSOP Circuit champion for Event #9 at Caesars Palace. His official payout amounted to $25,060. It was his first and only WSOP-related in-the-money finish.

An interview with Chewy at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/9TCP3

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th. This year’s schedule includes 14 gold ring events, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, in addition to cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Palace Poker Room. This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. This is the tenth WSOP Circuit stop (of 11) of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Rincon, and Harrah’s St. Louis.

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit – Event 9 Final Results

2010 Caessars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Jim Pedulla – Poker Room Manager
Jed Wickers – Tournament Director
Mitch Dietze — Assistant Tournament Director

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #10
Ladies Championship: “Cleopatra Open”
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 79
Total Prize Pool: $22,989
April 20, 2010

Final Results:

1 Kitty Kuo Taipei, Taiwan $7,357

2 Leslie Del Pilar Houston, TX $4,598

3 Corinn Ignatieff Fairfield, CA $2,931

4 Sarah Casey Las Vegas, NV $2,069

5 Julie Changlaurencell Las Vegas, NV $1,667

6 Tonya Baltazar Las Vegas, NV $1,379

7 Jennifer Pendergast Sacramento, CA $1,149

8 Lauren Cooney Forked River, NJ $977

9 Selina Bodel Wagga Wagga, Australia $862

Kitty Purrs

Kitty Kuo Wins 2010 “Cleopatra Open”

Taiwanese Poker Player Wins Ladies Championship at Caesars Palace

Las Vegas, NV – For the fifth consecutive year the “Cleopatra Open” poker tournament was held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. This annual event is part of the World Series of Poker Circuit and is designated as the official Ladies Poker Championship. In lieu of a gold ring, the customary prize awarded to most WSOP Circuit winners, the ladies champion receives a gold and diamond pendant.

Adding to her jewelry collection for winning the 2010 Cleopatra Open was Kitty Kuo. She is a 32-year-old professional poker player from Taipei, Taiwan. She now resides temporarily in Vancouver, BC, but plans to move to Las Vegas in the near future. Huo also won a tournament held in Macau (Asia). She has also cashed four times this year at tournaments held in the U.S. Kuo collected $7,357 in prize money for this victory.

This tournament had the highest buy-in of any Ladies Championship on this year’s WSOP Circuit. Most ladies events throughout the country are $230 entry fees. Some cost as little as $120. The higher buy-in at Caesars, plus an atypical midweek starting day limited the field to 79 players. But the competition was fierce as the ladies competed for bragging rights. Previous Cleopatra Open champions were as follows:

2009 – Courtney Wulfe
2008 – Barbara Enright
2007 – Anna Wroblewski
2006 – Martine Qules

The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played on April 20th. The tournament began in the afternoon and lasted late into the night. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion. However, three of the ladies had final table appearances in Ladies Championship events held at previous WSOP Circuits.

Lauren “LC” Cooney arrived at the Final Table with a slight chip advantage over the remaining players. But she went out quickly after taking a few beats, ending up as the eighth-place finisher. Closest in chips when play began were Kitty Kuo and Leslie Del Pilar, who were both within striking distance of the leader. Kuo in particular made an early move and was the player to beat once play became seven-handed. However, Leslie Del Pilar proved to be a formidable foe and finishes as the runner up.

When Final Table play began close to midnight, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Jennifer Pendergast Sacramento, CA 34,700

2 Julie “Tiger” Changlaurencell Las Vegas, NV 31,500

3 Lauren “LC” Cooney Forked River, NJ 112,100

4 Kitty Kuo Taipei, Taiwan 98,300

5 Corinn Ignatieff Fairfield, CA 83,000

6 Tonya Bahazar Las Vegas, NV 27,800

7 Sarah M. Casey Las Vegas, NV 84,500

8 Leslie Del Pilar Houston, TX 93,400

9 Selina Bodel Wagga Wagga, Australia 29,100

Final Table play lasted nearly five hours and ended at 4:30 am. Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Long Way from Home
Selina Bodel, who is visiting Las Vegas from Wagga Wagga, Australia went out in eighth place. She is the director of her own company. Bodel collected $862 in prize money.

Eighth Place: Early Chip Leader Busts
Lauren “LC” Cooney suffered a painful series of beats that wiped out her stack in less than 20 minutes. The early chip leader busted out in eighth place, which paid $977. She is a former student-turned poker pro from Forked River, NJ. She has numerous cashes in local events held in Las Vegas.

Seventh Place: Jennifer Pendergast Out in Seventh
Jennifer Pendergast, who works in security, was eliminated about an hour into the finale. She was low on chips most of the way and still managed to cash for $1,149. Pendergast has previously cashed in a number of events elsewhere. This was her first WSOP-related in-the-money finish. She also played in last year’s WSOP Main Event, lasting until the third day.

Sixth Place: Las Vegas Paralegal Settles for Sixth
Tonya Baltazar, a paralegal from Las Vegas, lost her case to finish higher than sixth place. She did very well to move up three spots, given her perilously low stack size when final table play began. But Baltazar ultimately went out and accepted a settlement worth $1,379. She had previously finished in third place at the Orleans Open Ladies Championship, as well as other final tables at tournaments played in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Fifth Place: Retired Realtor Collects Nice Poker Commission
Julie “Tiger” Changlaurencell, a retired real estate agent from Las Vegas, went out on a tough beat. She had to settle for $1,667 in prize money.

Fourth Place: Poker Dealer Has No More Chips
Sarah M. Casey, a poker dealer from Las Vegas, hung around for about three hours before finally running out of chips and losing her final hand with A6 against A8. Both players flopped an ace and Casey moved all-in. But she got a call and ended up losing to two pair. Casey, who has four wins on her tournament resume, and more than $200,000 in career tournament winnings, added $2,069 to her poker bankroll. She has also cashed in the WSOP three times, including the Main Event back in 2005.

Third Place: Corinn Ignatieff Cashes in Two Consecutive Events
The day after she took 27th place in the previous tournament, Corinn Ignatieff went all the way to third place in her next event. Ignatieff lost most of her chips late in a race with pocket 4s against A8, when an ace came. She went out a short time later and received $2,931. She also finished third in a WSOP Circuit event last year at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe. This was her fifth time to cash in a major tournament in the last six months.

Second Place: Runner-Up – Leslie Del Pilar
Leslie Del Pilar, a bartender from Houston, TX finished in second place. She had the chip lead at one point during heads-up play, but lost a big hand late with A-8 versus K-K which led to the final conclusion. The last hand came when Kuo was dealt 8s 8h. Leslie Del Pilar was dealt Ad 4s. The middle pocket pair held up as the final board showed Ks 7s 5h Tc 6s. Del Pilar pocketed a respectable payout totaling $7,357.

First Place: 2010 Cleopatra Open Champion – Kitty Kuo
The winner of the 2010 Cleopatra Open at Caesars Palace Las Vegas was Kitty Kuo, who is originally from Taiwan. She will soon be living in Las Vegas where she plans to play in more poker tournaments.

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th. This year’s schedule includes 14 gold ring events, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, in addition to cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Palace Poker Room. This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. This is the tenth WSOP Circuit stop (of 11) of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Rincon, and Harrah’s St. Louis.

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit – Event 10 Final Results

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Jim Pedulla – Poker Room Manager
Jed Wickers – Tournament Director
Mitch Dietze — Assistant Tournament Director

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #7
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 203
Total Prize Pool: $59,073
April 19-20 2010

Final Results:

1 Jeff Clayton Glendale, CA $14,323

2 Mike Ratcliff Martinsville, IN $8,861

3 Ernie Rafanan Pacifica, CA $5,612

4 Neal Cooke Loveland, CO $4,578

5 Nelda E. Hopper Anna, TX $3,692

6 Sebastian Smitsdorff Victoria, Canada $2,954

7 Michael Shannon Satellite Beach, FL $2,362

8 Caren Pfeil Warman, Canada $1,920

9 Geoffrey Mulligan Warman, Canada $1,477

10 Phillip Grimes Lakeland, FL $1,034

11 Daniel Lowery Peterhead, AK $1,034

12 Michael Guida Sunol, CA $1,034

13 Cindy Stenback Federal Way, WA $886

14 Remi Sunbair Hamilton, Canada $886

15 Renee Windfeld Odense, Denmark $886

16 Reinhard Schork Pforzheim, Germany $738

17 Anthony Mender Las Vegas, NV $738

18 Tu Huynh Tulsa, OK $738

19 James Ignatieff, Jr. Fairfield, CA $591

20 Peter Clark Colorado Springs, CO $591

21 Eric Saucier Sidney, ME $591

22 Polina Ivanenko Moscow, Russia $591

23 Leon Lala Colorado Springs, CO $591

24 Ryan Inouye Kent, WA $591

25 Varilyn Nelson Ogden, UT $591

26 Christopher Rivers  NA $591

27 Corinn Ignatieff  NA $591

For Jeff Clayton — Lose Job, No Problem

Former Television News Cameraman-Turned Poker Pro Wins WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Glendale, CA-based pro now has more than $300,000 in tournament winnings since last year’s layoff

Las Vegas, NV – Playing poker for a living has been called, “a tough way to make an easy living.” It’s even tougher when the player has a spouse and children at home, who count on financial support. But Jeff Clayton appears to be making the transition from working a steady job to playing poker full-time exceeding well. He just won the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit event held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, and collected his first-ever gold ring.

Clayton, a 30-year-old poker pro from Glendale, CA lost his job last year. He was previously a news cameraman for FOX-TV in Los Angeles. Clayton played poker in his spare time, and had the perfect opportunity to pursue his recreational interest more seriously after the television network announced numerous layoffs, including a pink slip for Clayton. He has other major developments on the horizon, as well. Clayton is married and already has a son. He and his wife are expecting their second child, in just four weeks. The delivery date coincides with the start of the upcoming WSOP in Las Vegas.

“I just got started (playing poker). I lost my job last year, so I wanted to give (poker) a shot because I had been doing well at it part-time,” Clayton said moments after officially winning $14,323 in the Caesars tournament. “For me, playing this upcoming World Series of Poker will be everything, because I have only played in one event ever, so far. The amount of people they have (entering), the amount of money, it’s huge.”

The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 19th and 20th. There were 203 entries for the mid-week event, which generated a prize pool totaling $59,073. The top 27 finishers collected prize money.

One interesting side note was that for the second day in a row, a husband and wife both cashed in the same event. James Ignatieff, Jr. and Corinn Ignatieff both made the money, finishing in 19th and 27th place, respectively. In the previous tournament, Dan Zogman and wife Mary Jo Zogman both finished in-the-money as well.

Final Table play began on a Tuesday afternoon. There was only one prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winner among the final nine players – Mike Ratcliff, who ended up finishing in second place. The finale also included two female players as well as three Canadian players. In fact, two of the players were from the same area in Saskatchewan.

Sebastian Smitdorff arrived at the Final Table with a slight chip lead. But Geoff Mulligan and Jeff Clayton were very close behind. Smitdorff ended up going out about midway through the finale, whereas Clayton enjoyed a flurry of good fortune from the moment he took his seat. Mulligan surprised everyone by being the first player to bust out.

When Final Table play began at 2:00 pm, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Nelda E. Hopper Anna, TX 115,000

2 Geoff Mulligan Warman, SK 223,000

3 Jeff Clayton Glendale, CA 207,500

4 Mike Shannon Satellite Beach, FL 99,500

5 Mike Ratcliff Martinsville, IN 184,000

6 Ernie Rafanan Pacifica, CA 160,000

7 Sebastian Smitdorff Victoria, BC 235,500

8 Neal Cooke Loveland, CO 126,500

9 Caren Pfeil Saskatoon, SK 103,000

Final table play lasted four hours and ended about 6:00 pm.

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Goeff Mulligan Eliminated First, Takes Ninth Place
Goeff Mulligan experienced a nightmare at the final table. The early chip leader failed to win any pot of consequence and was quickly eliminated in ninth place. Mulligan, who cashed once at the WSOP in Las Vegas and has several other in-the-money finishes on the Canadian Poker Tour, earned $1,477 in prize money.

Eighth Place: Caren Pfeil Finishes Eighth
Caren Pfeil followed her fellow Canadian out the door when she went out a few minutes following Mulligan’s elimination. The self-employed part-time poker player, who has four cashes at the Harvest Poker Classic, cashed for the first time in a WSOP Circuit event. Eighth place paid $1,920.

Seventh Place: Michael Shannon Takes Seventh Place
Michael Shannon, from Satellite Beach, FL went out in seventh place, which paid $2,362. He had previously cashed four times in various tournaments held in Las Vegas. But this marked his first time to cash in a WSOP-related tournament.

Sixth Place: Sebastian Smitsdorff Ends Up Sixth
Sebastian Smitsdorff was the final Canadian player to bust out, when he lost his last hand with AQ versus AK. Smitzdorff, a marketing consultant from Victoria, BC previously cashed in a few tournaments played in Vancouver. He settled for $2,954 in prize money.

Fifth Place: Nelda E. Hopper Finishes in Fifth Place
Nelda E. Hopper went out when her two pair was squashed by a higher two pair. Hopper’s T7 was topped by K7. The stay-at-home mom from Texas collected $3,692 in prize money. Hopper has previously won an event at the Oklahoma State Poker Championship.

Fourth Place: Neal Cooke
When play reached four-handed, a deal was made. The terms were not disclosed. Neal Cooke, a professional saltwater fishing guide, hooked the fourth-place finish, which paid $4,578.

Third Place: Ernie Rafanan
Ernie Rafahan, from Pacifica, CA officially took third place, which paid $5,612. He is a semi-pro poker player. He has been playing full-time for about six months. He has amassed more than $30,000 in tournament winnings within this span, and expects to play in many future events.

Second Place: Mike Ratcliff is the Runner Up
Two-time gold ring winner Mike Ratcliff agreed to a four-way deal, and was officially designated as the second-place finisher. The business owner from Indiana previously won WSOP Circuit events at Harrah’s Tunica in 2009, and Caesars Indiana in 2008. This was his 12th time to cash in a WSOP Circuit tournament. His official payout for second place amounted to $8,861.

First Place: Jeff Clayton
Jeff Clayton is a 30-year-old poker pro from Glendale, CA. He has been playing full-time for about nine months. Clayton has previously won tournaments in Los Angeles and now has more than $300,000 in career tournament earnings. However, this was his first time to cash in a WSOP-related event. He has bigger goals ahead to play in more WSOP tournaments, while trying to maintain the proper balance between husband and soon-to-be new father and aspiring poker pro.

“I can’t wait for the WSOP to date,” Clayton said. “I’m drooling over it, already.”

An interview with Jeff Clayton at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/JRBFR

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th. This year’s schedule includes 18 gold ring events, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, in addition to cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Palace Poker Room. This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. This is the tenth WSOP Circuit stop (of 11) of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Rincon, and Harrah’s St. Louis.

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Event 7 Final Results

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Jim Pedulla – Poker Room Manager
Jed Wickers – Tournament Director
Mitch Dietze — Assistant Tournament Director

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #6
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $200 (+30)
Total Entries: 311
Total Prize Pool: $60,334
April 18-19 2010

Final Results:

1 Robert Koerber Waterbury, CT $14,481

2 Dan Zogman McHenry, IL $8,899

3 Michael Souza San Diego, CA $5,581

4 Jeff Gould Lithia, NJ $4,525

5 Michael Ashar Vermilion, OH $3,620

6 Gordon Mummey Las Vegas, NV $2,866

7 Murray Kieth NA $2,263

8 Alexander Kardomateas Alpharetta, GA $1,810

9 Ken James Las Vegas, NV $1,358

10 Gabriel Rubio Vera Bogata, Columbia $905

11 Howard Bolte Philadelphia, PA $905

12 Chad Clement Lakeland, FL $905

13 Christopher Gros Las Vegas, NV $754

14 Cody Krause Las Vegas, NV $754

15 Joseph Jackson Las Vegas, NV $754

16 Serge Camps Paris, France $603

17 Gary Lorgan Lafayette, CO $603

18 Wendy Blumenthal Atlanta, GA $603

19 Alex Dederer Las Vegas, NV $483

20 Adolfo Monreal Phoenix, AZ $483

21 Frank Dagostino Nashville, TN $483

22 Richard Coppola Ft. Lauderdale, FL $483

23 Nesrin Can Istanbul, Turkey $483

24 Pamela Romito Las Vegas, NV $483

25 Adam Pion Las Vegas, NV $483

26 George Cabrera Washington, UT $483

27 John Bankston Las Vegas, NV $483

28 Cesar Flores McAllen, TX $422

29 Kenneth Davis Charlotte, NC $422

30 Robert Palfrey Seattle, WA $422

31 Anthony Degreef Las Vegas, NV $422

32 Gregory Lamaureaux Cranston, RI $422

33 Todd Wilson Granite Bay, CA $422

34 Mary Jo Zogman McHenry, IL $422

35 Jarett Davis McKinney, TX $422

36 Michael Bailey Rochester, NY $422

What Defines Us

Newcomer Robert Koerber Wins WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Michael Souza’s Bid for a Third Gold Ring Falls Short – Finishes Third

Las Vegas, NV – We are defined in life by who we are, what we stand for, and what we accomplish. A few years ago, Robert Koerber may have been defined in a way that was less than flattering. He admittedly did some bad things, he says. But now, he has changed his life completely, and in many ways has won a victory far more important than anything that can possibly be accomplished at a poker table.

“Where I come from, I was doing other things for money and I got into trouble,” Koerber said moments after winning his first major poker tournament victory. “I lost my freedom, and I thought for me, this (poker) was my second chance. I prayed to the lord all the time to really try and make it….Now, I want to make it the legal way, without ever having to look over my shoulder. This victory was my first step. It means a lot to me.”

Koerber on his path to personal redemption and well past the stage of fighting personal demons became the latest WSOP Circuit winner, after conquering a tough field of 311 players in the latest event held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Koerber managed to overcome the odds against him at several stages of the tournament, including a formidable final table lineup of rivals and a decisive chip disadvantage at one point.

“Things went great for me here,” Koerber said. I was picking up aces when people had kings. Kings when people had queens. I was running really good. Then, once when I had kings and someone had aces, I hit my set. I could not ask for better. Things just ran good for me the whole way.”

The 29-year-old from Waterbury, CT has only been playing live poker tournaments for about six months. In fact, prior to this win, Koerber had only one other cash — at the Hustler Casino in Los Angeles earlier this year. Koerber mentioned a few poker books had helped him to improve his tournament skills, including strategy books by Dan Harrington, Doyle Brunson, and Gus Hansen.

“I think it’s easier to play live than online,” Koerber said. “When I was playing online, all I had to go by was betting patterns….but when I got to live play it just seemed easier to put the tells and the reads together.”

The $200 (+30) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 18th and 19th. The tournament attracted a field of 311 players. The top 36 finishers divided a prize pool totaling $60,334. Among those who cashed was Cesar Flores (28th), a teacher from McAllen, TX who was the runner up in the tournament held two days ago.

Final Table play began on a Monday afternoon. There was only one prior WSOP Circuit gold ring winner among the final nine – two-time winner Mike Souza, who began play as the chip leader. In fact, Souza had everyone at the table covered by more than 2 to 1, except for Dan Zogman, who was about 150,000 in chips behind. Robert Koerber started play in sixth place. When Final Table play began at 2:00 pm, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Michael Souza San Diego, CA 440,000

2 Jeff Gould Lithia, NJ 188,000

3 Mike Ashar Vermilion, OH 130,000

4 Robert Koerber Waterbury, CT 175,000

5 Alexander Kardomateas Alpharetta, GA 71,000

6 Gordon Mummey Las Vegas, NV 150,500

7 Murray Kieth NA 217,000

8 Ken James Las Vegas, NV 219,000

9 Dan Zogman McHenry, IL 294,500

Play lasted seven hours and ended at 9:00 pm.

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Ken James Takes Ninth Place
Ken James, a retiree from Las Vegas, busted out about 30 minutes into the finale. He lost most of his stack on a bad beat holding pocket queens and was eliminated a short time later. James, who has cashed in two WSOP events and more than two dozen other major tournaments, added $1,358 to his poker bankroll for ninth place.

Eighth Place: Alexander Kardomateas Finishes Eighth
Alexander Kardomateas, a recreational poker player from Alpharetta, GA was eliminated in eighth place. He was short-stacked late in the tournament which left him at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, he collected $1,810 in prize money for a nice effort.

Seventh Place: Murray Kieth Ends Up Seventh
Murray Kieth, a farmer from Lubbuck, TX had a tough time at the final table. He arrived on Day Two with an average-sized stack, but took a few beats and had to settle for seventh place, which paid $2,263.

Sixth Place: Gordon Mummey Takes Sixth Place
Gordon Mummey, who works in sales and lives in Las Vegas, went out in sixth place. He had cashed previously in a number of smaller local tournaments. But this was his first time to finish in-the-money in a WSOP-related tournament. Mummey received 2,866.

Fifth Place: Mike Ashar Finishes Fifth
Mike Ashar, from Vermilion, OH made his second final table appearance at this year’s Caesars series, this time ending up as the fifth-place finisher. He took ninth place a few days ago. This marked Ashar’s ninth time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event, and was his fourth time to make it to a final table. Fifth place paid $3,620.

Fourth Place: Jeff Gould Takes Fourth
Jeff Gould, a business owner from Lithia, NJ ended up as the fourth-place finisher. He came close to victory once before, finishing as the runner up last year in a WSOP Circuit event held at Harrah’s Tunica. This time, Gould ended up in fourth place, which paid $4,525.

Third Place: Michael Souza Ends Up Third
Michael Souza had a decent-sized stack until very late into the tournament when he lost a few big hands and finally lost a race against Dan Zogman. On his final hand, Souza’s A8 lost to pocket 4s. Souza, who was going for a third WSOP Circuit gold ring following a victory last month at Harrah’s Rincon, was forced to accept a third place finish, which paid $5,581. However, Souza, a poker pro from San Diego, continues to be a player to watch the rest of this Circuit season.

Second Place: Dan Zogman is the Runner Up
Dan Zogman has been ripping up tournaments in the Midwest the past few years. He won an event on the Heartland Poker Tour, and also finished second on one of their championship events. The insurance salesman from McHenry, IL was also designated as the Heartland Poker Tour’s “Player of the Year” in 2009. Zogman hoped to bring some of his good fortune to the WSOP Circuit, but came up just one place short of victory.

Zogman had his final opponent down to one card at one point in heads-up play. But Robert Koerber ended up making a straight on the river, which was foreshadowed the destruction that was soon to come for Zogman. A few minutes later, Zogman lost most of his chips with pocket 5s against Koerber’s pocket 6s. Then, a short time later, Zogman suffered his final beat of the night when Koeber raked in the last pot of the night with a full house.

The last hand came when Koerber was dealt Js Jc. Zogman was dealt Ah 9h. After the turn, Zogman was all-in with top pair. The final board showed Ad Jd 7d Ts Ac, which meant Koerber’s full house (jacks full of aces) bested Zogman’s trip aces. Dan Zogman accepted the mixed blessing of a second-place payout totaling $8,899.

NOTE: An interesting note was that Zogman’s wife Mary Jo Belcore-Zogman also cashed in this tournament. She finished 34th.

A few big hands of heads-up play including the final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/KTA7X

First Place: Huge Victory for Robert Koerber
Robert Koerber started playing in live poker tournaments about six months ago. He previously played mostly online. Koerber had one previous cash, at a tournament held in Los Angeles. But this was by far his best poker achievement to date, which paid $14,481 plus the coveted WSOP Circuit gold ring.

An interview with Robert Koerber at tableside moments after his win can be seen here:
http://www.twitvid.com/DYFS0

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th. This year’s schedule includes 18 gold ring events, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, in addition to cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Palace Poker Room. This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. This is the tenth WSOP Circuit stop (of 11) of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Rincon, and Harrah’s St. Louis.

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit – Event 6 Final Results

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Jim Pedulla – Poker Room Manager
Jed Wickers – Tournament Director
Mitch Dietze — Assistant Tournament Director

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #5
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 267
Total Prize Pool: $$77,697
April 17-18 2010

Final Results:

1 Brandon Terry Corpus Christi, TX $18,842

2 Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. McAllen, TX $11,655

3 Grant Geyer Las Vegas, NV $7,381

4 Luke Brown San Antonio, TX $6,022

5 Thomas Takara Pocatello, LA $4,856

6 Kambiz Zamani Chandler, AZ $3,885

7 Paul Brettler Ft. Lauderdale, FL $3,108

8 Nicholas Nadeau Las Vegas, NV $2,525

9 Brian Carstens Rio Rancho, NM $1,942

10 Michael Michnik Vorhees, NJ $1,360

11 Joseph Young Tok, AK $1,360

12 Valiant Chou Richmond, WA $1,360

13 Joshua Morgan   $1,165

14 Robert Chenna Vancouver, Canada $1,165

15 Steven Blumer Olympia, WA $1,165

16 Jean Paul Griffin Las Vegas, NV $971

17 Sean Mullaghy Billings, MT $971

18 Thaier Ighnein Cleveland, OH $971

19 John Erickson Corona, CA $777

20 Corry Coll Henderson, NV $777

21 Adrian Breyer Tokyo, Japan $777

22 Thomas McTeer Columbia, SC $777

23 Derek Elfnarro Los Angeles, CA $777

24 Robert Flowers   $777

25 Robbie Betancourt Humble, TX $777

26 Michael Laing Las Vegas, NV $777

27 Dallas Wottlin Dallas, TX $777

Future Looks Bright for Brandon Terry

21-Year-Old Poker Pro Wins WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. is Runner-Up after Third-Place Finish in Previous Event

Las Vegas, NV – Many young people aspire to become professional poker players. The impact of television on making poker wannabes out of millions of dreamers is undeniable. Unfortunately, few players truly succeed in playing poker for a living. The ranks of those who play tournament poker for a living are even thinner.

Yet, if any young player can make a legitimate case pursuing his poker dream, it is 21-year-old Brandon Terry, from Corpus Christi, TX. He turned 21 (legal age to play poker in most casinos) last November. In just six months, Terry has now won two major tournaments, made four final tables, and has eight in-the-money finishes. Those would be impressive stats for any veteran player. But to see these numbers posted by a player who was virtually unknown at the end of last year make the feat even more eye-opening.

Indeed, the future looks very bright for Terry, who just won the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit tournament held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Terry conquered a field of 267 players en route to his first gold ring victory. It was his first time to cash in a WSOP event of any kind. First place paid $18,842.

The victory comes a few months after Terry won his first tournament ever, at the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. He also cashed three times earlier this year at the L.A. Poker Classic.

The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 17th and 18th. The top 27 finishers divided a prize pool totaling $77,697. Among those who finished in the money was former WSOP gold bracelet winner Mike Laing, who came in 26th.

Another notable performance came from the runner-up in this event, 26-year-old Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr., from McAllen, TX. Just two days after he finished third in a WSOP Circuit event held here at Caesars Palace, Rodriguez outdid himself by coming in second in this tournament. Rodriguez was very disappointed by not winning what would have been his first major tournament. In fact, he had rival Terry outchipped when play went to heads-up. But Terry managed to win the key hands late in the tournament and closed out a most impressive victory.

Final Table play began on a Sunday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion. Brandon Terry arrived at the Final Table with a formidable chip advantage over the remaining players. Terry was up better than 3 to 2 over his closest rivals — Tom Takara and Luke Brown. The remaining six players were down by 2 to 1 or more.

When Final Table play began at 2:00 pm, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Kambiz Zamani Chandler, AZ 126,000

2 Paul Brettler Ft. Lauderdale, FL 66,500

3 Nick Nadeau Las Vegas, NV 156,500

4 Grant Geyer Las Vegas, NV 220,000

5 Luke Brown San Antonio, TX 267,500

6 Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. McAllen, TX 149,000

7 Brian Carstens Rio Rancho, NM 67,000

8 Tom Takara Pocatello, LA 302,000

9 Brandon Terry Corpus Christi, TX 490,000

Final Table play lasted about six hours and ended at 8:15 pm. Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Brian Carstens Goes Out Ninth
Brian Carstens, who lives near Albuquerque, NM, was eliminated quickly and ended up as the ninth-place finisher. This was Carsten’s second time to cash at this year’s Caesars Palace series. He edged into the money in the first tournament on the schedule, finishing 35th. This time, he collected $1,942.

Eighth Place: Nick Nadeau Takes Eighth
Nick Nadeau, from Las Vegas, was the eighth-place finisher. He has previously cashed more than a dozen times and has made seven final tables in various tournaments. This was his first time to cash in a WSOP-related event. Eighth place paid $2,525.

Seventh Place: Paul Brettler Finishes Seventh
Paul Brettler came to the final table with the lowest stack. He stated his goal was to make it to fifth place. But Brettler did not make it that far, ending up instead in seventh place. Brettler, from Ft. Lauderdale, FL had to settle for $3,108 in prize money.

Sixth Place: Kambiz Zamani Ends Up in Sixth Place
Kambiz Zamani, who is originally from Ottawa (Canada) but now resides in Chandler, AZ went out in sixth place. Zamani, who works as a computer engineer, cashed twice in WSOP events last year. He added $3,885 to his poker bankroll this time in his highest WSOP-related finish. Note: Some websites have previously misreported this player’s name. It is KAMBIZ ZAMANI.

Fifth Place: Tom Takara Finishes Fifth
Tom Takara, from Pocatello, LA finished in fifth place and collected $4,856. This marked Takara’s first finish in a major tournament in more than four years. It was also his highest tournament finish, to date.

Fourth Place: Luke Brown Ends Up Fourth
Luke Brown arrived at the final table ranked second in chips. He lasted about four hours before finally going bust. The former bartender-turned-poker pro from San Antonio, who once played college basketball, ended up asd the fourth-place finisher, which paid $4,856. This was his first time to cash in a WSOP-related event.

Third Place: Grant Geyer Takes Third Place
Grant Geyer, a 23-year-old vacation advisor and aspiring poker pro from Las Vegas, went out in third place. He previously finished as the runner up in an event at last year’s Caesars Poker Classic. Geyer had his eyes on first place this time, but came up short, having to settle for a very respectable $7,381 in prize money.

Second Place: Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. Finishes as Runner Up
Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. is an aspiring poker pro from McAllen, TX. He was motivated to come out to Las Vegas and give poker a try by his father, who sadly passed away just two months ago. Rodriguez, who takes poker very seriously, has dedicated himself to this pursuit and has some impressive results to show for his dedication. In Event #3 ($550 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em), Rodriguez finished third. He had a shot to win this tournament, particularly when he has Terry covered by nearly 3 to 1 in chips late in the duel. But Rodriguez suffered a bad run late and went out with a consolation prize worth $11,655.

The last hand came when Ronnie Rodriguez was dealt 2h 2d. Brandon was dealt 6s 6c. Rodriguez moved all-in pre-flop and Terry called. The final board showed Kh 7s 3d Qh 5d, which meant the pocket 6s took down the last pot of the night in what was a final battle between two Texans.

The final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/ILLFY

First Place: Brandon Terry Wins First WSOP Circuit Gold Ring
Brandon Terry officially won $18,842 in prize money, plus his first WSOP-related victory. He hopes to continues succeeding in live tournaments and has his sights set on the WSOP coming up next month in Las Vegas.

An interview with Brandon Terry at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/QQKMD

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th. This year’s schedule includes 18 gold ring events, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, in addition to cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Palace Poker Room. This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. This is the tenth WSOP Circuit stop (of 11) of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Rincon, and Harrah’s St. Louis.

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Event #5 Final Results

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Jim Pedulla – Poker Room Manager
Jed Wickers – Tournament Director
Mitch Dietze — Assistant Tournament Director

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #4
No Limit Hold’em Turbo
Buy-In: $200 (+30)
Total Entries: 209
Total Prize Pool: $40,546
April 16, 2010

Final Results:

Place Name Prize

1 Jana Kincaid $9,835

2 Jon Mark Keoni Lackaoen $6,082

3 John Honeycutt $3,852

4 Ned Cruey $3,152

5 Dao Hoang $2,534

6 Eric Minijales $2,027

7 Dean Tokumar $1,622

8 Stephen Grill $1,318

9 Kenneth Damar $1,014

10 Joseph Riekera $710

11 Gregory Masterson $710

12 Mikael Ted $710

13 Ran Kim $608

14 Rocco Perlini $608

15 Dominique Jonvel $608

16 Marc Mestrovich $507

17 David Bitianga $507

18 Jenny Wilson $507

19 Christian Hul $405

20 Steven Reid $405

21 Pascal Choquet $405

22 Matthew Stammen $405

23 B. Fernandez $405

24 Alice Elliott $405

25 Mahdi Farzad $405

26 Sean Whelan $405

27 Joni Grady $405

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit – Event #4 Final Results

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #3
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 (+50)
Total Entries: 166
Total Prize Pool: $80,510
April 16-17, 2010

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1 Everett Carlton St. Paul, MN $21,336

2 Cesar Flores McAllen, TX $12,882

3 Matthew Maley Phoenix, AZ $8,252

4 Tommy Tran Las Vegas, NV $6,441

5 Michael Putaansuu Mission, TX $5,032

6 Blake Dennison New Smyrna Beach, FL $4,026

7 Russell Rimer Edmonton, Canada $3,220

8 Mark Byczkiw Hamilton, Canada $2,617

9 Michael Ashar Vermilion, OH $2,214

10 Ryan Daube Lincolnshire, IL $1,811

11 John Kenas   $1,811

12 Eduardo Ghinis   $1,811

13 Robert Schorr   $1,610

14 Iwan Jones   $1,610

15 Jarod Smilkstein   $1,610

16 Lawrence Senibaldi   $1,409

17 Timothy Kloker   $1,409

18 Luis Campelo   $1,409

Long Wait Finally Over for Everett Carlton

Touring Pro from Minnesota Finally Wins Gold Ring after Five Years on Tour

After 30 Cashes, Carlton Earns First Major Tournament Victory at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV – If anyone has “paid his dues” in tournament poker, it’s Everett Carlton. The 55-year-old owner of an insurance agency who once gambled for high-stakes on the golf course finally won his first major tournament victory tonight at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Carlton has been playing in poker tournaments for the past five years. But until now, he had never won a major, despite coming close many times with 30 in-the-money finishes and several final table appearances.

Carlton was visibly thrilled with his victory, which came after many years of struggle and disappointment. He topped a tough field of 166 players in the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit event and collected $21,336 for first place. But far more meaningful than the money for Carlton was the WSOP gold ring he won, symbolizing a well-deserved and long-overdue personal triumph.

“I’ve been out there grinding for years,” Carlton said following his victory. “I came here to Caesars hoping to finally break through and win. I can’t express how happy I am.”

Carlton lives in St. Paul, MN, but travels frequently to major poker tournaments throughout the United States. Prior to playing poker much of the time, he gambled for big money on the golf course. However in 2003, Carlton was diagnosed with skin cancer, the result of spending many hours in the sun out on golf courses. He managed to beat cancer, but also realized he had to make some life changes. To satisfy his love of action and high-stakes gambling, Carlton decided to refocus his energy on a safer game played indoors – poker — rather than golf.

If chasing a little white ball around a course was a challenge, achieving success in tournament poker was in many ways ever more difficult for Carlton. Despite a fierce desire to compete and win, and his obvious talent and discipline to succeed, Carlton entered numerous tournaments held throughout the country, but never managed to win – up until now.

“Tournament poker is tough. You almost have to be a masochist to play this game,” Carlton confided. “I mean, this is my first big win and I have been playing five years. So that means every other tournament I go out disappointed. It’s crazy, and it’s brutal. But you just have to keep believing in yourself and keep going. But this (gold ring) is big.”

Even more remarkable for Carlton was his ability to comeback in this tournament and win, after seemingly being down and out at one point, seemingly destined for a third-place finish. In fact, when play was at three-handed, Carlton admittedly made a wrong decision, and lost most of his stack. He was down to just a few rounds of blinds – with about 35,000 in chips out of 1,700,000 total chips in play. Then, mustering whatever energy and desire he lacked in previous tournaments, Carlton managed to win the next three big hands, doubled up several times, and drew back to even with his two adversaries. Later, Carlton overcame a 3 to 1 margin in heads-up play to seize the victory. Hence, in many ways this win was doubly satisfying.

This was the third gold ring event (out of 14 total) on this year’s WSOP Circuit schedule at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The $500 (+50) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 16th and 17th. The tournament attracted 166 entries. The top 18 finishers divided a prize pool totaling $80,510. After 156 players were eliminated on the first day, final table play began on a Saturday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion.

Carlton arrived at the Final Table with a slight chip advantage over Tommy Tran and Matthew Maley. But the wide distribution of chips and low blinds and antes meant everyone was within striking distance of the chip lead.

When Final Table play began at 2:00 pm, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Blake Dennison New Smyrna Beach, FL 200,000

2 Cesar Flores McAllen, TX 255,000

3 Mike Putaansuu Mission, TX 132,000

4 Matthew Maley Phoenix, AZ 214,500

5 Everett Carlton St. Paul, MN 299,000

6 Russell Rimer Edmonton, Alberta 95,000

7 Tommy Tran Las Vegas, NV 248,000

8 Mike Ashar Vermillion, OH 87,500

9 Mark Byczkiw Hamilton, Ontario 87,500

Final Table play lasted less than four hours and ended at 6:00 pm. Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Mike Ashar Goes Out Ninth
Mike Ashar, a 62-year-old attorney from Vermillion, OH went out quickly and ended up with $2,214 in prize money. This marked his sixth time to cash this year on the WSOP Circuit. It was also his third final table appearance, following second- and fourth-place finishes at Harrah’s Tunica in January. Ashar is a retired colonel in the Army Reserves.. He also owns a table of show horses.

Eighth Place: Mark Byczkiw Finishes Eighth
Mark Byczkiw, an English-born business owner now living in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada) was the eighth-place finisher. This marked his first time to cash in a WSOP Circuit tournament. He share of the prize pool amounted to $2,617.

Seventh Place: Russell Rimer Takes Seventh
Russell Rimer missed his airline flight back to Canada in order to play at this final table. He had originally planned to return home to Edmonton, Alberta but those plans were pleasantly interrupted by a final table commitment. Unfortunately, Rimer lasted only about an hour but revealed to everyone that he had a great time and was pleased to collect $3,220 in prize money. He started playing poker only about two years ago, and this was his first time to cash in a major poker tournament.

Sixth Place: Blake Dennison is Sixth
Blake Dennison, from New Smyrna Beach, FL cashed for the third consecutive year in a WSOP Circuit tournament at Caesars Palace. Following a 16th-place finish in 2008, and a 6th-place finish in 2009, Dennison again took sixth place. This time, he earned $4,026 for a fine effort.

Fifth Place: Mike Putaansuu Ends Up Fifth
Mike Putaansuu, a 60-year-old retiree originally from Massachusetts, but now living in Mission, TX was the fifth-place finisher. He is a retired major who served proudly in the U.S. Air Force. Putaansuu received a payout totaling $5,032.

Fourth Place: Tommy Tran Finishes Fourth
Tommy Tran, a 34-year-old poker pro from Las Vegas busted out in fourth place. He has several previous tournament accomplishments, including wins at the Wynn Poker Classic and a preliminary event in the North American Poker Tour tournament at the Venetian. In fact, this was his 28th time to cash in a live tournament, all of which have taken place within the past four years. Tran, who has accumulated nearly $300,000 in career earnings, added $6,441 to his poker bankroll.

Third Place: Matthew Maley Takes Third Place
Matthew Maley wanted to win, perhaps more than any other player. Immediately following his elimination, which took place when he lost with top pair (aces) to a set of fives, Maley stood up and shouted, “I wanted the ring, man! I didn’t care about the money. All I wanted was the ring!” It was not meant to be. Maley, a part-time poker player from Phoenix, AZ who works for Wells Fargo, collected $8,252 in prize money. An interesting side note about Maley: He was homeschooled and graduated from Arizona State University at the age of 18.

Second Place: Cesar Flores is Runner Up
When heads-up play began, Cesar Flores enjoyed slightly more than a 3 to 1 chip lead over Everett Carlton. About ten minutes into the duel, Carlton won a big hand and doubled up with AJ versus AT. The put the two finalists close to even in chips. Flores and Carlton battled back and forth for over an hour during which Carlton took command and gradually wore down his opponent with more aggressive play. Flores remarked that he went card dead late and simply could not call Carlton’s bets and raises, since he held bad cards.

Flores finally decided he’d had enough and decided to make his final stand when he was down by about a 3 to 1 margin. Flores was dealt Kh Jh. He raised all-in before the flop. Carlton called and tabled Ac 7c. Neither player caught a pair, which meant Carlton’s ace-high played after the final board showed: 8d 5d 2c 2d Th

The final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/PUEPW

The runner up was Cesar Flores, a 41-year-old teacher from McAllen, TX. Flores, who was born in Mexico hopes to become a full-time professional poker player someday. He has previously cashed in three WSOP events in Las Vegas. This was his best major tournament finish, to date. Flores earned $12,882 in prize money for his outstanding effort. Note: Flores was the second player from McAllen (Texas) in consecutive days to finish in the top three. His friend Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. (also from McAllen) finished in third place the previous day.

First Place: Everett Carlton Wins First Major!
Longtime poker tournament touring pro Everett Carlton finally reached a personal milestone with his first major championship victory. Carlton, who owns an insurance agency in his hometown of St. Paul, MN won $21,336 and his first gold ring at the most recent WSOP Circuit tournament held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Carlton says his next goal is to win a WSOP gold bracelet. But he also has plans to play more WSOP Circuit events, and perhaps win another gold ring.

An interview with Everett Carlton at tableside, moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/9DEZE

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th. This year’s schedule includes 14 gold ring events and 18 major tournaments, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, in addition to cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Palace Poker Room. This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. This is the tenth WSOP Circuit stop (of 11) of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Rincon, and Harrah’s St. Louis.

2010 Caesars Palace WSOP Circuit – Event 3 Final Results

2010 Caesars Palace WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Jim Pedulla – Poker Room Manager
Jed Wickers – Tournament Director
Mitch Dietze — Assistant Tournament Director

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #2
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 195
Total Prize Pool: $56,745
April 15-16, 2010

Final Results:

1 Nick Coukos Toronto, Ontario (Canada) $15,037

2 Anthony Ditomaso San Diego, CA $9,079

3 Ronaldo Rodriguez, Jr. McAllen, TX $5,816

4 Eugene Liu Atlanta, GA $4,540

5 Robert Betancourt Humble, TX $3,547

6 Mohammad Eshaghi Las Vegas, NV $2,837

7 Kevin Goode Farmington, CT $2,270

8 Craig Luedemann Minneapolis, MN $1,844

9 Richard Yelland Las Vegas, NV $1,560

10 Leonid Vernik   $1,277

11 Per Dahlin   $1,277

12 Ernest Rafanan   $1,277

13 David Odum   $1,135

14 Andre Welt   $1,135

15 Gary Brudner   $1,135

16 Stephen Massey   $993

17 Philip Bansen   $993

18 Dominique Jonvel   $993

Nick Coukos Wins WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Caesars Palace

Canadian Racetrack Executive from Toronto Achieves First Major Poker Tournament Victory in Tough Final Table Battle

Finale Lasts More Than Eight Hours

Las Vegas, NV – Nick Coukos’ first love may be horse racing. But following tonight’s latest World Series of Poker Circuit tournament, he is well on his way to becoming a poker aficionado. The 53-year-old executive who works at a Canadian racetrack just won his first Circuit gold ring ever, triumphing over 194 players at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. This was Coukos’ biggest tournament win yet, worth $15,037 in prize money. But money was the last thing on Coukos’ mind as he cradled the coveted gold ring, symbolizing a great moment of personal pride.

“I don’t do this for a living, although I love playing poker,” Coukos said moments after his victory. “Back in Canada, I run a quarterhorse track. I’ve also bee in the thoroughbred industry for a long time. So, winning something like this is really so special to me. It’s special to my family. My kids kept on texting me (tonight) to ‘bring back the ring,’ and I wanted to bring it back for the family. It’s something no one can take away from me for as long as I live.”

Indeed, Coukos is a manager at Ajax Downs, a quarterhorse racetrack located near Toronto. He lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Coukos, the proud father of two boys, called one of his sons afterward.

“I called my son at home, and I said, ‘I got the ring, I’m bringing it home,” Coukos stated, beaming with delight.

This was the second gold ring event on this year’s WSOP Circuit schedule at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 15th and 16th. The tournament attracted 195 entries. The top 18 finishers split up a prize pool containing $56,745. After 186 players were eliminated on the first day, Final Table play began on a Friday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion. The composition of money winners was unusual for a field of this size, as representatives from five different nations cashed – including Canada, Brazil, Sweden, France, and the United States.

Mohammad Eshaghi arrived at the Final Table with a decisive chip advantage over the remaining players. He enjoyed better than a 2 to 1 lead over his closest rivals, Eugene Liu and Nick Coukos. The remaining players were down by 3 to 1 margins or more. During most of the finale, Anthony Ditomaso – who ended up finishing in second place — sat with a low to average-sized stack. He made a big move when play became three-handed and had the chip lead when play was heads-up. But Nick Coukos won all the late decisive hands and earned the victory.

When Final Table play began at 2:15 pm, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Nick Coukos Richmond Hill, Canada 225,000

2 Eugene Liu Atlanta, GA 228,000

3 Robbie Betancourt Humble, TX 132,500

4 Kelvin “CK the Great” Goode Farmington, CT 170,000

5 Anthony Ditomaso San Diego, CA 43,500

6 Mohammad Eshaghi Las Vegas, NV 385,000

7 Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. McAllen, TX 103,500

8 Craig Luedemann Minneapolis, MN 105,000

9 Richard Yelland Las Vegas, NV 110,000

Final Table play lasted for nearly eight hours and ended at 10:00 pm. Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Richard Yelland Cashes Again
Richard Yelland does not enter many poker tournaments, but when he does, he often cashes. The 74-year-old retiree from Las Vegas has now finished in-the-money in four of the last five major tournaments he has played. Yelland made it to the final table at an event held last month at Harrah’s Rincon (San Diego), and repeated that feat again here at Caesars Palace with a ninth-place showing in this tournament. Yelland now has four cashes this year in WSOP Circuit events. Ninth place paid $1,560.

Eighth Place: Luedemann Takes Eighth
Craig Luedemann, from Minneapolis, MN ended up as the eighth-place finisher. He had previously cashed in seven other tournaments, but this was his first in-the-money finish in a WSOP-related event. Luedemann collected $1,844 in prize money.

Seventh Place: “CK the Great” Makes Another Final Table
“CK the Great,” a.k.a. Kelvin Goode from Farmington, CT made his second final table in a month, finishing in seventh place here at Caesars Palace. He took ninth-place in an event held at Harrah’s Rincon, as well as 12th place last week in the WSOP Circuit event held at Harrah’s St. Louis. Unfortunately, Goode has not been able to go deep at a final table yet, due to some brutal bad beats late in the tournament. Nonetheless, Goode is having a very good year in tournament poker. This marked his sixth time to cash at a major event in 2010. Seventh place paid $2,270.

Sixth Place: Early Chip Leader Eshaghi Ends Up Sixth
Mohammad Eshaghi held onto his chip advantage for about three hours before losing a few big pots and exiting in sixth place. After Eshaghi lost much of his stack with AQ against AA midway through the finale, he went out a few minutes later with mixed feelings about his finish. Eshaghi, a Las Vegas taxi driver, received a payout worth $2,837.

Fifth Place: Texan Takes Fifth
Robbie Betancourt, a poker pro from the Houston area finished in fifth place. He was eliminated with A9 against AQ. Betancourt flopped an ace, but was outkicked and lost the hand. This marked his second final table appearance in a WSOP Circuit event. Betancourt took eighth place two years ago in a Circuit tournament at Harrah’s New Orleans. For this finish, he collected $3,547.

Fourth Place: First WSOP Tournament Yields Fourth-Place Finish for Liu
Eugene Liu entered a WSOP Circuit event for the first time and defied expectations with an impressive fourth-place finish. He had a decent-sized stack much of the way, but busted late with AT against QQ. Liu, who lives in Atlanta, had previously played a few events in Las Vegas. But this was his best tournament finish ever. Liu received a nice payout totaling $4,550.

Third Place: Rodriguez Finishes Third
Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr., a 26-year-old poker pro from McAllen, TX played well, but went out in third place when he lost a race with 33 against A8. An 8 flopped, eliminating Rodriguez. Nevertheless, he could certainly be proud of his accomplishment, which netted a payout worth $5,816. This was Rodriguez’ second time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event. He took eighth place in a tournament held at Bally’s Las Vegas during the WSOP Circuit first season back in 2005. Rodriguez also noted that his father passed away recently, but encouraged his son to pursue his dream as an aspiring poker pro.

Second Place: Ditomaso Agrees to Second Place
When heads-up play began, Anthony Ditomaso held onto a slight chip lead, with about 850,000 in chips against Nick Coukos with about 600,000. But Coukos could do no wrong in the final matchup, which ended about 20 minutes after the duel began. Coukos won every key pot and agreed to a deal with his final adversary. Both players agreed Coukos would be credited with the victory. At the time the deal was made, Coukos enjoyed a huge chip lead, holding about a 12 to 1 margin over Ditomaso. There was no official final hand and Coukos was declared the winner.

The runner up was Ditomaso, a semi-pro poker player from San Diego, CA. In some way, he was the biggest winner overall, since he began Day Two with the second-lowest stack. Ditomaso outlasted all but one player en route to a very nice payday. This was his third time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event. He finished 12th in an event held last month at Harrah’s Rincon. Ditomaso also cashed in last year’s WSOP in Las Vegas. His official payout amounted to $9,079.

First Place: Coukos Wins Victory Down the Homestretch
Nick Coukos was declared the winner following a tough final table which lasted more than eight hours. He later described the experience as the toughest final table he had ever played.

“The last five players at the final table were all fantastic players,” he said. “(They were the) best players I have ever played against at a final table….”

Coukos absolutely dominated play late and reached a deal resulting in an official payout totaling $15,037. This was Couko’s first time to cash in a WSOP-related event and marked his first gold ring victory.

An interview with Nick Coukos at tableside, just moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/F6SLE

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th. This year’s schedule includes 14 gold ring events and 18 major tournaments, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, in addition to cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Palace Poker Room. This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. This is the tenth WSOP Circuit stop (of 11) of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Rincon, and Harrah’s St. Louis.

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit – Event #2 Final Results

2010 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Jim Pedulla – Poker Room Manager
Jed Wickers – Tournament Director
Mitch Dietze — Assistant Tournament Director