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World Series of Poker Circuit Western Regional Championship Final Table

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

WSOP Circuit Western Regional Championship
Final Table — Fact Sheet

This is the first-ever WSOP Circuit Western Regional Championship. There are four Regional Championships played this season. The Northern Regional took place in Chicago, last October. The Eastern Regional took place in Atlantic City, last December. The Western Regional takes place in San Diego. The Southern Regional will take place in New Orleans, in May.

The 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit season concludes with the inaugural National Championship, which will be played at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The National Championship takes place May 27-29, 2011. The National Championship is limited to only 100 qualifiers. Those qualifiers earn seats various ways at each WSOP Circuit stop.

There are four ways to qualify for the 100 open seats into the National Championship. The first way is to win any of the WSOP Circuit $1,500 buy-in Main Event Championships. The second way is to win the best all-around player point-race at any WSOP Circuit stop. The third way is to make to the final table (nine seats) at any Regional Championship. The fourth way is to accumulate enough points on a national leaderboard during the course of the 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit season.

The National Championship field of participants includes the top nine finishers from each Regional Championship. Hence, the nine players who appear at the final table of the Western Regional Championship are automatically guaranteed a seat into the season-ending National Championship.

The National Championship will include a $1 million prize pool. In addition, the winner receives a WSOP gold bracelet. This is the first time in history a WSOP gold bracelet has directly been tied in to the WSOP Circuit.

The Western Regional Championship takes place at the Harrah’s Rincon Resort and Casino. Harrah’s Rincon is located near Valley Center, CA – which is about 40 miles north of San Diego. The resort is located on tribal land owned by the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians. Rincon means “roadrunner.”

All Regional Championships in addition to the National Championship will be nationally-televised. Tournament coverage will be broadcast at later dates on the Versus Network. Dates and times will be announced at WSOP.COM.

Harrah’s Rincon is the tenth of 15 total stops this season on the WSOP Circuit. However, only four of the stops include a Regional Championship – including Harrah’s Rincon (San Diego).

Harrah’s Rincon is one of only three venues which have hosted a WSOP Circuit stop during each of all seven seasons. The other two venues are Harvey’s Lake Tahoe and Harrah’s Atlantic City.

……………

The Western Regional Championship is a $10,000 (+300) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament. The tournament attracted a total of 98 entries. The total prize pool amounts to $940,800.

The winner will receive $282,242 in prize money. He/she will also be awarded a WSOP Circuit gold and diamond ring, which is the ultimate symbol of achievement for winning any WSOP Circuit event. However, the Regional Championship ring is extra special, since it also has diamonds (the other even rings are made of gold).

All players who cashed in this event were guaranteed at least $19,653 in prize money.

The tournament was played over four consecutive days, from May 27-30. The first three days were played inside the Bordeaux Ballroom, located on the second floor at Harrah’s Rincon. The Bordeaux Ballroom is located adjacent to the poker room. The final table (Day Four) was played inside the more spacious Palladium Ballroom, which normally hosts some of the top acts in music and entertainment.

Among those who entered the tournament were former WSOP Main Event champions Phil Hellmuth (1989), Carlos Mortensen (2001), and Jerry Yang (2007).

Other former WSOP gold bracelet winners who participated were Daniel Negreanu, Eric Seidel, Eric Froehlich (E-Fro), Scott Montgomery, David Williams, and Kathy Liebert.

At least two recent WSOP Main Event final table “November Nine” players played in this event, including Scott Montgomery (5th place in 2008) and Joseph Cheong (3rd place in 2010).

Neither of the two “stars” from the Harrah’s Rincon series entered the Regional Championship. Mstr Lynch (Lewisville, TX), winner of two gold rings and best all-around player, did not play. Moreover, Seneca Easley (Ft. Worth, TX), who won the $1,500 buy-in Main Event Championship, did not enter.

Players from Texas won four of the ten preliminary events held prior to the start of the Regional Championships. Lynch won two events. Easley won another. A fourth gold ring was won by Justin “Choctaw” Kruger (Denison, TX).

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The 14th-place finisher was poker superstar Daniel Negreanu. He was one player off the “bubble.” Negreanu suffered a brutal run during his last 90 minutes in the tournament, falling from among the chip leaders to the rail within a relatively short time frame.

The dreaded bubble finisher was Kyle Bowker, from Walton, NY. For 13th place, Bowker received little more than sympathy (and no prize money). He endured a brutal beat on his final hand. Bowker was all-in holding pocket nines. He flopped a nine, which was good for a set against Dana Kellstom’s pocket aces. With one card to come, an ace hit the board, giving Kellstrom a higher set (trip aces). It was a tough way to exit for Bowker after playing excellent poker over nearly three days.

Finishing in 10th, 11th, and 12th places respectively were – Kwinsee Tran, Alejandro Garcia, and Joe Parker.

Alejandro Garcia (11th place) is from Mexicali, Mexico. Despite close proximity to the U.S., relatively few players from Mexico have played in major poker tournaments over the years. However, more Mexican players are now participating in WSOP-related tournaments. WSOP gold bracelets have been won by only two Mexican players in history.

The “final table bubble” has added significance in this tournament. Normally, the prize money jump between ninth and tenth place is not a huge factor which influences play. However, in the case of the Regional Championship, a guaranteed seat in the WSOP Circuit National Championship was at stake. Since only the top nine finishers earned seats into the $1 million season-ending contest, ten-handed play lasted longer than expected. Furthermore, since television was involved, players who made the final nine had additional potential sponsorship money. This contributed to a tense atmosphere at the end of Day Three and a huge advantage for the larger stacks who were able to increase their advantages over the players with smaller stacks.

The final table bubble finisher (10th place) was Kwinsee Tran, from Orange County, CA. He had been the chip leader coming into Day Three. Instead, he settled for tenth place and a $19,653 payout. Tran won his way into this tournament via a mega-satellite.

……………

There are nine players remaining in the tournament, which makes up the official final table. Play begins Wednesday, March 30th at noon PST and will conclude when the winner has been determined.

In Seat One is Dwyte Pilgrim, from Brooklyn, NY. He has a chance to tie the all-time record for most career WSOP Circuit wins. Pilgrim, who now owns three gold rings, can win a fourth gold ring with a victory. That would tie him with Mark “Pegasus” Smith and Men “the Master” Nguyen. Pilgrim won the Main Event at Harrah’s Rincon two years ago. Pilgrim was declared he unofficial WSOP Circuit “Player of the Year” in 2009, which was his breakthrough year in tournament poker. Pilgrim comes to the final table ranked third in chips, with 408,000.

In Seat Two is Miller Dao, from Maricopa, CA. He was born in Vietnam. Dao is a police officer. He has cashed in preliminary WSOP Circuit gold ring events at Harrah’s Rincon as well as tournaments at the Deep Stack Extravaganza, at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Dao has a big hill to climb at the player ranked eighth in chips out of nine players, with 99,000.

In Seat Three is David Peters, from Rancho Santa Fe, CA. He is a 50-year-old attorney. Peters has a few small tournament wins. This would be his biggest career victory to date, should he win this event. Peters starts play ranked second in chips, with 437,000.

In Seat Four is Ali Eslami, from Los Angeles, CA. He was among the chip leaders during most of Day Three, but now comes to the final table with a slightly above average stack. At 395,000 in chips, he currently ranks fourth in the chip count. Eslami is primarily a cash-game player, but has also enjoyed some success in tournaments. He final tabled the HORSE event at the 2007 WSOP. Eslami has also defeated a poker bot, in a widely-celebrated match against a programmed player created by the University of Alberta, in Canada.

In Seat Five is D.J. Blanchard, originally from Augusta, GA and now residing in Las Vegas, NV. He is a 22-year-old professional poker player. He is one semester away from graduating from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Blanchard comes to the final table ranked fifth in chips, with 271,000.

In Seat Six is Tim West, the chip leader. He has 843,000 in chips, which is almost double the stack of his closest challenger. West is from San Francisco, CA. He is a 35-year-old professional poker player. West is coming off a huge victory in the Wynn Classic (Las Vegas) Main Event Championship, which took place about a week prior to the start of this tournament.

In Seat Seven is Dylan Wilkerson, from San Francisco, CA. He is a 26-year-old poker pro. Wilkerson graduated from UC-Berkley. He has the biggest challenge of anyone at the final table, currently with 89,000 in chips – which is the shortest stack.

In Seat Eight is Steve Brecher, from Reno, NV. He is a 65-year-old computer software programmer and marketer who holds a degree from Stanford University. Brecher now plays regularly on the poker tournament circuit. He won a World Poker Tour Championship a few years ago. Brecher is also an accomplished aviator, who flies regularly. He come to the final table with 246,000 in chips, which places him currently in sixth place.

In Seat Nine is Dana Kellstrom, from Stevenson Ranch, CA. He is a 47-year-old poker player and entrepreneur. Kellstrom entered eight events at last year’s WSOP in Las Vegas, and cashed in three of them. He is married and has four children. Kellstrom starts play at the final table with 147,000, which places him seventh in the chip count.

Play will resume at Level 20. There are 11 minutes remaining at this level. Blinds are 3,000-6,000 with a 1,000 ante.

Live tournament coverage can be seen at WSOP.COM. Updates begin Wednesday at noon.

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2011 Harrah’s Rincon Western Regional Championship Day 2 Update

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

WSOP CIRCUIT WESTERN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP REACHES MIDWAY POINT

DANIEL NEGREANU AMONG 18 PLAYERS STILL ALIVE

Valley Center, CA — The World Series of Poker Circuit Western Regional Championship continued at Harrah’s Rincon (San Diego) with the play and conclusion of Day Two.

The $10,000 (+300) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 98 entries. The total prize pool amounts to $940,800. The top 12 finishers will collect prize money. Turnout was about the same number of players (99) who participated in last year’s $5,000 buy-in Main Event Championship, held at Harrah’s Rincon. Even though the buy-in for this event doubled from last year, the field size remained constant.

The Western Regional Championship winner will collect $282,242 in prize money. The winner also receives a special gold and diamond ring, which is the ultimate prize for victory at a WSOP Circuit event. The top nine finishers will each earn prepaid seats (valued at $10,000) into the 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit National Championship, to be played at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, coming in May. The first tournament of its kind will award a WSOP gold bracelet to the winner.

Day Two of the four-day tournament at Harrah’s Rincon began with 61 players out of the starting field of 98. By day’s end, only 18 survived. Among those eliminated were former WSOP Main Event champions Phil Hellmuth and Carlos Mortensen.

The end of Day Two chip leader is Kwinsee Khoa Tran, from Orange County, CA. He satellited into the tournament and has a chance to turn a small investment into more than a quarter-million dollar payday. In second place is three-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner and popular up-and-coming star Dwyte Pilgrim. Other well-known players still alive include Daniel Negreanu, Scott Montgomery, and others.

Here is a list of players still in contention for the Western Regional Championship.

Note: Players are listed by NAME, HOMETOWN, CHIP COUNT, TABLE/SEAT (DAY TWO):

Kwinsee Khoa Tran Orange County, CA 269,100 15 6
Dwyte Pilgrim Brooklyn, NY 236,500 14 6
Ali Eslami Los Angeles, CA 227,500 15 1
Tim West Los Altos, CA 216,900 15 2
David Peters Rancho Sante Fe, CA 200,500 14 8
Joe Parker Livonia, MI 200,000 14 5
Miller Dao Maricopa, AZ 186,600 15 3
Daniel Negreanu Las Vegas, NV 173,800 15 5
Kyle Bowler Walton, NY 168,100 14 1
Dylan Wilkerson San Francisco, CA 166,000 15 7
Dana Kellstrom Stevenson Ranch, CA 164,600 14 4
Steve Brecher Reno, NV 157,900 14 3
D.J. Blanchard Las Vegas, NV 140,700 14 7
Romik Vartear Los Angeles, CA 139,000 15 4
Todd Terry Hoboken, NJ 108,600 15 8
Scott Montgomery Ottawa, ON (Canada) 103,100 14 2
Alejandro Javier Garcia Mexicali, Mexico 59,000 15 9
Jesse Martin Northboro, MA 18,500 14 9

Note: Plays resumes with 44 minutes remaining in Level 16.

The Harrah’s Rincon Resort-Casino is located about 45-minutes from Downtown San Diego. This marks the seventh consecutive season that Harrah’s Rincon has hosted a WSOP Circuit stop.

The final table will be nationally-televised on the Versus Network. This is the third of four WSOP Circuit Regional Championships. The first two televised events took place in Chicago (North) and Atlantic City (East). The final Regional Championship will take place at Harrah’s New Orleans (South) in mid-May.

Live updates from Harrah’s Rincon can be seen here at WSOP.COM starting at noon on Tuesday. Play on Day Three will continue until the final table of nine players is reached. Final table play will begin on Wednesday.

Nolan Dalla
Media Director — World Series of Poker
Las Vegas, Nevada

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Main Event Championship Final Results

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Main Event Championship
Event #12
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $5,000 (+150)
Total Entries: 70
Total Prize Pool: $328,500
March 29-30, 2010

Final Results:

1 Bryan Devonshire Henderson, NV $114,975

2 Daniel Schreiber Troy, OH $72,270

3 Howard “Tahoe” Andrew Walnut Creek, CA $49,275

4 John Farrell Imperial Beach, CA $32,850

5 Ron Segni El Cajon, CA $26,280

6 Michael McClain Davis, CA $19,710

7 Daniel Burke Aurora, CO $13,140

Bryan Devonshire Wins WSOP Circuit Championship at Harrah’s Rincon

Las Vegas Poker Pro Takes $114,000 Top Prize in San Diego

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Main Event Championship Winner Bryan Devonshire

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Main Event Championship Winner Bryan Devonshire

Valley Center, CA – Bryan Devonshire has been playing in World Series of Poker-related events for nearly seven years. He has cashed six times. The first two times Devonshire finished in-the-money, he took second place on both occasions. The prize money Devonshire earned in those tournaments was impressive, but finishing second comes nowhere close to the thrill of actually winning. Even though Devonshire has earned more than $1 million in live poker tournaments since then, until the latest WSOP Circuit championship here in San Diego, he had not won anything associated with the WSOP.

That all changed today at the Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort. Devonshire earned his breakthrough victory and won Rincon’s 2010 WSOPC Circuit Main Event Championship. He collected top prize worth $114,975. Devonshire was also presented with his first gold and diamond ring, commemorating the victory. He was also presented with a $10,000 seat into the WSOP Main Event, coming up in July.

Devonshire is a 28-year-old poker pro. He is originally from Arcadia, CA but now lives in Las Vegas. Devonshire is also known as “Devo” in poker circles. His live tournament winnings now total more than $1.1 million.

The $5,000 (+150) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament won by Devonshire was played over two consecutive days during March 29-30, 2010. The tournament began with 70 players. All but the final nine players were eliminated on Day One. Final Table play began on a Tuesday afternoon.

Wei Kai Chang arrived at the Final Table with the chip lead. He finished as the runner up in the Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit championship held back in 2006. However, Chang shocked everyone in the Palladium Ballroom, the site of the tournament, by losing his stack very quickly. He exited in ninth place just short of a payout. The Final Table included two former WSOP gold bracelet winners – Dan Schreiber and Howard “Tahoe” Andrew. The final nine players also included one former WSOP Circuit gold ring winner – Daniel Burke. Devonshire, the eventual winner, began play in second place. He never had the chip lead until very late in the tournament when he won a decisive hand against the runner up Dan Schreiber.

When Final Table play began at 12:15 pm, the nine finalists had to eliminate two players before they were officially declared in-the-money. Only seven players were paid. The Final Table players and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Ron Segni San Diego, CA 97,800

2 Wei Kai Chang San Carlos, CA 194,200

3 Darryn “Eastside” Hardin Bellport, NY 79,800

4 Daniel Burke Denver, CO 158,400

5 Dan Schreiber San Diego, CA 142,400

6 Howard “Tahoe” Andrew Walnut Creek, CA 69,000

7 Mike McClain Mike McClain 52,800

8 John Farrell San Diego, CA 117,700

9 Bryan Devonshire Las Vegas, NV 145,800

Final Table player introductions can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/9WECU

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Chang Banged
Wei Kai Chang lost all of his chips in three critical hands and exited in ninth place, just short of a payout. Chang, who finished second in the 2006 WSOP Circuit Main Event championship won by Darrell Dicken, was two spots from the money when he was eliminated.

Eighth Place: Hard Times for Hardin
Darryn “Eastside” Hardin was making his second Final Table appearance at this year’s Rincon series. But he busted out in the worst possible position, becoming the infamous “bubble” finisher. Hardin took a bad beat on his final hand and was visibly frustrated as he departed the tournament room.

Seventh Place: Burke Broke
Daniel Burke, a 55-year-old commercial real estate developer from Denver, CO edged his way into the money, finishing in seventh place. Burke was low on chips when play became seven-handed. Me moved all-win with Ks Qc. John Farrell called with Ac Jh. Neither player made a pair, which meant Farrell’s ace-high played with a board showing 7c 3d 2s 3h 9c. So Burke had to settle for a nice payout totaling $13,140. Burke won his WSOP Circuit gold ring back in 2005 in the Pot-Limit Omaha tournament held at Bally’s Las Vegas. He has also made numerous other final tables at events in Los Angeles, the Bahamas, Australia, the UK, and elsewhere.

Sixth Place: Agony of Defeat for McClain
Mike McClain now has more than $800,000 in career tournament earnings. But he is still perhaps best known for being the eternal “agony of defeat” persona at the 2003 WSOP, in juxtaposition to winner Chris Moneymaker’s “thrill of victory.” ESPN ran McClain’s painful moment of elimination countless times as part of the WSOP promo. Unfortunately, McClain suffered a similar moment in this tournament when took Ad 7c up against Bryan Devonshire’s Ac 8h. McClain was dominated throughout the hand. He did manage to catch a seven on the river, good for a pair. But four hearts on board gave Devonshire a heart flush. The final board showed 3c 3h 2h 4h 7h, which eliminated McClain in sixth place. This marked his third time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event. He finished fourth in last year’s Harvey’s Lake Tahoe championship. McClain has also cashed at the WSOP in Las Vegas four times. He collected $19,710 in prize money.

Fifth Place: Another Nice Finish for Segni
Ron Segni, a general contractor from El Cajon, CA has done very well at Harrah’s Rincon in recent years. This marked his third time to cash at this year’s Rincon series. He also cashed three times in 2009 and now has nine in-the-money finishes in WSOP Circuit events. His best showing was second place in an event back in 2008. This time, Segni had a chance to win a breakthrough victory but came up short when his Ah 8s was run down by Dan Schneider’s Jh 8h. Schneider ended up making runner-runner flush when the board came Ks 9c Th 2h 9h. That put Segni out in fifth place with $26,280.

Fourth Place: Farrell Fourth
John Farrell, a business owner from San Diego, CA has now made it to the Rincon championship Final Table two straight years. He came in eighth place last year. Farrell improved on that performance this time, but ultimately went out in fourth place when his Ad 8c lost to Dan Schreiber’s Ac Kd. The final board showed As 6s 4d 4c Kc, which meant Schreiber held the better kicker. Farrell ended up taking fourth place and $32,850.

Third Place: Just Like the Good Old Days for “Tahoe”
Howard “Tahoe” Andrew currently holds the record as the person who has played more consecutive WSOP years than any other player. His record of participation dates back to 1974. “Tahoe, now age 75, won two WSOP gold bracelets back in 1976 and has cashed in the WSOP Main Event four times. Today, “Tahoe” remains a fixture on the tournament circuit and at many WSOP Circuit events around the country. This marked his first WSOP Circuit championship Final Table. He ultimately ran low on chips late and went out with Qs Td against Dan Schreiber’s Ac 9c. The final board showed Kc 7s 6c 2h 5d, giving Schreiber the pot with an ace-high. Meanwhile, “Tahoe” had to settle for a very respectable third-place finish playing against rivals who were young enough to be his grandchildren. Howard “Tahoe” Andrew collected $49,275 in prize money in his best WSOP Circuit championship ever.

Second Place: Second of Schreiber
Dan Schreiber appeared to be well on his way to victory. The 24-year-old San Diego poker pro led virtually the entire last half of the tournament. But Schreiber lost a crippling hand late against Devonshire, which left him low on chips and at a big disadvantage. After Schreiber lost most of his chips holding top pair (the hand can be seen in the video clip below), he went out just two hands later. Schreiber, the winner of the Heads-Up championship at the 2006 WSOP in Las Vegas where he earned $425,000, added $72,270 to his poker bankroll as the runner up in this event.

The last five minutes, including the final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/ITEDP

First Place: Devonshire Wins Gold Ring
Bryan Devonshire staged a late rally after being behind the chip leader during the entire final table. Devonshire was never seriously low on chips. Despite the outcome, he later acknowledged his final opponent was a superior heads-up play, which caused him to adjust his strategy. Devonshire decided to take a few added risks in heads-up play, which paid off handsomely, to the tune of $114,975. This was Devonshire’s first WSOP-related victory and first gold ring win.

An interview with champion Bryan Devonshire at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/BZKZR

Devonshire becomes the sixth champion at Harrah’s Rincon and joins previous WSOP Circuit Main Event winners:

2005 – Chris “Jesus” Ferguson
2006 – Darrell Dicken
2007 – Peter Feldman
2008 – Mike Pickett
2009 – Dwyte Pilgrim
2010 – Bryan Devonshire

This marks the sixth straight year that Harrah’s Rincon has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. It is one of only three Harrah’s resorts which hosted a WSOP Circuit every year. This is the eighth WSOP Circuit stop of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, and Caesars Atlantic City. Three WSOP Circuit events remain this season – Harrah’s St. Louis, Caesars Atlantic City, and Harrah’s New Orleans.

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Main Event Championship Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Rincon

Janet Beronio – General Manager
Robert Livingston – Assistant General Manager and VP of Operations
Jill Barrett – VP of Finance
Lee Torres – Director of Marketing
John Sebastian – Director of Casino Operations
Michelle Becker – Table Games Supervisor
Elizabeth Liemandt – Public Relations Manager
Alexia Alsop – Poker Room Manager
Tom Mendenhall – Table Games Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld – Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit No Limit Holdem Championship Day 1

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon
Event 12
End of Day One Standings
Buy-In $5,000 (+150)
Game No-Limit Hold’em Championship
Number of Entries 70
Net Prize Pool $328,500
First Place Prize $114,975
Places Paid 7
Players Remaining 9

End of Day One Standings:

Seat 1 Ron Segni 97,800

Seat 2 Weikai Chang 194,200

Seat 3 Darryn Hardin 79,800

Seat 4 Daniel Burke 158,400

Seat 5 Dan Schreiber 142,400

Seat 6 Howard “Tahoe” Andrew 69,000

Seat 7 Mike McClain 52,800

Seat 8 John Farrell 117,700

Seat 9 Bryan Devonshire 145,800

Prize Money:

1st $114,975
2nd 72,270
3rd 49,275
4th 32,850
5th 26,280
6th 19,710
7th 13,140

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #10 Final Results

Monday, March 29th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Event #10
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,000 (+80)
Total Entries: 105
Total Prize Pool: $101,850
March 27-28, 2010

Final Results:

1 Michael Kaplitz San Diego, CA $29,433

2 Bernie Yang Atlanta, GA $19,942

3 Jason Smith Chandler, AZ $13,302

4 Paul Koks Houston, TX $9,503

5 Ron Segni El Cajon, CA $7,598

6 Darryn Hardin Bellport, NY $5,704

7 Mario Delis Bakersfield, CA $3,799

8 David Powers San Diego, CA $3,086

9 Jason Thornhill Spring, TX $2,607

10 Ronald Jenkins Los Angeles, CA $2,292

11 Todd Wilson Granite Bay, CA $2,292

12 Daniel Lee San Diego, CA $2,292

Michael Kaplitz Takes Gold Ring

San Diego Businessman Wins WSOP Circuit Title at Harrah’s Rincon

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #10 Winner Michael Kaplitz

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #10 Winner Michael Kaplitz

Valley Center, CA – The final World Series of Poker Circuit preliminary tournament held before the championship ended today with Michael Kaplitz taking the gold ring and a $29,433 cash prize for first place. He overcame a highly-competitive field and won his biggest tournament payout ever, after six years of cashes in various poker tournaments held throughout Southern California.

Oddly enough, Kaplitz almost did not play in this tournament. He was talked into entering the event yesterday by his wife. Kaplitz signed up at the last minute urged on by his wife, who later joined him near the Final Table lending her enthusiastic support. Kaplitz did not disappoint her and the friends who came to cheer, pulling off a masterful performance at the final table, which was aided by a bit of good fortune on the final fateful hand. He ultimately defeated Bernie Yang, who ended up finishing second in the tournament, and came close to winning his second WSOP Circuit title within a week’s time.

The latest poker champion Kaplitz is a 48-year-old businessman from San Diego. He owns a sourcing business, which assists companies who are engaged in trade with China. Kaplitz essentially aids American companies who want to import goods and brokers deals which enhance free trade between the two nations. But Kaplitz ended up using his skills and instincts in quite a different way in what turned out to be his first WSOP-related victory.

The $1,000 (+80) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament won by Kaplitz was played over two consecutive days during March 27-28, 2010. The tournament began with 105 players. All but the final nine players were eliminated on Day One. Final Table play began on a Sunday afternoon. There was only one former WSOPC gold ring winner among the final nine – Bernie Yang, who won his first WSOPC title five days ago here at Harrah’s Rincon. Also of note was the presence of Ron Segni, who was making his third Final Table appearance at this year’s Rincon series (the only player with three, so far this year).

Jason Smith arrived at the Final Table holding a decisive chip advantage. In fact, he was ahead nearly 2 to 1 over his closest rival, Bernie Yang. All other players were down by a 2.5 to 1 margin or more. Eventual winner Kaplitz started off in fourth place, but seized the chip lead about midway into the finale. 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 David Powers San Diego, CA 51,800

2 Jason Smith Chandler, AZ 252,500

3 Bernie Yang San Diego, CA 154,000

4 Darryn Hardin Bellport, NY 133,000

5 Mike Kaplitz San Diego, CA 95,000

6 Paul Koks Houston, TX 39,000

7 Ron Segni El Cajon, CA 26,000

8 Jason Thornhill, CA Spring, TX 46,000

9 Mario Delis Bakersfield, CA 40,000

Final Table player introductions can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/578CD

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Texan Rides Off in the Sunset
Jason Thornhill, a 27-year-old poker pro from Spring, TX went out about 30 minutes into the finale. He was short-stacked and moved all-in with Ac 4c. Michael Kaplitz called the raise and showed Ah Qs. The flop all but ended Thornhill’s hope when a queen fell. The board ran Kd Qh 8s 6h 9h giving Kaplitz the pot. Thornhill, who also made it to a WSOPC Final Table in Tunica two months ago, earned $2,607 this time for his ninth-place finish.

Eighth Place: Powers Loses Power
David Powers, who operates a rehab clinic (www.abcsoberliving.com) in San Diego, CA went out a short time later with Ah 9h, which ran into Bernie Yang’s Jc Jd. Powers picked up some extra outs with a straight draw as the hand progressed, but failed to connect when the board came 4s 4c 2h 3d Ts. Thus, Powers ended up with $3,086 and eighth place.

Seventh Place: Delis Dominated
Mario Delis, a farm labor contractor from Bakersfield, CA came in with a low stack and survived about 90 minutes before exiting with a weak hand. He tried to steal a round of blinds and antes holding Qc 7d. Bernie Yang was in the blind and made the call with Kh Qs. Delis was dominated and failed to improve as the final board showed 6s 6h 5d 9d Jc. Delis ended up taking seventh place, which paid $3,799. This was quite an accomplishment since this was Delis’ first time to play in a major poker tournament.

Sixth Place: New Yorker Takes Brutal Beat
Darryn “Eastside” Hardin appeared headed for a double up on what turned out to be his final hand of the tournament. He was dealt As Kd. He was all-in against Jason Smith, who held Ah 6h. Things looked good for Eastide until the river, when a six fell, making two pair for his opponent. The final board showed Ac Qd 4s 7d 6c, which put the business owner out in sixth place. Eastside previously made it to a WSOP Circuit Final Table in Atlantic City, where he finished fourth. He collected $5,704 in prize money here at San Diego.

Fifth Place: Ron Segni is Only Player to Make Three Final Tables
Ron Segni, a general contractor from El Cajon, CA made it to his third final table this year, but could finish no higher than fifth place. He was low on chips and survived a number of all-ins before finally going out when he lost a race. Segni was dealt 3c 3d on his final hand. He faced Michael Kaplitz, who showed Ac Qh, Kaplitz caught a queen on the turn and won the hand when the board ran 9d 7h 5d Qc 2d. Segni earned $7,598 in prize money.

Fourth Place: Attorney Disbarred
Paul A. Koks, an attorney from Houston, TX made it all the way to fourth place, nursing a short stack for nearly four hours en route to a $9,503 payday. He finally ran so low on chips he had to commit with a weak hand, which ended up losing to pocket fours. This was only the third tournament Koks has entered and marked his first time to cash.

Third Place: Jason Smith Takes Third After Wicked Beat
Jason Smith, from Chandler, AZ had a good chance to win, and might have done so were it not for a brutal beat late in the tournament. Smith was dealt Ad 9h on his final hand against Michael Kaplitz’s Ah 2h. After an ace flopped, both players were both committed with top pair. Smith was all-in with the best kicker. But a deuce on the river shattered Smith’s shot of victory. The final board showed As Qh 3c 6s 2c, which gave Kaplitz two pair. Meanwhile, Smith – who now has four WSOPC cashes in the past two years – added $13,302 to his poker bankroll.

Second Place: Another Impressive Showing for Yang
Bernie Yang came very close to winning his second WSOPC gold bracelet this week. The winner of the $550 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event which ended last Tuesday was within just a card of taking another title. The Georgia Tech grad who grew up in Taiwan and is now living in San Diego as part of an internship in a Ph.D. program, had to settle for second place, which paid $19,942.

Heads-up play lasted about 40 minutes. When the final duo began play, Kaplitz enjoyed nearly a 2 to 1 chip advantage. But Yang gradually drew close to even. Then, Kaplitz won what was unquestionably the biggest hand of the tournament, when he made a full house versus Yang’s two pair. The fateful hand came when Yang was dealt Jd 9h. Kaplitz was dealt Qd Qh. After the flop came Js 9s 8h, Yang moved all-in holding two pair. Kaplitz called with his overpair. The 8s came on the turn, reversing the advantage in Kaplitz’s favor with two higher pair. The Qc fell on the river, which was an exclamation point of victory, giving Kaplitz a full house and the title.

The final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/7C89F

First Place: King Kaplitz
San Diego businessman Michael Kaplitz won his biggest payday ever with a resounding victory in the latest WSOP Circuit event held at Harrah’s Rincon. He collected first-place prize money totaling $29,433, in addition to his first gold ring, the ultimate prize given to winners of WSOP Circuit events. Kaplitz has plans to parlay this victory into even bigger things. He says he will play in the Harrah’s Rincon Championship, which begins tomorrow.

An interview with champion Kaplitz at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/87F69

The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Rincon continues through March 31st. This year’s schedule includes 12 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 Rincon Poker Room. This marks the sixth straight year that Harrah’s Rincon has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. It is one of only three Harrah’s resorts which hosted a WSOP Circuit every year. This is the eighth WSOP Circuit stop of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, and Caesars Atlantic City.

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #10 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Rincon

Janet Beronio – General Manager
Robert Livingston – Assistant General Manager and VP of Operations
Jill Barrett – VP of Finance
Lee Torres – Director of Marketing
John Sebastian – Director of Casino Operations
Michelle Becker – Table Games Supervisor
Elizabeth Liemandt – Public Relations Manager
Alexia Alsop – Poker Room Manager
Tom Mendenhall – Table Games Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld – Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Ladies Championship Final Results

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Event #11
Ladies Championship
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $100 (+25)
Total Entries: 242
Total Prize Pool: $23,474
March 27-28, 2010

Final Results:

1 Susan Rhodes Las Vegas, NV $5,993

2 Leah Wasicka Loveland, CO $3,667

3 Victoria Quach La Mesa, CA $2,601

4 Brenda Cobian Vista, CA $1,857

5 Naomi Takaya Santa Barbara, CA $1,486

6 Melissa Nelson Arcadia, CA $1,115

7 Laura Bryant Upland, CA $744

8 Debra Williams Oceanside, CA $603

9 Elinore Schneider San Diego, CA $512

10 Sharel Valdez Vista, CA $448

11 Tammy Hammer Long Beach, CA $448

12 Denise Molloy La Jolla, CA $448

13 Julieta Bearden San Diego, CA $369

14 Melissa Yee Oceanside, CA $369

15 Carmen Wick Los Angeles, CA $369

16 Marian Chichakli San Diego, CA $308

17 Kyong Joslin Denver, CO $308

18 Cheryl Beal Temecula, CA $308

19 Mariana Perez Indio, CA $268

20 Alicia Cramer San Diego, CA $268

21 Joanne Wahl San Diego, CA $268

22 Rita Koller San Diego, CA $239

23 Donna Houle (tie) Las Vegas, NV $159

24 Patricia Conaty (tie) Los Angeles, CA $159

25 Kathleen Vardakis (tie) San Diego, CA $159

The Rhodes to Victory

Susan Rhodes Wins 2010 Harrah’s Rincon Ladies Poker Championship

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Ladies Championship Event Winner Susan Rhodes

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Ladies Championship Event Winner Susan Rhodes

Valley Center, CA – The winner of the 2010 Harrah’s Rincon Ladies Poker Championship is Susan Rhodes, from Las Vegas, NV. She is a social work supervisor, who also happens to take poker very seriously. Rhodes has previously won several poker tournaments — mostly notably events held at the Nevada Poker League, The Eureka Open, and with Card Player Cruises. Rhodes also final tabled the Ladies Championship at the L.A. Poker Classic.

But this win was clearly her most satisfying victory. Rhodes won the $100 (+25) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament which was held at the Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort, near San Diego. She collected first-place prize money totaling $5,993. Rhodes was also presented with a gold pendant, which is equal in stature to a gold ring, the ultimate prize awarded to all winners of World Series of Poker Circuit tournaments.

“I have to give thanks to my best pals who were here with me,” said Rhodes moments after her win. “I also want to thanks the ladies I consider to be my mentors – Linda Johnson, Susie Isaacs, and Jan Fisher.”

This year’s Harrah’s Rincon Ladies Championship attracted a large field of 242 players. In fact, this was one of the best-attended ladies tournaments held this year on the WSOP Circuit. The top 25 finishers received prize money. It was a one-day tournament which began at 4 pm on March 27th and played deep into the night. The last hand was dealt out at 4:15 am.

The runner up was Leah Wasicka, from Loveland, CO. She is the wife of top tournament pro Paul Waskica, who among his many accomplishments was the runner up in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. Among those who participated in the Ladies Poker Championship at Rincon was Barbara Enright, a three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and the only female member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

An interview with champion Susan Rhodes at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/1FC04

A short feature video of the Ladies Poker Championship can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/BB1CC

The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Rincon continues through March 31st. This year’s schedule includes 12 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 Rincon Poker Room. This marks the sixth straight year that Harrah’s Rincon has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. It is one of only three Harrah’s resorts which hosted a WSOP Circuit every year. This is the eighth WSOP Circuit stop of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, and Caesars Atlantic City.

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Ladies Championship Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Rincon

Janet Beronio – General Manager
Robert Livingston – Assistant General Manager and VP of Operations
Jill Barrett – VP of Finance
Lee Torres – Director of Marketing
John Sebastian – Director of Casino Operations
Michelle Becker – Table Games Supervisor
Elizabeth Liemandt – Public Relations Manager
Alexia Alsop – Poker Room Manager
Tom Mendenhall – Table Games Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld – Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #9 Final Results

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Event #9
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 (+50)
Total Entries: 142
Total Prize Pool: $68,870
March 26-27, 2010

Final Results:

1 John “Cowboy” Land Frisco, TX $18,871

2 Ryan Gentry La Jolla, CA $12,775

3 Harold Wasson Corona, CA $8,519

4 Jason Jacintho San Diego, CA $6,088

5 Raymond McCabe Anaheim Hills, CA $4,869

6 Christopher Defalco Murrieta, CA $3,650

7 Hossein Zomorrodi San Diego, CA $2,431

8 James Kozono Diamond Bar, CA $1,977

9 Guillermo Calderon Irapuato, Mexico $1,674

10 Eddy Asady San Diego, CA $1,467

11 Raul Carranza Chula Vista, CA $1,467

12 Redentor Ramos Chula Vista, CA $1,467

13 Jeffery Clayton Glendale, CA $1,205

14 Stanley Blaby London, UK $1,205

15 Narciso Ricasa San Diego, CA $1,205

“Cowboy” Rides Off with Gold Ring at Harrah’s Rincon

Winner John “Cowboy” Land Wins Second WSOP Circuit Title – Three Straight Tournaments Won by Repeat Winners

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #9 Winner John "Cowboy" Land

Valley Center, CA – Just moments before the final table of the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit tournament began, the chip leader John “Cowboy” Land announced to anyone within earshot, “I’m going to take this one down.”

Those turned out to be prophetic words, indeed. Cowboy ended up winning his second WSOP Circuit gold ring this year, topping a tough field of 142 players en route to another satisfying victory.

Cowboy, who earned his fitting nickname because he often wears a white cowboy hat at the table, is a 45-yearold professional poker player from Dallas, TX. He sold off a successful construction business last year and has been playing tournament poker since then full-time. Cowboy travels to many WSOP Circuit events and tournaments held elsewhere around the country. But he also admits his first love is spending time with his wife and their 12-year-old son. He also says the biggest challenge facing poker pros and those aspiring to play full time is balancing a home and professional life. But Cowboy also admits that being successful in tournaments makes the transition easier.

“That’s the biggest thing, to me, is balancing my family with what I love to do which is poker,” Cowboy said in a post-tournament interview. “I love this game and I am so lucky to have their support. They really back me up because they know I love poker. But it’s tough being out on the road for extended periods. And you don’t always win, so that’s just added pressure.”

Cowboy’s win becomes the third consecutive day in which a former gold ring winner has repeated. Two days ago, San Diego pro Michael Souza won his second title. Yesterday, Brooklyn poker pro Dwyte Pilgrim won his third gold ring. Now, the Dallas pro has two gold rings as well, and joins very distinguished company.

The $500 (+50) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament won by Cowboy was played over two consecutive days during March 26-27, 2010. Final Table play began on a Saturday afternoon. There were two former WSOPC gold ring winners among the final nine – including Chris DeFalco who won the H.O.R.S.E. event at Harrah’s Rincon in 2008 and “Cowboy,” who won a No-Limit Hold’em event two months ago at Tunica.

Cowboy arrived at the Final Table holding a decisive chip advantage. In fact, he was ahead nearly 2 to 1 over his closest rival. Within striking distance were Ray “Mac the Knife” McCabe and Ryan Gentry. 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 Billy Calderon Irapuato, Mexico 67,000

2 Ryan Gentry La Jolla, CA 170,000

3 Chris DeFalco Murrieta, CA 80,000

4 Harold Wasson Murrieta, CA 42,000

5 Hossein Zomorrodi San Diego, CA 143,500

6 Jason Jacintho San Diego, CA 56,500

7 John “Cowboy” Land Dallas, TX 350,000

8 James Kozono Diamond Bar, CA 134,000

9 Ray “Mac the Knife” McCabe Anaheim Hills, CA 173,500

Final Table player introductions can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/D9EEF

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Viva Mexico!
Billy Calderon, a 32-year-old greenhouse manager from Irapuato, Mexico lasted about an hour. But he was too short stacked to be a factor and was eliminated with Kh Jc against Ryan Gentry’s As Ks. Calderon saw a nice flop, which came with three clubs – Qc 4c 3c. Another club or a jack would have given him the pot. But the last two cards were Ah 8s which meant Calderon’s end. He received $1,674 for ninth place.

Eighth Place: Kozono Gone
James Kozono, a 32-year-old restaurant manager from Diamond Bar, CA lasted about 90 minutes but went out holding pocket eights. He took 8s 8c in a race against Harold Wasson’s Kc Js. The board slaughtered Kozono’s shot of making a comeback as the cards ran: Ks Qs 9s Jd 4c. Wasson’s two pair scooped Kozono’s last 100,000 in chips. As a trade off, Kozono collected $1,977 for eighth place.

Seventh Place: Zomrrodi Engineers Seventh-Place Finish
Joe Zomorrodi, a 50year-old civil engineer from San Diego, CA became short stacked and went out with Ad Kd against Ryan Gentry’s 7h 7d. The final board showed 9c 6s 5c 6d Jc which meant Zomorrodi lost the race. This was one his first poker tournaments ever, and marked his first time to cash in any event. Zomorrodi could certainly be proud of his seventh-place finish, which paid 2,431.

Sixth Place: Former WSOPC Gold Ring Winner Busts
Chris DeFalco, a 39-year-old pawn broker from Murrieta, CA failed in his attempt to win a second gold ring when he moved all-in with pocket J’s which lost to a pair of K’s. DeFalco was dealt Js Jc versus Jason Jacintho’s As Kc. The board showed Ks 8h 4c 2d 9h, leaving DeFalco with $3,650. This marked his third time to cash in a WSOP Circuit tournament.

Fifth Place: Second Final Table this Week for Mac “the Knife” McCabe
Mac “the Knife” McCabe took a terrible beat on his final hand of the tournament. He was low on chips and moved all-win with Ac Th. He got a call from Harold Wasson, who showed 9c 9s. The flop could not have been much better for McCabe as he paired his ten. He improved to two pair on the turn with an ace. But a fourth spade on the river gave Wasson a flush. The final board showed Ts 5h 4s As 6s. McCabe, who is President of a health food company called Egg Whites International, collected $4,869 after finishing eighth place in a previous tournament here at Rincon.

Fourth Place: Jasintho Now 2 for 2 in Tournaments
Jason D. Jasintho, an organic chemist from El Cajon, has played in two tournament this year at Rincon, and final tabled both. He finished in second place in Event 3. This time, his destiny was fourth place. He should have finished higher given how his final hand was played. Jasintho had plenty of chips and moved all-in pre-flop with Qc Qs. He got a baffling call from “Cowboy,” which basically put his tournament life at stake with As 8h. Jasintho was thrilled with the look of things early. But the flop was a crushing blow. An ace came and the final board showed Ah 8d 6c 9d 6h, which gave “Cowboy” the big pot. Jasintho had to settle for $6,088 in prize money. But he could certainly be proud of his performance at Rincon, which now includes two top four finishes.

Third Place: Realtor Receives $8,519 Commission
Harold Wasson, a 63-year-old real estate broker from Murrieta, CA enjoyed a healthy stack for about four hours, but then ran low on chips and finally went out with pocket 7’s, which lost to pocket 9’s. Wasson was dealt 7c 7s on his final hand, which faced “Cowboy’s” 9c 9h. The board came Kh Td 5s 3s 6c giving “Cowboy” the pot. Wasson had to settle for a nice payout which amounted to $8,519.

Second Place: Gentry Agrees to Second
Ryan Gentry, a poker pro from La Jolla, CA finished as the runner up. When play became heads-up, Cowboy had the chip advantage. A deal was made between the final two players. There terms of their agreement were not disclosed. Gentry collected and official payout amounting to $12,775.

First Place: Cowboy Declared Winner
John “Cowboy” Land was his second WSOP Circuit gold ring and first place prize money totaling $18,871. He plans to play in the upcoming Main Event, plus the WSOP Circuit events at St. Louis and New Orleans, in addition to the WSOP in Las Vegas, coming this summer.

An interview with champion John “Cowboy” Land at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/697FF

The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Rincon continues through March 31st. This year’s schedule includes 12 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 Rincon Poker Room. This marks the sixth straight year that Harrah’s Rincon has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. It is one of only three Harrah’s resorts which hosted a WSOP Circuit every year. This is the eighth WSOP Circuit stop of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, and Caesars Atlantic City.

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #9 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Rincon

Janet Beronio – General Manager
Robert Livingston – Assistant General Manager and VP of Operations
Jill Barrett – VP of Finance
Lee Torres – Director of Marketing
John Sebastian – Director of Casino Operations
Michelle Becker – Table Games Supervisor
Elizabeth Liemandt – Public Relations Manager
Alexia Alsop – Poker Room Manager
Tom Mendenhall – Table Games Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld – Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #8 Final Results

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Event #8
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 169
Total Prize Pool: $49,179
March 25-26, 2010

Final Results:

1 Dwyte Pilgrim Brooklyn, NY $13,392

2 Jim Silveira Santa Rosa, CA $8,252

3 James Everly Desert Hot Springs, CA $5,828

4 Conrad Monica Hemet, CA $4,161

5 Andrew Greenberg San Diego, CA $3,329

6 Andrew Fornoff El Cajon, CA $2,498

7 Andrew Difalco Nesconset, NY $1,667

8 Trevor Blackwell Honolulu, HI $1,352

9 Richard Yelland San Marcos, CA $1,146

10 Brian Horwitz El Segundo, CA $1,003

11 Joseph Cheong Mirada, CA $1,003

12 Brian Sternberg San Juan Capistrano, CA $1,003

13 Ray Blodgett Riverside, CA $826

14 Jason Wheeler San Diego, CA $826

15 Gregg Hite San Diego, CA $826

16 Leonard Finkel Vista, CA $689

17 Wendi Benecke San Marcos, CA $689

18 Michael Talamini Imperial Beach, CA $689

Three-Ring Circus

Dwyte Pilgrim Wins His Third WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Harrah’s Rincon

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #8 Winner Dwyte Pilgrim

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #8 Winner Dwyte Pilgrim

Valley Center, CA – Dwyte Pilgrim is a superstar in the making. The Brooklyn-born poker pro just won his third gold ring on the World Series of Poker Circuit, after coming out on top of a field of 169 players at Harrah’s Rincon, near San Diego. This victory followed two previous wins which both took place in 2009 – first at Caesars Atlantic City and second here at Harrah’s Rincon in last year’s Main Event championship.

Pilgrim initially burst upon the poker scene back in December 2008, at the WSOP Circuit event played at Harrah’s Atlantic City, where he cashed in five events. After he won his first gold ring three months later at Caesars, Pilgrim took the top prize at Rincon and was declared the “unofficial” WSOP Circuit Player of the Year in May 2009.

Indeed, Pilgrim’s performance in WSOP Circuit events over the past 15 months has been extraordinary. He has amassed three victories, ten final table appearances, and 18 cashes. To put this into perceptive, consider the all-time leader WSOP Circuit leader in history (Doug Carli) has 41 cashes, dating all the way back to 2005. Pilgrim has nearly half as many cashes in just over a year’s time. No one has won more gold rings than Pilgrim in this time span. And perhaps most scary of all for his future opponents, Pilgrim plans to play as many WSOP Circuit events as possible at upcoming tournaments in St. Louis, Las Vegas, and New Orleans, which will close out the 2009-2010 WSOP Circuit season.

Pilgrim candidly admits he wants nothing more than a WSOP gold bracelet and future success as a tournament poker player. While thousands of players around the world dream of similar success, Pilgrim is one of the rare few who has achieved most of his goals and seems genuinely destined for bigger things. Pilgrim freely admits he is eager to gain sponsorship and endorse various poker products and services. He also knows that he must first earn that right through performance at the poker table. But if his tournament record shows anything, it’s that Dwyte Pilgrim is in a class of his own when it comes to poker talent, personality, and enjoying the game he loves.

The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during March 25-26, 2010. Final Table play began on a Friday afternoon. Pilgrim was the only prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winner among the final nine players – which meant eight players were seeking their first WSOP-related win. But Pilgim dominated all but the runner up in this tournament – a car dealer from Santa Rosa, CA named Jim Silveira who gave Pilgrim a late scare.

All eyes were on Dwyte Pilgrim from the very start. He arrived with a slight chip advantage over Andrew Goldberg. 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 Andrew Greenberg San Diego, CA 290,000

2 Andrew Di Foko Nesconset, NY 47,500

3 Richard Yelland Las Vegas, NV 94,500

4 Trevor Blackwell Honolulu, HI 86,000

5 Jim Silveira Santa Rosa, CA 151,000

6 Conrad Monica Hemet, CA 203,000

7 Andrew Fornuff El Cajon, CA 85,500

8 Dwyte Pilgrim Brooklyn, NY 297,000

9 Jim Everly Crown Point, IN 128,500

Final Table player introductions can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/FF11A

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Yelland Cashes for Sixth Time
Richard Yelland, a 74-year-old retiree from Las Vegas, NV has made it to numerous final tables over the past twenty years. He came into the finale with an average-sized stack, but exited first when he moved all-in with Ac 9s, which was beat by Jim Silveira’s Kd Ks. The board came 9h 5h 2d 2c 4c, which shipped the pot to the pocket kings. Yelland had to settle for $1,003 in what was his sixth time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event.

Eighth Place: Former Magic Player Vanishes
Trent Blackwell, a poker pro from Honolulu, HI was the next player to bust when he took a tough beat with pocket aces. Blackwell was dealt Ah Ac and moved all-in after the flop came Jh Th Kh. Chip leader Dwyte Pilgrim had Jc Tc, good for two pair. Blackwell had an overpair, a straight draw, and a flush draw – but failed to improve. The last two cards were 4c 5c, giving Pilgrim more chips. Blackwell, who is a former a “Magic the Gathering” touring pro, added $1,352 to his poker bankroll.

Seventh Place: New Yorker Forgetsabout It
Andrew Di Falco, a draftsman from Nesconset, NY was erased from the final seven in a three-way pot, which eliminated two players. Di Falco was dealt As Jc. Event though Dwyte Pilgrim was a huge dog with a dominated hand, Qd Jc, he ended up taking another huge pot when he rivered a straight. The board ran Kh 9h 3h 7s Td which put Di Falco out of the tournament. He received $1,667.

Sixth Place: Poker Dealer Suffers Bad Beat
Andrew Fornoff, a poker dealer from El Cajon, CA took an even worse beat on the hand which eliminated Di Falco in seventh place (see above). Fornoff was dealt Ac Kc on the hand, and flopped top pair. But Pilgrim’s king-high straight ended up eliminating Fornoff, as well. This was his second time to cash in a WSOP Circuit tournament. Fornoff has also previous cashed at the WSOP in Las Vegas. Sixth place paid $2,498.

Fifth Place: Greenberg in the Green
Andrew “the Overlook” Greenberg, a realtor from San Diego, CA experienced foreclosure firsthand when he became short-stacked and moved all-in with As 7s. Jim Everly had plenty of chips and made the call in the big blind with Th 9d. The board came Jc 8h 3d Qh 6c, giving Everly the straight and Greenberg fifth place. He collected $3,329 in prize money.

Fourth Place: Dealer Loses Race
Conrad Monica, a casino dealer from Hemet, CA went out in fourth place when 3d 3c was stomped on the flop against Jim Everly. Monica’s hand was vulnerable, and when the cards came Ad Tc Jc, Everly had top pair. Monica was drawing to just two outs (3’s) but missed when the 8h and 9c completed the board. Monica had to settle for a payout totaling $4,161.

Third Place: Everly Sings the Blues
Jim Everly, an electronic technician from Desert Hot Springs, CA got down to the final three players. But he was the lowest stack and eventually went out when he tried to double up holding 3s 3h against Jim Silveira’s Kd Jh. Everly lost the race when a king fell on the turn. The final board showed 6c 5c 4c Kh 9s. Everly’s cut of the prize pool amounted to $5,828.

Second Place: Jim Silveira Takes Second Place
When heads-up play began, Jim Silveira held about a 3 to 2 chip advantage over Dwyte Pilgrim. But the Brooklyn-based poker pro took over the chip lead and won his victory about twenty minutes into the final duel. The last key hand of the tournament came when Pilgrim had Qh 9c against Silveira’s 9h 4h. The board came 9s 4c 2d Qs Td which made two-pair for both players. But Pilgrim’s queens and nines bested Silveira’s nines and fours. Pilgrim won the tournament a short time later and was congratulated by several well-wishers who were aware of Pilgrim’s emerging status in the poker world.

Meanwhile, Jim Silveira settled for second place and a payout totaling $8,252. He is a 68-year-old new car dealer from Santa Rosa, CA. Silveira previously cashed in a WSOP event, finishing 40th in last year’s H.O.R.S.E. tournament out of 770 players.

First Place: Three-Ring Circus for Dwyte Pilgrim
Dwyte Pilgrim, a poker pro from Brooklyn, NY collected $13,392 in prize money and his third WSOPC gold ring. He has now earned more than $600,000 in live poker tournaments since his first cash, which took place 15 months ago. Pilgrim has also done very well in online games.

An interview with champion Dwyte Pilgrim at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/42544

The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Rincon continues through March 31st. This year’s schedule includes 12 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 Rincon Poker Room. This marks the sixth straight year that Harrah’s Rincon has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. It is one of only three Harrah’s resorts which hosted a WSOP Circuit every year. This is the eighth WSOP Circuit stop of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, and Caesars Atlantic City.

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #8 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Rincon

Janet Beronio – General Manager
Robert Livingston – Assistant General Manager and VP of Operations
Jill Barrett – VP of Finance
Lee Torres – Director of Marketing
John Sebastian – Director of Casino Operations
Michelle Becker – Table Games Supervisor
Elizabeth Liemandt – Public Relations Manager
Alexia Alsop – Poker Room Manager
Tom Mendenhall – Table Games Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld – Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #7 Final Results

Friday, March 26th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Event #7
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 167
Total Prize Pool: $48,597
March 24-25, 2010

Final Results:

1 Michael Souza San Diego, CA $13,237

2 Ashish Khanna San Diego, CA $8,155

3 Dustin Fox Porterville, CA $5,759

4 David Williams San Marcos, CA $4,111

5 Jeremy Hopkins La Jolla, CA $3,290

6 Richard Aronow San Diego, CA $2,469

7 Rip Fritzer El Cajon, CA $1,647

8 Matthew Kursar Santa Monica, CA $1,336

9 Anthony Lee Santa Ysabel, CA $1,132

10 Win Maynard Woodenville, WA $991

11 Brandon Lee Chula Vista, CA $991

12 Keith Weiland Carlsbad, CA $991

13 Trevor Blackwell Honolulu, HI $816

14 Mary Anne Madruga San Diego, CA $816

15 Brandon Palm Lake Elsinore, CA $816

16 Brian Petersen San Diego, CA $680

17 Alan Ho San Diego, CA $680

18 Federico Gallardo San Diego, CA $680

Souza’s Second

Poker Pro Michael Souza Wins His Second WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Harrah’s Rincon

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #7 Winner Michael Souza

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #7 Winner Michael Souza

Valley Center, CA – When Michael Souza won his first World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring back in 2006, he must have thought it was the start of something really big. To his credit, the 36-year-old from San Diego had been a full-time poker pro for several years. But winning any kind of WSOP-related victory often changes things. If nothing else, a major tournament victory instills self-confidence and opens up a new fontier of opportunities as to what is humanly possible on the rough and tumble tournament poker circuit.

Unfortunately, Souza did not catapult himself from his 2006 win to the stratosphere of riches and superstardom. He won other tournaments, and made nearly another dozen or so WSOP Circuit final tables. But Souza has run into the same glass ceiling which looms over all poker players who aspire to greatness. In short, the ranks of the Brunsons, the Iveys, the Chans, and the Hellmuths is a very select club, indeed. In poker, going from merely “very good” to “great” is the toughest step of all, akin of the final ascension of Mount Everest.

With his victory in today’s most recent World Series of Poker tournament — which was held at the at Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort, near San Diego – Souza’s poker career took another giant leap forward. The victory gave him his second WSOP Circuit gold ring and re-emphasizes the natural progression of things in the poker world which is, “First the Ring, then the Bracelet.”

Souza won $13,237 in prize money along with the victory. But it was perhaps the satisfaction of overcoming enormous odds which was the most fulfilling aspect of the win. Souza never had many chips during the tournament, and arrived at the Final Table ranked eighth out of nine players. The chip leader had him dominated by an 8 to 1 margin. But that didn’t seem to matter. Souza did what he does best, playing extraordinary poker when it really counted en route to the victory.

The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during March 24-25, 2010. Final Table play began on a Thursday afternoon. There were two prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players – including Souza and Tony Lee, who won his title here at Rincon three years ago.

But all eyes at the start were on the one seat, occupied by Dustin Fox. He arrived with the biggest chip advantage of any player so far at this year’s Rincon series. Fox had all of his opponents covered by nearly 3 to 1 or more. In fact, he had about 40 percent of the chips in play, an astounding advantage going into the final nine. It appeared Fox would run over the final table when he amassed well over half the chips in play at one point. But he went card dead at the worst possible time and ended up finishing in third place. By the time Final Table play ended nearly six hours after it began, Souza had all the chips and 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 Dustin Fox Porterville, CA 580,000

2 Dave Williams San Marcos, CA 75,000

3 Rip Fritzer San Diego, CA 64,000

4 Richard Aronow San Diego, CA 200,000

5 Michael Souza San Diego, CA 65,000

6 Matt Kursar Long Beach, CA 148,000

7 Ashish Khanna San Diego, CA 102,000

8 Paul Hopkins La Jolla, CA 63,000

9 Tony Lee Santa Ysabel, CA 95,000

Final Table player introductions can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/9369B

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Lee Surrenders
Tony Lee, a former WSOP Circuit gold ring winner (2007), suffered a disastrous run during his 40-minute stay in the finale. He lost three big hands and was eliminated after moving all-in with 2h 2s. Dustin Fox called the raise with Jh Th. Lee took a tough beat when the board ran out 7h 7c 4h 4d 8s. Even though Fox did not hit one of his hole cards, the two pair on board played, with the jack kicker as the decisive card. That meant Lee, a rancher who has made a whopping seven WSOP Circuit final tables at Harrah’s Rincon in the last three years, had to settle for $1,132.

Eighth Place: Broken Kursar
Matt Kursar, a teacher from Long Beach, CA was expelled from the Final Table after being short-stacked and moving in with pocket deuces, which lost. Kursar’s 2h 2d went up against Ashish Khanna’s Ah 9d. Things looked good for Kursar until the river, when a nine fell. The final board showed Ks Jd 3c 6c 9s, giving Khanna a higher pair. Therefore, Kursar ended up with an eighth-place finish and $1,336 in prize money.

Seventh Place: Fritzer on the Fritz
Rip Fritzer, a real estate investor from San Diego, CA got involved with a bad deal when he moved all-in on what turned out to be his final hand of the tournament. Fritzer was dealt 8d 8c. Unfortunately, chip leader Dustin Fox was dealt 9h 9s. The higher pocket pair held up after the board came Ts 6c 3h 2d 3c So, Fritzer, who has several WSOP-related cashes in the past, added $1,647 to his poker bankroll.

Sixth Place: Richard VI
Richard Aronow, a.k.a. “the Comeback Kid,” who is a business owner from San Diego, took a brutal beat on his final hand of the night when he made a club flush, which lost to a full house. Aronow was dealt Jc 8c in the blind. He was pleased to see the final board show Kc Qc 8h 3c Ks. But Michael Souza held Kh 8d, which made kings-full-of-eights. Aronow, who came in second in this event last year, collected $2,469 in prize money.

Fifth Place: Hopkins Takes the Fifth
Paul Hopkins, a semi-retired part-time poker player from La Jolla, CA went out on a tough hand when he flopped two pair, which lost to a set. Hopkins was dealt 8c 7s. The flop came Qd 8d 7h. Hopkins bet and was raised all-in by Dave Williams, who showed 7d 7c for the set. Hopkins called and failed to improve. He received a payout totaling $3,290.

Fourth Place: Dave Williams Makes Second Final Table This Week
Dave Williams, who came in second in Event #2, took fourth place this time. The contractor from San Diego nailed down $4,111 in prize money after losing a decisive pot late in the tournament to Michael Souza. Williams was dealt Jd Ts and moved all-in on the turn with a pair of tens. But Souza slowplayed Ac Ah and ended up dragging a huge pot after the final board showed Th 7s 4d 5h 4h. Williams went out a few hands later, but could certainly be proud of taking second and fourth place in two events at this year’s Rincon series.

Third Place: Crazy Like a Fox
Dustin Fox seemed on his way to victory, but a late run of bad cards and poor luck knocked him out with a relatively disappointing third-place finish. Just as things had done so well for Fox most of the tournament, nothing went his way during the final hour. He gradually lost his chips, many of which went to Michael Souz’a stack. Finally, Fox moved all-in with Ac Qc and was called by Ashish Khanna, holding Ks 4s. Fox looked like he would double up, but a killer king on the turned ruined his chances of victory. Final board: Jh 9d 7c Kh 9s Fox’s final settlement amounted to $5,759 in prize money. This marked his third time to cash in a WSOPC event.

Second Place: Ashish Khanna Takes Second
Ashish Khanna, a 34-year-old attorney from San Diego, CA was the runner up. His comeback was nearly as impressive as the winner’s, since he overcame a huge chip disadvantage as well, when Final Table play began. Khanna played outstanding poker, but was not able to overcome his final adversary’s chip advantage nor his depth of experience. Khanna settled for $8,155 in prize money.

The last hand came when Khanna was dealt 5c 5d. After the flop came 8s 7h 4s, he moved all-in with a pair and a straight draw, and was called by Souza — who showed Kd 8h, good for top pair. The remaining cards came Qs and Jd, giving Souza the last pot of the night, and the win.

The final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/1334B

First Place: Two Gold Rings for Michael Souza
San Diego poker pro Michael Souza won his second WSOP Circuit title. First place paid $13,327. In additon to enjoying success on the Circuit, Souza has also cashed in the WSOP Main Event three times. In fact, he was one of only two players to cash each year in the Main Event, from 2006 through 2008.

An interview with Michael Souza at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/FBE61

The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Rincon continues through March 31st. This year’s schedule includes 12 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 Rincon Poker Room. This marks the sixth straight year that Harrah’s Rincon has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. It is one of only three Harrah’s resorts which hosted a WSOP Circuit every year. This is the eighth WSOP Circuit stop of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, and Caesars Atlantic City.

2010 Harrah’s Rinconn WSOP Circuit – Event #7 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Rincon

Janet Beronio – General Manager
Robert Livingston – Assistant General Manager and VP of Operations
Jill Barrett – VP of Finance
Lee Torres – Director of Marketing
John Sebastian – Director of Casino Operations
Michelle Becker – Table Games Supervisor
Elizabeth Liemandt – Public Relations Manager
Alexia Alsop – Poker Room Manager
Tom Mendenhall – Table Games Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld – Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director

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2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #6 Final Results

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Event #6
No Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $200 (+30)
Total Entries: 283
Total Prize Pool: $54,904
March 23-24 2010

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1 Garrett Levrini Las Vegas, NV $13,339

2 Amir Turkzadeh Walnut Creek, CA $8,115

3 Bret Eledge Chula Vista, Ca $5,776

4 Edward Liu Rowland Heights, CA $4,129

5 Charley McLean Lindsay, CA $3,300

6 Don Warner Orange, CA $2,476

7 Katherine Ansorge San Diego, CA $1,653

8 Michael Ippolito San Diego, CA $1,340

9 Luis Davila Temecula, CA $1,136

10 Jon Leo San Diego, CA $994

11 Tudor Popescu Encino, CA $994

12 Christopher Scholder Lake Elsinore, CA $994

13 Robert Cook Oceanside, CA $818

14 Jeremy Davis San Diego, CA $818

15 Mark Frise San Diego, CA $818

16 Pollyana Ramos San Diego, CA $681

17 Jenny Wilson Seal Beach, CA $681

18 Daniel Tupper Aberdeen, WA $681

19 Alexander Devolpi Oceanside, CA $598

20 Robert Suer Dana Point, CA $598

21 Wayne DePalma Lakewood, CO $598

22 Mitchell Mangan Temecula, CA $533

23 Efrahim Gozum San Diego, CA $533

24 Wayne McGregor Wasilla, AK $533

25 Robert Strate San Diego, CA $483

26 Christina Leon Ladera Ranch, CA $483

27 Charter Smith El Cajon, CA $483

28 Rodney Ziegler Linden, VA $439

29 Frederick Short Hoquim, WA $439

30 Antonio Bustamante Chula Vista, CA $439

Big Year Ahead for Garrett Levrini?

Young Poker Pro Wins WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Harrah’s Rincon, His Second Major Tournament Victory in 2010

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #6 Winner Garrett Levrini

2010 Harrah's Rincon WSOP Circuit Event #6 Winner Garrett Levrini

Valley Center, CA – Will 2010 be a breakthrough year for Garrett Levrini? He represents the interests and ambitions of a lot of twenty-something poker players. Many young people try to play poker for a living and rudely discover the game is not quite as easy as it looks. But Levrini has endured the inevitable downswings and hardships thus far, and is now in the midst of a good run in poker, manifested in two major tournament victories within the last six weeks.

In February at the Legends of Poker (tournament) held in Los Angeles, Levrini earned a huge victory with a first-place finish in a preliminary event. Today, he supplemented his poker bankroll and confidence with another victory, this time in the most recent WSOP Circuit tournament, which was held at the at Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort, near San Diego.

Indeed, it’s already been quite a year for the 26-year-old poker pro, who is currently between residences in Las Vegas and the Washington, DC area. Levrini, who has lived in Las Vegas in recent years and plays both live and online poker, is about to move to Reston, VA to be closer to his family. In addition, he hopes to be in Virginia’s northern suburbs just in time for the NHL playoffs, which begin next month. Levrini, who is a huge hockey fan, says he intends to attend every Washington Capitals’ playoff game. And now he has some extra cash to buy the best seats.

When Revini took his seat in quite a different setting yesterday, he has no idea that a day later he would ultimately rake in $13,341 in prize money along with his first gold ring, the coveted award which is presented to all champions of WSOP Circuit tournaments held around the country.

The $200 (+30) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was played over two consecutive days during March 23-24, 2010. Final Table play began on a Wednesday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion.

Bret Eledge arrived at the Final Table with a decisive chip advantage over the remaining players. He ended up finishing in third place. Closest in chips when play began were Charley McLean and Jason “Heckler” Wozer who were covered by the chip leader by greater than a 3 to 2 margin. The remaining players were down 2 to 1 or more. During most of the five-hour Final Table, Levrini was an average to low stack. But he made a big move when play became three-handed and ended up with the victory.

When Final Table play began at 3:30 pm, the nine finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat Player Hometown Chip Count

1 Garrett Levrini Reston, VA 265,000

2 Edward Liu Rowland Heights, CA 112,000

3 Charley McLean Lindsay, CA 334,000

4 Amir Reza Turkzadeh Walnut Creek, CA 206,000

5 Kate Ansorge San Diego, CA 142,000

6 Jason “Heckler” Wozner Orange, CA 318,000

7 Michael Ippolito San Diego, CA 216,000

8 Bret Eledge San Diego, CA 521,000

9 Luis Davila Temecula, CA 44,000

Final Table player introductions can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/7B204

Players were eliminated in the following order:

Ninth Place: Bad Beat Eliminates Davila
Luis Davila lasted about five minutes at the Final Table. He should have lasted much longer, considering he moved all-in on his final hand with Ac Ah and got a call by Garrett Levrini, who tabled As Ts. Davila’s delight turned to doom when he watched the succession of cards come as follows: Ks 7h 2c Qs Js Levrini ended up rivering a straight, which busted Davila. The 49-year-old poker dealer from Temecula, CA who has cashed in a number of WSOP Circuit events the past six years, collected $1,136.

Eighth Place: Cook Fried
Michael Ippolito, who owns a fitness center in San Diego, CA got bounced off the final table in eighth place when he moved in with As 8s and was called by Garrett Levrini, with Th Td. Ippolito failed to improve and watched helplessly as the board ran out 9d 6c 5h 4h 9s. He was forced to settle for a $1,340 payout.

Seventh Place: Katie Ansorge Becomes First Female Finalist
Katie Ansorge, a financial analyst from San Diego, CA was the first female to make it to a Final Table at this year’s Rincon series. She lasted about an hour before making her final move with Ac Qc which ran into Jason “Heckler” Warner’s Kh Kc. Ansorge desperately needed and ace, but missed all five shots and ended up as the next player eliminated when the final board showed Td 9h 7d 7h 2c. Ansorge, making her first-ever final table appearance at a major poker tournament, received $1,653 in prize money.

Sixth Place: “Heckler” Removed From Tournament
Jason “Heckler” Warner, a 42-year-old UPS driver from Orange, CA lost a big hand with pocket 7’s against pocket A’s and was left with just a few chips. He went out a few hands later on a hand that was not shown. He was all-in against two players who checked it down, and Bret Eledge scooped the pot with a pair of 9’s. Warner settled for sixth place and $2,476.

Fifth Place: Charley Chunked
Charley McLean, a 34-year-old poker pro from San Diego, CA ran low on chips and made his final stand with Kh Th. He was called by Td Tc and went out when the board ran As 5s 3c 7h Ts. The trip T’s won the pot, leaving McLean with a payout of $3,300.

Fourth Place: Liu
Edward Liu, a 21-year-old college student from Rowland Hills, CA became short stacked. He moved all-in and picked up a flush draw holding Jh 4h when the flop came Kh 8d 3h. Amir Reza Turkzadeh called the pre-flop raise and showed Jd Js. Liu was not able to hit a heart, and went out in fourth place with $4,129 in prize money.

Third Place: Cook Fried
Bret Eledge, a cook from San Diego, CA appeared destined for possible victory, but then got derailed late on what was arguably the turning point of the tournament. In what became a battle of the blinds, Eledge was dealt 7s 6d. Garrett Levrini was dealt 5h 4h. After the flop came 8h 5s 3h, Eledge raised all-in with a straight draw. Levrini, with a pair and a flush draw called. With the largest pots of the night at stake, Eledge was thrilled to catch the 6s of the turn, which gave him a higher pair. But the 2s on the river abruptly ended Eledge’s celebration, as Levrini made a straight. Down to just a few chips after the defeat, Eledge went out two hands later and ended up as the third place finisher, which paid $5,776.

Second Place: Turkzadeh Comes Up Short
Amir Reza Turkzadeh played marvelously during the entire tournament, but finished as the runner up. He was born in Iran and is currently living in Walnut Creek, CA where he is a student at San Francisco State University. Turkzadeh collected $8,115 in prize money.

The last hand came when Garrett Levrini was dealt 5s 5d. Turkzadeh was dealt 6h 3s. After the turn, Turkzadeh was all-in. The final board showed Tc 3c 2d Ac Kd, which meant the pocket 5’s took down the last pot of the night.

The final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/31CCF

First Place: Garrett Levrini Wins
Garrett Levrini, a 26-year-old pro poker player who will soon be living in the Washington, DC suburb of Reston, CA collected $13,341 in prize money for his first WSOP-related tournament victory. He says he hopes to play in more WSOP events in the future and now has his sights set on winning at WSOP gold bracelet in Las Vegas this summer.

An interview with Levrini at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/1E248

The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Rincon continues through March 31st. This year’s schedule includes 12 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 Rincon Poker Room. This marks the sixth straight year that Harrah’s Rincon has been a part of the WSOP Circuit. It is one of only three Harrah’s resorts which hosted a WSOP Circuit every year. This is the eighth WSOP Circuit stop of the 2009-2010 season following previous tournaments held in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, and Caesars Atlantic City.

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit – Event #6 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Rincon WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Rincon

Janet Beronio – General Manager
Robert Livingston – Assistant General Manager and VP of Operations
Jill Barrett – VP of Finance
Lee Torres – Director of Marketing
John Sebastian – Director of Casino Operations
Michelle Becker – Table Games Supervisor
Elizabeth Liemandt – Public Relations Manager
Alexia Alsop – Poker Room Manager
Tom Mendenhall – Table Games Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld – Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director

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