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2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #11 Final Results

Monday, February 1st, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #11
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $550(+40)
Total Entries: 210
Total Prize Pool: $96,450
January 30-31, 2010

Final Results:

2010 Harrah's New Orleans WSOP Circuit Event #11 Winner Herbert Tapscott

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 Herbert Tapscott Hartselle AL USA $25,369
2 Michael Sanders Pottsville AR USA $15,577
3 Lisa Farmer Atlanta GA USA $11,024
4 Michael Jordan Brandon FL USA $7,870
5 Charlie Dawson Owensboro KY USA $6,298
6 Erik Badgley Dewitt MI USA $4,726
7 Robert Meyer Lawrence KS USA $3,154
8 Rose Cooney Collierville TN USA $2,556
9 Brett Connally Bulverde TX USA $2,170
10 Mark Cooney Collierville TN USA $1,900
11 George Williams Glenwood IL USA $1,900
12 Frances Roche Germantown TN USA $1,900
13 Gary Bentley Killen AL USA $1,562
14 Richard Smreker St. Louis MO USA $1,562
15 Dale Atchison Mountain Grove MO USA $1,562
16 William Van Pelt Houston TX USA $1,302
17 Frederick Smith Loganville GA USA $1,302
18 Mitchell Franks Tupelo MS USA $1,302
19 Thomas Pullens Picayune MS USA $1,138
20 Robert Muriel Nashville TN USA $1,138
21 Lenol Clark Trenton GA USA $569
22 Thaire Daley Ridgeland SC USA $569

Herb Tapscott Takes Down Event #11 at Harrah’s Tunica

A wife makes final table while husband barely misses the cut

TUNICA, MS – While 162 women were playing in the ladies event at the Harrah’s Tunica event center, two found their place at the $550 buy-in event #11 final table. The first females to make the final table so far at the 2009/2010 Harrah’s Tunica Circuit Event, Lisa Farmer and Rose Cooney were poised to make it a true ladies’ night.

Cooney’s husband Mark just missed making the final nine, which would have made them the first husband and wife in WSOP Circuit Event history to accomplish the feat. Mr. Cooney’s elimination set the final table stage.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Charlie Dawson Owensboro, KY 1 390,000
Michael Jordan Tampa, FL 2 240,000
Erik Badgley Hendersonville, TN 3 130,000
Brett Connally San Antonio, TX 4 125,000
Robert Meyers Lawrence, KS 5 110,000
Rose Cooney Collierville, TN 6 90,000
Herb Tapscott Decatur, AL 7 360,000
Lisa Farmer Atlanta, GA 8 190,000
Michael Sanders Russellville, AR 9 170,000

Ninth Place
With blinds and antes at 4,000/8,000/1,000, Brett Connally made it 32,000 to go preflop from early position before Herb Trapscott re-raised all-in. Connally made the call with pocket fives, but was far behind Trapscott’s pocket queens. The king high board was no help to Connally and he was out. The 23-year old student cashed for $2,170.

Eighth Place
Mrs. Cooney was eliminated after moving all-in with her remaining 56,000. Unfortunately it was bad timing, as she ran her Kh-Qd into an opponent’s pocket aces. Cooney took home $2,556 for eighth.

Seventh Place
Earlier in the match, Robert Meyers took a horrendous beat from Michael Sanders after Sanders caught runner runner full house. Meyers was left nursing just a few big blinds. Shortly after doubling back up to 100,000, Meyers moved all-in with Ad-Kc and was called by Charlie Dawson with pocket 3’s. Treys held strong for Dawson, busting Meyers in seventh. Meyers works in commercial real estate and owned a rare book store. He picked up $3,154.

Sixth Place
Erik Badgley, a 32-year old engineer and host of Rounders Radio’s “The Daily Grind” poker radio show, moved his remaining stack all-in with Kc-10h and got a call from Sanders, who showed Ks-Qs. The 8-high board was no help to either player, ending Badgley’s run. Sixth paid $4,726.

Fifth Place
Dawson, was the next player eliminated after his pocket sixes failed to hold all-in against Sanders’ Q-8 suited. Dawson is a real estate investor. His sixth WSOP Circuit final table appearance earned him $6,298.

Fourth Place
Michael Jordan, a retired officer with the NYPD, was eliminated in fourth place after moving all-in with Kc-8h vs. Tapscott’s Ah-6d. This was Jordan’s fourth WSOP Circuit final table. He earned $7,870.

Third Place
Lisa Farmer played a strong final table and had a good chance of winning it all. But after taking a few hits to her stack, she failed to double up on an all-in, resulting in a third place finish. The married mother of two from Atlanta, GA picked up her fifth Circuit Event cash for $11,024.

Second Place
With blinds and antes at 10,000/20,000/3,000, heads up was between Sanders with 700,000 chips against Tapscott, who had a 1.7 million chip stack. In the final hand of the tournament, Sanders was all-in with pocket nines vs. Tapscott with pocket fours. Tapscott flopped a set before blanks hit the turn and river.

Sanders earned $15,577 for second while Tapscott took home $25,369 first place prize and the WSOP Circuit Event gold ring.

“I feel really good,” said Tapscott after his first major tournament win. “This event was very entertaining; there were a lot of good players here today.”

Tapscott owns a finance company and has had a number of major tournament cashes since 2003. He describes his playing style as passive and says he will be playing in some more events through the rest of the series.

Still to come are 8 more events and daily single-day non-ring $125 and $230 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #11 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #10
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $400 (+40)
Total Entries: 242
Total Prize Pool: $88,496
January 29-30, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 Luther Lewis Goodlettsville TN USA $22,604
2 Jeter Brock Birmingham AL USA $13,823
3 Mike Ashar Vermilion OH USA $9,805
4 Ray Hall Huntsville Al USA $7,000
5 Zack Lawmaster Tulsa OK USA $5,602
6 Thomas Culberson Biloxi MS USA $4,204
7 Scott Standridge Ft. Smith AR USA $2,805
8 Michael Wolf Quinlan TX USA $2,274
9 Terry Alvert New Baden IL USA $1,929
10 James Gardner Shorewood ILL USA $1,690
11 Keith Woernle Montgomery AL USA $1,690
12 Ricky Fryer Orange Grove TX USA $1,690
13 Patrick Fogleman Springfield IL USA $1,389
14 Aaron Lasater Atlanta GA USA $1,389
15 Charles Lineberry San Antonio TX USA $1,389
16 Chris Nash Dallas TX USA $1,159
17 Brian Unkenholz Bartlesville OK USA $1,159
18 Darren Dwyer Salem IL USA $1,159
19 Jennifer Kasten Star City IN USA $1,009
20 Mark Mueller Columbia MO USA $1,009
21 Michael Sabbia Overland Park IL USA $1,009
22 Bradley Fowler Salem SC USA $903
23 Matthew Wright Rosebush MI USA $903
24 Gary Greenlee Muncee IN USA $903

“Nice Guy” Finishes First

Country musician and local favorite, Luther Lewis wins Circuit Event #10 at Harrah’s Tunica

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event 10 Winner Luther Lewis

TUNICA, MS – As tournament director Kevin Ferguson announced the name of the player in seat nine, a sudden burst of applause and cheering burst out in the event center at Harrah’s Tunica.

The unexpected barrage of loud whistling, clapping and shouts of encouragement from the room when Luther Lewis’ name was read was in stark contrast to the standard obligatory hand clapping.

Lewis, a 39-year old country singer and songwriter was probably the most surprised, seemingly taken aback from the crowd support.

“Lewis is the nicest player in this room,” said Rose Cooney, who plays regularly with Lewis at the Horseshoe in Tunica and says she’s never seen him berate a player after taking a bad beat or even go on tilt.

“And he’s polite to the ladies.”

In addition to home court advantage, Lewis had something else going for him heading into the final table of the $440 buy-in no-limit hold’em event, the chip lead.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Ray Hall Huntsville, AL 1 380,000
Mike Wolf Quinlan, TX 2 240,000
Matt Culberson Biloxi, MS 3 215,000
Jeter Brock Birmingham, AL 4 356,000
Zack Lawmaster Tulsa, OK 5 310,000
Mike Ashar Vermillion, OH 6 143,000
Scott Standridge Fort Smith, AR 7 143,000
Nathan Burdette Birmingham, AL 8 247,000
Luther Lewis Goodlettsville, TN 9 480,000

Ninth Place
The final table got underway at 3:20 pm after Terry Alvert was eliminated. With blinds and antes at 5,000/10,000/2,000, the first hand of final table action saw Matt “Cub” Culberson and Mike Wolf all in pre-flop. Culberson was ahead with A-7 off against Wolf’s Jh-10c. Culberson flopped top pair and maintained his lead through the river. Wolf earned $2,274 for ninth.

Eighth Place
Shortly after, Ray Hall moved all-in with pocket queens pre-flop and Scott Standridge called with pocket sixes. The Jack high board was no help to Standridge, sending him the payout table to collect $2,805.

Seventh Place
After Nathan Burdette raised to 45,000 in late position, Culberson re-raised all-in with pocket 10’s for his remaining 90k. Burdette called with Kh-Ks. The board improved neither player’s hand, ending Culberson’s tournament run. Culberson picked up $4,204 for his efforts.

Sixth Place
A few hands later, Jeter Brock made it 75,000 to go from the button while Zack Lawmaster moved in the rest of his chips from the small blind with Ac-6c. Brock called with 5c-5s and won the coin flip after no aces or sixes appeared on the board. Lawmaster, a poker dealer from Tulsa, OK earned $5,602 for sixth place.

Fifth Place
With blinds at 8,000/16,000/3,000, the remaining five players struck a deal. While the details were not disclosed, they decided to play it out for the ring. In the very next hand, Burdette ran his Ac-3h into Luther Lewis’ pocket aces. The queen high board was no help to either player, ending Burdette’s ring bid. Fifth place officially paid $5,602.

Fourth Place
The fourth place finisher was Ray Hall. All-in pre-flop, his pocket 9’s could not improve against Mike Ashar’s pocket jacks on an ace-high board. Hall took home an official $7,000 payout.

Third Place
Lewis played conservatively throughout the final table and maintained his tight play down to the end, at one point folding pocket nines all-in pre-flop to 62-year old attorney Mike Ashar, who showed A-5 off.

Lewis’ patience eventually paid off after calling an all-in from Ashar, who had pocket 7’s. Lewis turned over pocket jacks, which held through the river on a 10-high board. Ashar officially earned $9,805 for third.

Second Place
At a decisive chip disadvantage to Lewis, Brock called his heads-up opponent aside. After a couple of minutes of discussion, the tournament was over with Brock taking home an official payout of $13,823 and Lewis the official $22,604 first place prize and the Circuit Event gold ring.

“This is amazing man, I can’t believe it,” said Lewis, whose musical stylings can be heard at his website www.lutherlewis.net.

When asked about nice guys finishing last: “Well, I guess I’ve proved today that it’s not always true,” replied Lewis, smiling.

Still to come are 9 more events and daily single-day non-ring $125 and $230 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #10 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

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

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #9
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 230
Total Prize Pool: $61,530
January 28-29, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 Raymond Mcghee Little Rock AR USA $15,715
2 Glyn Banks Smithville TN USA $9,611
3 Benjamin Carli Alliance OH USA $6,818
4 Benjamin Clayborn Memphis TN USA $4,867
5 Robert Russell Louisville TN USA $3,895
6 Danny Nelson Batesville AR USA $2,923
7 John Murtagh Lincolnton NC USA $1,951
8 Bruce Sturgeon Bedford IN USA $1,581
9 Bobbie Talbot Hernando MS USA $1,341
10 Ryan Enis Corinth MS USA $1,175
11 Joey Huey Newport AR USA $1,175
12 Daniel Lewis Orlando FL USA $1,175
13 Thaddeus Haas Chesterfield MO USA $966
14 Byford Klebba Mt. Vernon IL USA $966
15 Kevin Hercules Nashville TN USA $966
16 Johnny Garland Johnson City TN USA $806
17 Steven Weigel Woodland AL USA $806
18 Rondal Rector Birch Tree MO USA $806
19 Linda Kennedy Olive Branch MS USA $701
20 Larry Hicks Mt. Vernon IL USA $701
21 Kevin Oursler Asheville NC USA $701
22 Steven Pionk Hernando MS USA $471
23 Steven Onheiber Three Lakes IL USA $471
24 David Price Madison TN USA $471
25 Brett Connally Bulverde TX USA $471

2010 Harrahs Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #9 Winner Raymond Mcghee

Raymond “Fibber” McGhee Wins Harrah’s Tunica Circuit Event #9

After years of playing high stakes cash games, McGhee wins his first tournament

TUNICA, MS – While an ice storm brought temperatures down to the teens in Tunica, MS, Raymond “Fibber” McGhee remained hot throughout day two of event #9 at the World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica.

McGhee, a 67-year old retired police detective from Little Rock, AR made it through a 230 player field to reach the final table.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Danny Nelson Batesville, AR 1 114,000
Bob Talbot Hernando, MS 2 240,000
Raymond McGhee Little Rock, AR 3 350,000
Ben Carli Alliance, OH 4 300,000
Robert Russell Louisville, TN 5 310,000
Bruce Sturgeon Bedford, IN 6 157,000
Glyn Banks Smithville, TN 7 292,000
Ben Clayborn Memphis, TN 8 355,000
J.L. Murtagh Lincolnton, NC 9 210,000

Ninth Place
A few hands after the elimination of 62-year old retired civil servant, Rob Talbot, Ray “Fibber” McGhee limped in UTG, while Bruce Sturgeon moved all-in from the cutoff. McGhee made the call with 10d-10h and Sturgeon turned over As-10s. Fours on the flop and a 10 on the river completed the boat for McGhee and Sturgeon’s tournament run was finished. Ninth paid $1,341. Sturgeon, a furniture store owner from Bedford, IN took home $1,581.

Seventh Place
John “J.L.” Murtagh went out in seventh place after moving all-in after flopping bottom pair on a 4d-7c-Qc flop. Murtagh got a call from Ben Clayborn, who hit top pair. Blanks on the turn and river sent Murtagh to the payout table to pick up $1,951 for seventh.

Sixth Place
Glyn Banks moved all-in with Ac-7h for his remaining 114,000 from middle position and was called by Danny Nelson from the button with the rest of his chips. Ben Carli, in the big blind, also called. Nelson showed pocket jacks while Carli turned over Ad-Kc. The flop came 6c-5h-5c to give Banks the nut flush draw. A 4c and 2c on the turn and river completed the flush to triple Banks up and eliminate Nelson. Nelson, a former NHRA drag racing world champion, collected $2,923 for sixth.

Fifth Place
Robert Russell was the fifth place finisher after running his pocket sixes into Glyn Banks’ pocket Js-Jc. All-in on a 10-high board, Russell’s day was finished. Fifth paid $3,895.

Fourth Place
Fourth place went to Ben Clayborn after he moved all-in with As-3s on the river on a board of 2d-2c-4s-Js-8c. McGhee made the call, revealing 2s-4d for a flopped boat. Clayborn’s ninth major tournament final table resulted in a $4,867 payout.

Third Place
After mixing it up for a while with Banks, Carli was eliminated in third place after he moved his short stack all-in preflop with Ad-Qd. McGhee made the call with Qh-8h. McGhee paired both of his pockets and completed the boat with a third 8 on the turn. Carli, nephew of all-time Circuit Event casher, Doug “Rico” Carli, took home $6,818 in his major tournament debut.

Second Place
Heads up action saw McGhee with a 2-1 chip lead over Banks. In the final hand of the night, Banks was all-in with Ac-7c vs. McGhee’s pocket jacks. Jacks held up to give McGhee $15,715 first place money and the Circuit Event ring. Banks, who had made a number of Circuit Event final tables and cashes, earned $9,611 for second.

McGhee is one of a number of Circuit Event winners who had never before played in a major tournament.

But don’t call him green.

“I’ve been playing poker fifty years,” said McGhee. “I usually play high stakes cash games.” “Fibber”

McGhee got his nickname from the old time radio show, “Fibber McGhee and Molly.” The married comedy duo performed on air from the mid 30’s until the late 50’s

McGhee says his 20-year career in law enforcement helped developed an important attribute that helped him win the tournament.

“Discipline,” said McGhee.

Still to come are 10 more events and single-day non-ring $125 and $230 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #9 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

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

Friday, January 29th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #8
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 249
Total Prize Pool: $67,059
January 27-28, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 John White Powell TN USA $17,129
2 Robert Schorr Henderson NV USA $10,475
3 David Kopacz Hopkinsville KY USA $7,430
4 Lawrence Beach Decatur GA USA $5,304
5 Roy Salinas San Antonio TX USA $4,245
6 David Kopacz Hopkinsville KY USA $3,185
7 Peter Hernandez San Antonio TX USA $2,126
8 Wayne Gatheright Walls MS USA $1,723
9 Bobby Woodruff Tuckerman AR USA $1,462
10 James Stallings Stevenson AL USA $1,281
11 Edward Guynes Robinsonville MS USA $1,281
12 A Culp Marvell AR USA $1,281
13 Richard Gibson Sidon MS USA $1,053
14 Christopher Nash Dallas TX USA $1,053
15 Christopher Stolz Huntsville AL USA $1,053
16 Michael Watford Richton MS USA $878
17 Kenny Piel Tunica MS USA $878
18 Richard Stoeckmann Princeton MN USA $878
19 Carlos Hamby Dalhart TX USA $764
20 Earl Merritt Ponder TX USA $764
21 Patrick Folgleman Springfield IL USA $764
22 Lou Salamone St. Louis MO USA $684
23 Harold Mabe Abingdon VA USA $684
24 Terry Coker Robinsonville MS USA $684

It’s a Science

Retired Nuclear Researcher John White wins Circuit Event #8 at Harrah’s Tunica

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #8 Winner John White

TUNICA, MS – John White, a retired nuclear physicist from Powell, TN, is the winner of event #8 at the Harrah’s Tunica Circuit. The tournament drew 249 runners. White was the first player to register for the $340 buy-in Wednesday event but was last in chips going into the final nine.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Wayne Gatheright Walls, MS 1 101,000
Rogelio Salinas San Antonio, TX 2 200,000
Robert Schorr Henderson, NV 3 990,000
Peter Hernandez San Antonio, TX 4 137,000
David Kopacz Hopkinsville, KY 5 290,000
Lawrence Beach Decatur, GA 6 223,000
Dale Curtis Tok, AK 7 204,000
John White Powell, TN 8 81,000
Bobby Woodruff Tuckerman, AR 9 170,000

Ninth Place
The final nine got underway shortly after 4:00 pm with blinds and antes at 6,000/12,000/2,000. The first casualty of the night was Bobby Woodruff. Woodruff, a corrections sergeant from Tuckerman, AR, busted after his pocket nines failed to hold against the K-Q of Dale Curtis. Ninth paid $1,462.

Eighth Place
Next out was Wayne Gatheright. The 70-year old retiree ran his short stack into John White’s pocket aces all-in with K-Q. Gatheright picked up $1,723.

Seventh Place
Seventh place went to Peter Hernandez, a former realtor-turned-poker pro from San Antonio, TX. Hernandez was unable to improve on an ace high board with 10c-8c vs. fellow San Antonian, Rogelio Salinas, who had pocket 3’s. Seventh paid $2,126.

Sixth Place
2008/2009 Horseshoe Southern Indiana event #10 champion, David Kopacz, was the sixth place finisher. Kopacz picked up his 8th WSOP Circuit cash worth $3,185.

Fifth Place
Salinas was eliminated soon after taking a beat from John White. Salinas’ pocket 3’s were cracked by White’s A-K after the board double-paired 9’s and 4’s on the river. He busted the next hand after moving his remaining chips all-in with 9-2 off suit. Fifth place paid $4,245.

Fourth Place
Lawrence “Andy” Beach busted in 4th after his pocket sixes failed to hold all-in against Dale Curtis’ J-Q. The 44-year old from Decatur, GA earned $5,304.

Third Place
A short-stacked Curtis was the third place finisher after being outflopped with A-J suited vs. John White’s Q-2 off. Third place paid $7,430.

At about 8:13 pm with blinds and antes at 15,000/30,000/4,000, heads-up action saw White and Robert Schorr dueling for a Circuit Event ring and the $17,129 first place prize. In the final hand, Schorr was all-in with A-2 vs. White’s A-5. The board came Ks-Qs-4h-3d-Kc to give White kings with a 5-high kicker and the win. Schorr collected $10,475.

White spent much of his career researching nuclear energy at the national lab. He was introduced to the game of hold’em back in the late 90’s. He cashed at the 2009 World Series of Poker Senior’s Event and was once a contestant on the poker game show, Poker Dome Challenge.

White says nuclear physics and poker share at least one thing in common.

“In both, there’s this element of unpredictability,” said White.

He went on in earnest trying to explain to this tournament reporter the science of calculating radiation levels and how they are affected as radiation travels through various elements.

After 10 minutes of going over hand-scrawled diagrams and discussing neutrons, isotopes and other terms that most of us have locked away forever in some dark corner of our minds, we’ll just leave it to this:

Poker and nuclear physics can both be unpredictable.

Still to come are 11 more events and single-day non-ring $125 and $230 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #8 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #7 Results

Friday, January 29th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #7
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $200 (+30)
Total Entries: 408
Total Prize Pool: $73,752
January 26-27, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 Robert Hankins Murfreesboro TN USA $16,314
2 Damjan Radanov Memphis TN USA $9,809
3 Michael House New Albany IN USA $7,036
4 Bobby Byram Osceola AR USA $5,023
5 David Simon St. Louis MO USA $4,019
6 Leo Stephens Dayton TN USA $3,016
7 Robert Taylor Booneville MS USA $2,006
8 Gregory Burns Flower Mound TX USA $1,630
9 Brandon Jackson Batesville AR USA $1,379
10 Mitch Jones Kennesaw GA USA $1,210
11 Steven Brown Ft. Wayne Beach FL USA $1,210
12 Jefferson Morrill Franklin TN USA $1,210
13 Richard Smith Berry AL USA $996
14 Billy Criner Little Rock AR USA $996
15 Timothy Kelly Cedar Park TX USA $996
16 Lawrence Morgan Flowers Branch GA USA $833
17 Steven Mcclusky Oxford MS USA $833
18 Luther Lewis Goodlettsville TN USA $833
19 James White Austin TX USA $723
20 Glen Balmat Little Rock AR USA $723
21 Chad Cooke Morrisville NC USA $723
22 Brett Connally Bulverde TX USA $649
23 Miranda Groesse Nashville TN USA $649
24 Fred Gerding St. Louis MO USA $649
25 Billy Mcbrayer Tuscaloosa AL USA $590
26 Jason Butts Ft. Myers FL USA $590
27 Donald Holcombe Blacksburg SC USA $590
28 Kevin Hercules Nashville TN USA $538
29 Jeremy Stocks Nashville TN USA $538
30 Jackie Jackson Dallas GA USA $538
31 Frederick Short WA USA $494
32 James Whittinghill Russellville KY USA $494
33 Timothy Mcgraw Crossville TN USA $494
34 Robert Davis Decatur GA USA $457
35 Joshua Robinson Pontotoc MS USA $457
36 Roger Gillard Galveston TX USA $457
37 Richard Raimond Dallas TX USA $450
38 James Daniell Carrollton GA USA $450
39 Frank Mcneill Aberdeen NC USA $450
40 James Knight Memphis TN USA $450
41 Curtis Milstead Summit AR USA $450
42 Matthew Wright Rosebush MI USA $450
43 Gary Keeton Florence AL USA $450
44 Michael Usakowski Belton SC USA $450
45 Christopher Wise Clarksville TN USA $450

…And that’s the Skinny of it

Robert “Skinny” Hankins wins event #7 of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica

29-year old building a career in poker since being laid off after six years working at tire plant

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #7 Winner Robert Hankins

TUNICA, MS – Robert “Skinny” Hankins is the latest Circuit Event winner at The World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica.

Hankins started playing poker recreationally three years ago, both for fun and to make a bit of side money to supplement the income he earned making tires at the Bridgestone plant near his hometown of Murfreesboro, TN

However, beginning in 2008, production cuts resulted in the layoff of hundreds of employees at the LaVergne, TN plant. Among them was Hankins.

“I went from earning $1,100 a week to collecting a $200 a week unemployment check,” said Hankins in his slow southern drawl.

With an additional 40 hours a week now on his hands, Hankins started playing more poker at nearby casinos and at a local home game, the poker barn. “Skinny” soon began to realize the possibilities of earning a living from playing cards.

In his first year playing professionally, Hankins made the final nine three times and earned over $35,000, just from the WSOP Circuit at Tunica. His most recent final table saw him with second in chips against a group of mostly short-stacked but determined competitors.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Dave Simon St. Louis, MO 1 176,000
Michael House New Albany, IN 2 740,000
Robert Hankins Murfreesboro, TN 3 960,000
Bobby Bryan Osceola, AR 4 100,000
Leo Stephens Dayton, TN 5 175,000
Gregory Burns Flower Mound, TX 6 365,000
Damjan Radanov Memphis, TN 7 1,250,000
Robert Taylor Booneville, MS 8 210,000
Brandon Jackson Batesville, AR 9 210,000

Ninth Place
Brandon Jackson was eliminated in ninth place after seeing his pocket aces cracked all-in vs. the pocket jacks of Robert Taylor. Jackson, a 35-year old contactor who played in memory of his father, Jimmy would have made dad proud with his final table finish. Ninth place paid $1,379.

Seventh Place
After the elimination of 33-year old Gregory Burns, Robert Taylor was next to hit the rail. A short-stacked Taylor called after Damjan Radanov moved his monster stack all-in from the small blind. Taylor was dominated with A-2 vs. Radanov’s A-9 and was unable to improve on the board. Seventh and Eighth places paid $2,006 and $1,630 respectively.

Sixth Place
A few hands later, Radanov claimed the rest of 58-year old roofing contractor, Leo Stephens’, short-stack with A-K vs. Stephens’s A-2 all-in on a king-high board. Stephens earned $3,016 for sixth.

Fifth Place
Another short stack, David Simon was the fifth place finisher after his A-4 all-in was unable to improve on the board against Michael House’s. Fifth place paid $4,019.

Fourth Place
41-year old restaurant owner, Bobby “Bob the Chip Builder” Bryan was eliminated after losing his remaining stack to Radanov with J-9 against his opponent’s A-10. Bryan picked up $5,023 for fourth.

Third Place
After House was eliminated in third place, Hankins and Radanov, each with comparable chip stacks, made a deal. While details were not disclosed, the agreement resulted in Radanov taking 2nd place for an official payout of $9,809 while Hankins took the ring and an official payout of $16,314.

“Radanov is a big cash player and I’m about the tournaments so we were both happy with the deal,” said Hankins, who ended up in third place in at an event in last year’s Tunica Circuit Event after seeing his aces cracked vs. an opponent’s A-K.

Despite a successful first year, Hankins acknowledges that sustaining a career as a poker pro is an uphill journey that he has just begun.

“It’s hard for a young poker player to play on the big stage unless you have the bankroll or someone to back you,” said Hankins.

“I’m going to play more Circuits, Vegas, and I’m talking with a backer so we’ll see how it goes.”

Said Hankins about his win, “I feel good man,”

Still to come are 12 more events and single-day non-ring $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #7 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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

Friday, January 29th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #6
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $200 (+30)
Total Entries: 573
Total Prize Pool: $105,762
January 25-26, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 Derek Puza Charleston SC USA $22,218
2 Dutch Magrath Ringgold GA USA $12,956
3 Richard Gibson Sidon MS USA $8,620
4 Larry Brown Jamestown TN USA $6,631
5 Zane Garner Jackson TN USA $5,309
6 Ray Martin Bargersville IN USA $3,977
7 Jody Akins Cordova TN USA $2,655
8 Keith Woernle Montgomery AL USA $2,158
9 John Lopez Houston TX USA $1,830
10 Daniel Behnke Mahomed IL USA $1,597
11 Charles Hafner Kingston TN USA $1,597
12 Jon Sexton Memphis TN USA $1,597
13 Daryn Holweg Marblehill MO USA $1,311
14 Kevin Young Atlanta GA USA $1,311
15 Daniel Goss Knoxville TN USA $1,311
16 Regan Williams Wartburg TN USA $1,100
17 Bobby Bean Ringgold GA USA $1,100
18 Norris Ross Eads TN USA $1,100
19 Randy Godwin Booneville MS USA $962
20 William Smith Russellville AR USA $962
21 Mark Smith Georgetown KY USA $962
22 David Beck Nashville TN USA $857
23 Michael Rose Desha AR USA $857
24 Carlos Requena Chandler AZ USA $857
25 Kristin Weeks Crandall TX USA $772
26 Rusty Farrin Jonesboro AR USA $772
27 Travis Wright Olive Branch MS USA $722
28 Merton Toler Princeton WV USA $709
29 Chad Stark Hardy AR USA $709
30 Larry Williamson Brookhaven MS USA $709
31 Misti Seibel Copperas Cove TX USA $656
32 Kerry Wallace Symsonia KY USA $656
33 Steven Shipowitz Germantown TN USA $656
34 Charles Casavant Avilla IN USA $603
35 James Lusk Murray KY USA $603
36 Garland Thomas Oxford AL USA $603
37 Rolland Young Cartersville GA USA $592
38 Charles Lineberry San Antonio TX USA $592
39 Steven Weigel Woodland AL USA $592
40 James Neal Chickamauga GA USA $592
41 Wendy Blumenthal Atlanta GA USA $592
42 Harold Mabe Abington VA USA $592
43 Tracy Cooper Oxford AL USA $592
44 Larry Hirons Arlington TX USA $592
45 Leslie Hollis Pomona MO USA $592
46 Jonathan Ritter Millington TN USA $497
47 Bradley Fowler Salem SC USA $497
48 Steven Pionk Hernando MS USA $497
49 David Hilfer Austin TX USA $497
50 Kerin Schooler Marble Falls TX USA $497
51 James Odom Crossville TN USA $497
52 Betty Mabe Abingdon VA USA $497
53 Elva Gullett Mountainview AR USA $497
54 Jay Herndon Murray KY USA $497
55 Bradley Kieffer Rogers AR USA $434
56 Scott Flournoy Sherwood AR USA $434
57 James Marotta Memphis TN USA $434
58 Allison Criswell Cumming GA USA $434
59 Johnny Brock Bradford AR USA $434
60 Billy Mcbrayer Tuscaloosa AL USA $434
61 Robert Hankins Murfreesboro TN USA $434
62 Diane Herring Alton IL USA $434
63 Jesse Oddo Houston TX USA $434

Player Wins Circuit Ring After Only One Month of Playing Hold’em

How I shipped a WSOP Circuit Event in 30 days

Derek Puza Takes Event #6 of WSOP Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica

Field sizes remain strong at Tunica Circuit

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #6 Winner Derek Puza

TUNICA, MS – 24-year old bartender, Derek Puza of Charleston, SC beat out 572 other players to win event #6 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica.

While it is not at all uncommon for a 24-year old, or a bartender, or someone from Charleston, SC, for that matter to win a major tournament, it is pretty uncanny that a 24-year old bartender from Charleston, SC who’s only been playing Hold’em since this past Christmas has accomplished such a feat.

“My little brother taught me how to play,” said Puza about his steep learning curve.

“I’d play $20 tournaments at home with him and some friends, but these Circuits are the first tournaments I’ve ever played in.

Puza is not the only novice to have won an event at the Circuit Events here at Tunica. Out of the six tournaments played so far, five had never before cashed at a WSOP Circuit. Of these players, four had never cashed in a major tournament period.

The final table got underway shortly after 9:00 pm with nine players, each with their sights set on winning the $22,218 first place prize and the World Series of Poker Circuit Event ring.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
John Lopez Houston, TX 1 165,000
Jody Akins Cordova, TN 2 354,000
Ricky Gibson Sidon, MS 3 258,000
Zane Garner Jackson, TN 4 1,200,000
Keith Woernle Montgomery, AL 5 230,000
Ray Martin Bargersville, IN 6 570,000
Dutch Magrath Ringgold, GA 7 575,000
Larry Brown Jamestown, TN 8 1,100,000
Derek Puza Charleston, SC 9 1,015,000

Ninth Place
The first eliminations of the night came after John Lopez moved his short stack all-in and got two callers by way of Keith Woernle and Dutch Magrath. After an Ah-5s-3d flop, Magrath called Woernle’s 428,000 all-in with As-2s, while Woernle showed Ad-Kc. A spade on the turn gave Magrath a possible flush, but it was a four on the river that won him the hand with a straight. Lopez earned $1,830 for ninth while Woernle took home $2,158 for eighth place.

Seventh Place

Jody Akins, a business analyst for FedEX, was the next elimination after moving all-in with A-6 off against Derek Puza’s pocket fours. Puza hit quads on the board, leaving Akins to pick up a $2,655 seventh place shipment.

Sixth Place
A few hands later, Puza was all-in again with pocket fours, this time against the Jd-Qh of Ray Martin. Quads were unnecessary for Puza as the board missed both players. Martin, a 56-year old farmer from Bargersville, IN, took home $3,977.

Fifth Place
Baseball handicapper Zane Garner was the fourth place finisher after running his K-Q suited into Dutch Magrath’s pocket kings. Garner parlayed his $230 buy-in into a $5,309 fifth place prize.

Fourth Place
The next player escorted to payouts was Larry Brown after his pocket sevens failed to hold against Margath’s A-10. The 52-year old trucker hauled a nice $6,631 home to Jamestown, TN.

The elimination of 50-year old farmer, Ricky Gibson, in third place saw Derek Puza heads up against Dutch Magrath. With comparable chip stacks, the two players agreed to chop 1st and 2nd place prize and play on for the ring. In the final hand of the tournament saw call an all-in preflop from Magrath with Js-10d. Magrath turned over Ah-Kd. The flop came Qs-2s-8h, keeping Magrath in the lead, but giving Puza an inside straight draw. The turn was devastating for Magrath after a 9h was dealt, making him the runner up and giving Puza the win.

“I feel fantastic,” said Puza after the win.

“These structures are great, they allowed me to play tight and pick my spots here and there.”

Still to come are 13 more events and single-day non-ring $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

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

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #5 Final Results

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #5
No-Limit Hold’em Seniors Event
Buy-In: $200 (+30)
Total Entries: 409
Total Prize Pool: $73,946
January 24-25, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Last Name City State Country Prize
1 Rogers Patterson Bryant AR USA $16,356
2 Donald Britt Loganville GA USA $9,835
3 Edward Blevins Hartford City IN USA $7,054
4 John Bovin Gladstone MI USA $5,036
5 Russell Muller Gillette WY USA $4,030
6 Roger Ledford Stone Mountain GA USA $3,024
7 Alfred Bailey Little Rock AR USA $2,011
8 Michael Stephens Godfrey IL USA $1,634
9 John Payne Guntown MS US $1,383
10 Michael Patterson Woodstock GA USA $1,213
11 Robert Slagle Bristol TN USA $1,213
12 Bryan Lindsey New Braunfels TX USA $1,213
13 Robert Fulton Cookeville TN USA $998
14 Patricia Altizer Barlett TN USA $998
15 Joel Feuerman Memphis TN USA $998
16 Joseph Cowart Twin City GA USA $836
17 Charles Sauter Indianapolis IN USA $836
18 Rebecca Summers Swayzee IN USA $836
19 Thomas Davis Pickett WI USA $725
20 David Smith Walls MS USA $725
21 Gary Byers Jacksonville IL USA $725
22 Walter Swoope Paducah KY USA $651
23 Carroll Dye Johnson City TN USA $651
24 Terry Johnson Columbia TN USA $651
25 Bobbie Talbot Hernando MS USA $592
26 Ronald Kelley Sumpter SC USA $592
27 Harl Donley Ft. Wayne IN USA $592
28 Richard Moss Carbondale IL USA $540
29 Russell Burkitt Nashville TN USA $540
30 Bobby Bean Athens GA USA $540
31 Rita Estes Tulsa OK USA $495
32 Janet Milakis Indianapolis IL USA $495
33 Daniel Behnke Champaign IL USA $495
34 Michael Bell Southaven MS USA $458
35 Karen Rutkoski Macon GA USA $458
36 Cheryl Baugus Sand Springs OK USA $458
37 Frederick Short WA USA $451
38 Michael Duvall Dallas TX USA $451
39 John Fox Nashville TN USA $451
40 Phillip Novak Greenbriar AR USA $451
41 Wesley Crowder Pine Bluff AR USA $451
42 James Milam Auburn KY USA $451
43 Larry Rogers Warrenton MO USA $451
44 William Stanley USA $451
45 Chris Stumpenhaus USA $451

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #5 Winner

Youth Will be Served

51-year old “whippersnapper,” Rogers Patterson wins Seniors Event at Harrah’s Tunica

Tourney draws unexpectedly large turnout with 67% increase over last year’s event

TUNICA, MS – The past few years in poker have been marked by incredible accomplishments by players just old enough to participate in the game.

During the 2006 WSOP a young Jeff Madsen took down two bracelets. In 2008, Peter Eastgate became the youngest player to win the WSOP Main Event title, while in 2009 Joe Cada overtook the honor just a year old enough to play at the World Series.

51-year old Rogers Patterson followed in that trend Monday, January 25th after outlasting a field of 409 players to win the 2009/2010 World Series of Poker Seniors Event at Harrah’s Tunica.

Last year’s seniors event attracted 274 participants. This year’s numbers marked a 67% increase.

The seniors event is open to players 50 years of age and over, making Patterson just a year old enough to play.

Patterson, a database administrator from Bryant, AR, chipped his way through the mammoth field of well-refined and experienced competitors to face a final table of his elders.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Ed Blevins Hartford City, IN 1 294,000
Russ Mollow Gillette, WY 2 623,000
John Payne Guntown, MS 3 200,000
Rogers Patterson Bryant, AR 4 277,000
Van Britt Snellville, GA 5 754,000
Michael Stephens Godfrey, IL 6 370,000
Roger Ledford Atlanta, GA 7 690,000
John Bovin Gladstone, MI 8 302,000
Alfred Bailey Little Rock, AR 9 558,000

Ninth Place
The final table began at 4:19 pm with blinds and antes at 5,000/10,000/20,000. After losing much of his stack in a coin toss with A-J vs. the nines of John Bovin, John Payne was all-in dark with 9-2. Russ Mollow made the call with A-K. Payne was the first elimination of the night after failing to improve on the board. Ninth paid $1,383.

Eighth Place
Michael Stephens was the eighth place finisher. Stephens, who cashed in the 2006 WSOP Main event, took home $1,634.

Seventh Place
All-in with Q-9 off suit vs. the pocket 7’s of Michael Stephens, Alfred Bailey was eliminated after Stephens spiked a 7 on the flop and blanks came on the turn and river. Bailey, a 65-year old accountant from Little Rock, AR was left to figure in his $2,011 prize on this year’s taxes.

Sixth Place
Roger “Georgia Boy” Ledford was eliminated after his 8’s failed to hold up vs. his opponent’s A-J. Ledford, a two-time event champion at the 2004 Mid-America Classic earned $3,024.

Fifth Place
The remaining five players struck a deal. While details were not disclosed, the players played on for the title of Harrah’s Tunica Seniors event champion.

Just a couple of hands later, Russell “Bonk” Muller was all-in with Qd-9d after the turn against John Bovin’s As-Kc on a king-high board. A nine on the river wasn’t enough for Muller and his day was finished. Muller picked up $4,030 for fifth while Bovin, already with nearly half of the chips in play, added more ammo to his arsenal.

Fourth Place
Bovin however, took a few big hits to his stack before taking a monster beat in a hand where he raised pre-flop to 175,000. Bovin was re-raised by Patterson to 675,000 and Bovin moved all-in.

After tanking a bit, Patterson made the call, turning over pocket 6’s.

All-in vs. the other big stack at the table, Bovin was glad not to see a coin flip as he showed pocket 9’s.

His relief faded when Patterson spiked a six on the flop. Blanks on the turn and river ended Bovin’s run as Patterson had him covered. Fourth place officially paid $5,036.

Third Place
Edward Blevins was the third place finisher a hand after taking a beat from Donald Van Britt, who caught a river queen to crack his pocket jacks. He was eliminated after moving all-in with Q-3s. Third place paid $7,054 officially.

Second Place
Heads up action saw Patterson with a massive chip lead over Britt. Both players were all-in the first hand of heads up play with Patterson’s A-9 vs. Britt’s K-9. The jack-high board was the end of it and Patterson was crowed the Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Seniors champion. He officially earned $16,356 and a Circuit Event gold ring. Britt took home an official payout of $9,835 for second.

“Fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” said Patterson about how he felt to win the tournament.

Despite his young age, Patterson seemed mature enough to handle his newly found success pretty well.

“I’m surprised they didn’t card me,” joked Patterson. “I guess I look older than I am.”

Still to come are 14 more events and single-day non-ring $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #5 Results

2010 WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Schedule & Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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WSOP Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica – Event #4 Final Results

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit Events
Event #4
Buy In: $340
Game: No Limit Hold’em
Date: 1/24/2010
Number of Entries: 800
Net Prize Pool: $272,000
First Place Prize: $47,321
Total Spots Paid Out: 81

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 David Arthur Johnson Bonaire GA USA $47,321
2 Peter Sullivan Roscoe IL USA $26,879
3 Brian Roberts Ridgeville IN USA $16,782
4 Kenneth Piel Robinsonville MS USA $13,508
5 Radwan Khuri Memphis TN USA $10,892
6 David Brown Dallas TX USA $8,255
7 Adam Stein Mount Juliet TN USA $5,458
8 Daniel Gordon Marietta GA USA $4,321
9 Dustin Gardner Sikeston MO USA $3,729
10 Tommy Riley Memphis TN USA $3,184
11 Kenny Thompson Huntsville AL USA $3,184
12 John Kelsey Memphis TN USA $3,184
13 Jason Aken Carterville IL USA $2,592
14 Carey Gower Chapel Hill NC USA $2,592
15 Reginald Roberts Ozark MO USA $2,592
16 Marquis Paschal Atlanta GA USA $2,160
17 Ralph Macdonald Atlanta GA USA $2,160
18 Stephen Gilliam Harrison AR USA $2,160
19 James Kirk Atlanta GA USA $1,887
20 Gary Huggins Pinckneyville IL USA $1,887
22 Matthew Green Birmingham AL USA $1,683
23 Keenan Ballo Chicago IL USA $1,683
24 Timothy Williams Dallas GA USA $1,683
25 David Hackman Hernando MS USA $1,524
26 Mark Jackson Athens TN USA $1,524
27 James Dark Spring Arbor MI USA $1,524
28 Michael Beaty Columbus KS USA $1,387
29 Richard Levy Chicago IL USA $1,387
30 Johnny Ogle White GA USA $1,387
31 John Smith Jasper AL USA $1,296
32 Dennis Hogue Tuscombia MO USA $1,296
33 Robert Rector Marshall NC USA $1,296
34 William Crust Harrisonville MO USA $1,205
35 Kevin Johnson Hermitage TN USA $1,205
36 James Harper Parattsville AR USA $1,205
37 James Quick Decatur TN USA $1,160
38 Michael Jamell Alexander AR USA $1,160
39 Marcus Marzette Nashville TN USA $1,160
40 Walter Luse Muskogee OK USA $1,160
41 Lynn Leake St. Louis MO USA $1,160
42 Luther Lewis Goodlettsville TN USA $1,160
43 Aphideth Nakhoneinh Tampa FL USA $1,160
44 Della Jones Sands Springs OK USA $1,160
45 Preneth Floyd Lexington TN USA $1,160
46 Gilbert Henry Paduccah KY USA $978
47 Chad Folse Little Rock AR USA $978
48 Kevin Mcdade Jackson TN USA $978
49 Robert Warner Codova TN USA $978
50 Jesse Jones Ringo GA USA $978
51 Shane Barnard Memphis TN USA $978
52 Timothy Harbin Haeyville AL USA $978
53 Jon Goskolka Sherrils Ford NC USA $978
54 Timothy Kramp Olive Branch MS USA $978
55 Andrew Harris Little Rock Ar USA $841
56 Bobbie Talbot Hernando MS USA $841
57 Marvin Blair Dirberville AR USA $841
58 Stephen Guidos Nashville TN USA $841
59 Mark Brown Memphis TN USA $841
60 Ronald Thomason Ft. Smith AR USA $841
61 Thomas Rosenthal St. Louis MO USA $841
62 John Burage Nashville TN USA $841
63 Lewis Clarke Memphis TN USA $841
64 Danny Haddon Winchester TN USA $705
65 Eric Roberts Paragould AR USA $705
66 Philip Ardire Kingsport TN USA $705
67 Mason Kevin Brown Athens AL USA $705
68 Michael Ashar Vermilion OH USA $705
69 Kevin Praytor Argo AL USA $705
70 Kerry Rowden Vienna MO USA $705
71 Brian Thouvenot St. Louis MO USA $705
72 Richard Dupree Oxford GA USA $705
73 Rex Rigdon Twins City GA USA $705
74 Jerry Stein Austin TX USA $705
75 Alan Wells Ft. Payne AL USA $705
76 Austin Stidham Flowood MS USA $705
77 Jon Sexton Memphis TN USA $705
78 Robert Bedford Lawrenceburg TN USA $705
79 Ronnie Furr Concord NC USA $705
80 Joshua Gray Godfrey IL USA $705
81 Benjamine Henley Kelso MO USA $705

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #4 Winner

Battle at Tunica

Serviceman David Johnson defeats 800-player field to win event #4 of the Harrah’s Tunica Circuit Events

Johnson down to barely over two blinds at one point during final table

TUNICA, MS – David Johnson is the winner of Event # 4 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica. A 17-year member of the U.S. armed forces and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Johnson emerged victorious in the 800-player tournament.

The $340 buy-in no limit hold’em Saturday event drew the largest turnout so far in the Tunica Circuit, concluding in the early morning hours of Monday, January 25th.

Johnson fought an uphill battle to make his way through the massive field to the final table.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count

Adam Stein Nashville, TN 1 400,000

Kenny “Badhat” Piel Tunica, MS 2 765,000

David Brown Wichita, KS 3 1,100,000

Pete Sullivan Roscoe, IL 4 480,000

Radwan Khuri Memphis, TN 5 880,000

Dustin Gardner Sikeston, MO 6 950,000

David Johnson Bonaire, GA 7 355,000

Brian Roberts Ridgeville, IN 8 1,980,000

Dan Gordon Marietta, GA 9 790,000

Ninth Place
The final nine players began play at about 9:18 pm with blinds and antes at 12,000/24,000/4,000. After a few rounds of play, Dustin Gardner raised 200k pre-flop from middle position and Brown moved all-in from the button. Gardner made the call with As-Jh while Brown showed Ac-2c.

Brown picked up an inside straight draw after a flop of 5d-10s-3h which was completed by a 4 on the turn, ending Gardner’s tournament run. Gardner, a 32-year-old machine operator from Sikeston, MO, collected $3,729

Eighth Place
Former Bluff Magazine managing editor, Dan Gordon, was the next player to be escorted to the payout table after re-raising Brian Roberts all-in from middle position for his remaining 250,000. Roberts was behind, having made the call with 9s-9d vs. Gordon’s pocket queens. However, nines on the flop and turn resulted in quads for Roberts and an eighth place finish for Gordon. Eighth paid $4,321

Seventh Place
Adam Stein moved all-in from the cutoff for 445,000 with A-4 suited and Kenny “Badhat” Piel made the call from the small blind with pockets 8′s. A four on the board was not enough for Stein to catch up and he was eliminated in seventh. The 43-year old MRI Technician earned $5,458

Sixth Place
After taking a few hits to his stack, Brown moved his remaining chips all-in with 5h-6h. Sullivan called with pocket tens. No help on the board for Brown meant the end of his tournament run. The 33-year old pediatric dentist from Wichita was paid $8,255 for sixth.

Fifth Place
A little while after the final five players negotiated a deal that flattened out the remaining prize pool, Radwan “Doc” Khuri and Roberts were involved in a hand that saw both players all-in on a board of 4-10-Q-9. Roberts flopped the set with 4c-4s, but allowed Khuri to complete his straight on the turn with pocket K-J.

“10!” demanded Roberts as the river was dealt. And there it was…

A ten on the river filled the boat for Roberts, sending Khuri to the rail. Khuri, a psychiatrist from Memphis, was left probably needing a bit of therapy of his own after taking the beat. He earned $10,892 for his efforts.

Fourth Place
Down to four players, Piel was the next to be escorted to the payout table. All-in pre-flop with K-6 suited against Pete Sullivan’s pocket nines, Piel was unable to improve on the board, ending his ring bid. Piel, a professional poker player and former golf pro whose stylish trademark hats and card protectors are available on his website, www.badhatpoker.com, collected $13,508 for fourth.

Third Place
Roberts held nearly half the chips in play at one point during the final table, but after losing a few costly pots was all-in for about one million with 9d-9c. David Johnson, who was down at one point to a mere 125,000, made the call with pocket jacks. It was set over set as a 9 and jack hit the flop. Blanks on the turn and river were all she wrote for Roberts.

Roberts, a 2007/2008 Circuit Event winner at Horseshoe Southern Indiana picked up his sixth Circuit Event cash of $16,678.

Second Place
Heads up play began at about 2:45 am with blinds and antes at 50,000/100,000/20,000. Johnson had a decisive chip lead over his opponent after a few rounds of doubling through one another. The final hand of the tournament saw Sullivan all-in with Qh-Jh and Johnson in with Ah-8s. A nine high flop with a 5 and a 4 on the turn and river gave Johnson the win.

“I started playing online and a little bit on the base,” said Johnson, whose Circuit Event win also marked his first ever major tournament cash.

“This is unbelievable, it was marathon, but it was a lot of fun,” said the military vet.

There are over 180,000 troops currently deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Johnson had this to say to his fellow servicemen overseas.

“Be safe, be smart, listen to your leaders and come home.”

Still to come are 15 more events and single-day non-ring $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 World Series of Poker Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica Schedule & Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #4 Final Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP

Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP

Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

R. Scott Barber – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld -Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #3 Results

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #3
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 (+50)
Total Entries: 286
Total Prize Pool: $133,310
January 22-23, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 Shawn Brown Overland MO USA $32,397.00
2 Doyne Finney Batesville AR USA $19,703.00
3 Charles Dawson Owensboro KY USA $14,024.00
4 Robert Hankins Murfreesboro TN USA $10,025.00
5 Darren Dwyer Salem IL USA $8,012.00
6 Ryan Watson Fayetteville AR USA $6,012.00
7 Phillip Parker Union Grove AL USA $4,013.00
8 Jason Mayfield Cabot AR USA $3,253.00
9 Gerald Banach North Aurora IL USA $2,760.00
10 Lou Salamone St. Louis MO USA $2,413.00
11 Jordan Stone Fayetteville AR USA $2,413.00
12 Benjamin Alvey Knoxville TN USA $2,413.00
13 James Allen Mt. Julius TN USA $1,986.00
14 James Mcmahon Olive Branch MS USA $1,986.00
15 Matthew Chang Birmingham AL USA $1,986.00
16 Jerry Barlow Westminster SC USA $1,653.00
17 Grant Gelven Independence MO USA $1,653.00
18 Larry Barr Russellville MO USA $1,653.00
19 Matthew Blaxton Decatur AL USA $1,453.00
20 Dexter Brown Robinsonville MS USA $1,453.00
21 Bradley Carroll Hiram GA USA $1,453.00
22 Alan Seymour Huntsville AL USA $1,293.00
23 Brian Roberts Ridgeville IN USA $1,293.00
24 David Shewchuk Powder Springs GA USA $1,293.00
25 Loyd James Macon GA USA $1,173.00
26 Benjamin Clayborn Arlington TN USA $1,173.00
27 Sean Williams Dallas GA USA $1,173.00
28 Joseph Cowart Twin City GA USA $1,066.00
29 Kevin Johnson Hermitage TN USA $1,066.00
30 Tony Jackson Little Mountain SC USA $1,066.00

2010 Harrahs Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #3 Winner

Shawn Brown Claims Third Event of Harrah’s Tunica Circuit

First time WSOP Circuit Event cashers 3-3 so far at Harrah’s Tunica

Final table not the only place to find a full house in the packed events center at Tunica

TUNICA, MS – While over 600 players were in the early rounds of event #4 in the packed event center at Harrah’s Tunica (with 200 more in the poker room), the third event of the 2009/2010 Circuit Events at Tunica was in its final stage.

The remaining nine players of the $550 buy-in no limit hold’em event battled it out for a first place prize of $32,397 and the coveted World Series of Poker Circuit Event ring.

The highest buy-in event of the Circuit so far attracted a field of 286 entrants and generated a final table of disciplined and astute players.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Shawn Brown St. Louis, MO 1 635,000
Darren Dwyer Salem, IL 2 240,000
Charlie Dawson Owensboro, KY 3 715,000
Jerry Banach North Aurora, IL 4 175,000
Jason Mayfield Cabot, AR 5 205,000
Phillip Parker Union Grove, AL 6 150,000
Ryan Watson Fayetteville, AR 7 500,000
Finney Finney Batyville, AR 8 320,000
Robert Hankins Nashville, TN 9 330,000

Ninth Place
Halfway through level 24 with blinds and antes of 5,000/10,000/20,000, the first two eliminations of the night took place when three players, Doyne Finney, Jason Mayfield and Jerry Banach got involved in a three-way all-in pre-flop.

Finney turned over the low pocket pair, Qc-Qh while Mayfield showed Ks-Kd. Banach, however was ahead of both of his opponents with As-Ad.

The flop was a seemingly benign 4d-Jh-3h, however a 6h on the turn gave Banach cause for alarm as Finney picked up the flush draw.

An 8h hit the river sending the crowd of spectators into an uproar. Finney, the oldest player at the table by far at 70-years old, sat relieved as he sent his two junior opponents to the rail. Banach earned $2,760 for 9th while Mayfield collected a $3,253 8th place prize.

Seventh Place
A short while later, Phillip Parker, a 44-year old NASA technician from Union Grove, AL, moved all in with Ad-Js and got a call from Shawn Brown, who turned over Qd-Qc. The board helped neither player, ending Parker’s run. 7th place paid $4,013.

Sixth Place
Ryan Watson was eliminated in sixth after moving all-in with Ah-Qh against Shawn Brown’s Kc-8s. A king on the flop and blanks on the turn and river sent Watson to the payout table. The 31-year old “cable guy” from Fayetteville, AR picked up $6,012 for his efforts.

Fifth Place
After a flop of 3d-8h-9d, Darren Dwyer moved all-in with Kd-Jd and got a call from Brown. Brown showed pocket aces leaving Dwyer looking for another diamond to complete his flush. Dwyer bricked the turn and river and his day was done. The 22-year old from Salem, IL took home $8.012

Fourth Place
Robert “Skinny” Hankins, a 29-year old poker pro from Nashville, TN was the next player to bust after moving his short-stack all-in with pocket sevens. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Hankins as Finney turned over pocket jacks. Hankins, who final tabled twice last year at the Tunica Circuit, was unable to catch another 7 on the board, ending his ring bid. Fourth paid $10,025

Third Place
The final three players saw Brown with about 1 million in chips to Finney’s 1.4 million with Charlie Dawson the short stack at 500,000. Shortly after the dinner break, Dawson thought he had an opportunity to stack a few chips, shoving all-in with A-3 off-suit after a limp from Finney.

Finney however, slow-rolled his opponent, showing Ad-Kc. A king on the flop put Finney even farther ahead before blanks hit on the turn and river. Third place resulted in a $14,024 payday for Dawson.

Second Place
Heads-up play began at about 8:22 pm. Brown and Finney had comparable stacks with blinds and antes at 12,000/24,000/4,000. After a few hands of play, the two were all-in after a flop of 7s-2c-6d. Finney showed 7d-5d for top pair, but Brown was ahead, having double-paired with 6s-2s. An ace on the turn and king on the river ended the tournament with Brown taking home a hefty $32,397 and a Circuit Event Ring. Finney collected $19,703 for second place

Brown, a 28-year old screen press company owner from St. Louis, MO says table image was critical to his win. “I was playing like a maniac when we were down to two tables,” said Brown.

“They thought I was the worst player, but after a while they figured out that that wasn’t the case.”

Brown’s Circuit Event win was also his first cash. The winners of events #1 and #2, Michael Crump and Jonathan Elliott were also first time Circuit Event Cashers.

Brown was ecstatic.

“Oh this is great man,” said Brown. “Halfway through the tournament, I told myself I was going to win the ring. I refused to take anything other than first in this thing.”

Still to come are 16 more events and single-day non-ring $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #2 Results

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #2
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+40)
Total Entries: 293
Total Prize Pool: $79,863
January 21-22, 2010

Final Results:

Place Name City State Country Prize
1 Jonathan Elliott Hixson TN USA $19,401
2 James Mink Houston TX USA $11,804
3 Houston White Madison TN USA $8,402
4 Kevin Buck Lockport IL USA $6,006
5 Joshua Kassinger Dexter MO USA $4,800
6 Jeffrey Houston Fort Madison IA USA $3,602
7 Donald Holford Norris IL USA $2,404
8 Jack Armstrong Berlington IA USA $1,949
9 Joseph Mcarthur Palatine IL USA $1,653
10 Melvin Mckinney Counce TN USA $1,446
11 John Hyde Birmingham AL USA $1,446
12 Jelle Simon Watertown MA USA $1,446
13 James Nickell Batavia OH USA $1,190
14 Paul Harris St. Louis MO USA $1,190
15 Safar Turkmani Silvis IL USA $1,190
16 James Davis Jackson TN USA $990
17 Douglas Odom Dawsonville GA USA $990
18 Jefferson Morrill Nashville TN USA $990
19 Emmit Humphrey Metamorer MI USA $871
20 Matthew Stahl Chattanooga TN USA $871
21 Paul Demario Grand Rapids MI USA $871
22 Nicholas Gorman Marshfield MA USA $775
23 John Erwin Crossroads AL USA $775
24 Joseph Alvey Southaven MS USA $775
25 Matthew Blair Florence AL USA $703
26 Raymond Drown Versailles KY USA $703
27 Richard Smith Dallas GA USA $703
28 Stephen Kummer Garland TX USA $639
29 Todd Chew Indianola IL USA $639
30 Samuel King Oklahoma City OK USA $639

Jon Elliott Wins Event #2 in His First Circuit Event Cash

Remaining eight players strike deal, but decide to play for the ring

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #2 Winner

TUNICA, MS – Jonathan Elliott, a 35-year old chemical operator from Soddy Daisy, TN is the newest owner of a Circuit Event gold ring after winning the $340 buy-in no-limit hold’em event #2 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica.

Event #2 attracted a field of 293 players vying for a first place prize of $19,401 and the ring.

Elliott was the chip leader coming into the final table and maintained his lead for much of the evening.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Jeff Houston Fort Madison, IA 1 70,000
Jim Mink Houston, TX 2 378,000
Joe McArthur Palatine, IL 3 115,000
Houston White Nashville, TN 4 450,000
Jonathan Elliott Soddy Daisy, TN 5 647,000
Donald Holford Norris, IL 6 540,000
Kevin Buck Lockport, IL 7 185,000
Jack Armstrong Burlington, IA 8 270,000
Josh Kassinger Dexter, MO 9 372,000

Ninth Place
Shortly after tripling up his 34k stack to 118k with pocket aces, Joe McArthur was the first elimination after moving all-in pre-flop with Ad-3s. Kevin Buck was the benefactor after calling with As-8c. An 8 on the turn left McArthur drawing dead. Ninth place paid $1,653.

Eighth Place
After about an hour of final table play, the eight remaining players stuck a deal during the break. While details were not disclosed, they decided to play it out for the ring.

Halfway through the next level, a monster hand developed when Jack Armstrong moved all-in pre-flop. Josh Kassinger and Donald Holford made the call and saw a flop of 10c-8c-9c. Holford moved all-in with As-Ks and Armstrong made the call turning over a flopped set of 8’s. Armstrong was far ahead of both of his opponents with 9s-9d.

After a 10h on the turn came the whammy.

An 8d on the river gave Kassinger quads, sending Holford out in 7th and a dismayed Armstrong to the rail in 8th. 7th and 8th places officially paid $2,404 and $1,949 respectively

Sixth Place
The sixth place finisher was Jeff Houston. All-in, Houston was eliminated after his Ah-6c was outflopped
by Jim Mink’s Kc-9c. The 50-year old farmer from Iowa officially collected $3,602.

Fifth Place
Joshua Kassinger was the next player escorted to the payout table. After seeing his stack dwindle to just over 150,000, Kassinger moved all-in with Kc-Jd and was unable to improve on Houston White’s Ah-6h. Kassinger took home $4,800 for fifth

Fourth Place
A few hands after players returned from dinner break, Kevin Buck moved all-in with pocket 10’s. Mink made the call with A-K suited. An ace on the flop and blanks on the turn and river ended Buck’s tournament run. Buck is a 32-year old musician whose music can be heard at www.kevinmbuck.com. Fourth place officially paid $6,006.

Third Place
Houston White was eliminated in third place after his pocket 10’s were unable to hold up against Kassinger’s Ac-Qh. The 24-year old from Nashville was officially picked up $8,402

Second Place
Heads-up play began shortly before 10:00 pm with Elliott holding nearly a 5-1 chip lead over Mink. With blinds and antes at 20,000/40,000/5,000, mink raised pre-flop to 80,000 and Elliott moved all-in. Mink made the call with his remaining chips, turning over A-2 suited. Elliott showed A-K. The jack-high board missed both players, giving Elliott his first Circuit Event ring and an official payout of $19,401. Mink officially took home $11,804 for second.

“Yeah a bit disappointed, I really wanted that ring,” said Mink, an oilfield consultant from Houston, TX who has been chasing his first Circuit Event ring since 2005. This was his third Circuit final table appearance.
Mink’s WSOP history was in stark contrast to Elliott’s, whose win also marked his first Circuit Event cash ever.

“I’m stoked,” said Elliott. “I’ve been playing Hold’em about seven years, but this is my first Circuit cash.”

Still to come are 17 more events and daily (single-day) non-ring $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

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

R. Scott Barber – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

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