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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #5 Final Results

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 20, 2010
Event #5
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 423
Total Prize Money: $123,093

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Pat Olsen Emporia, KS $36,935

2. David Yee Omaha, NE $19,818

3. Kevin Parmely Huron, SD $9,847

4. Charlie Gran Kennebec, SD $8,617

5. Jordan Blair Kansas City, MO $7,386

6. Evan Brockman Omaha, NE $6,155

7. Vince Leonardo Kansas City, MO $4,924

8. Paul Eichfeld Yankton, SD $3,693

9. Graham Beynon Sioux Falls, SD $2,462

10.Matthew Rizai $1,354

11.Jeffery Sampson $1,354

12.Nicholas Lauber $1,354

13.Drew Woodke $1,108

14.Daniel Drake $1,108

15.Aaron Lohman $1,108

16.Joseph Bogatz $862

17.Travis Reed $862

18.Timothy Stone $862

19.Matthew Bailey $615

20.Brian Barcroft $615

21.Terence Borrall $615

22.Christopher Johnson $615

23.David Pattani $615

24.Jerome Pizinger $615

25.Randy Belmont $615

26.Grant Stedronsky $615

27.Michael McKee $615

28.Nicholas Haynes $492

29.Lonnie Price $492

30.David Hengen $492

31.Morgan Carr $492

32.Edward Dust $492

33.Ronald Heritage $492

34.Daniel Dykhouse $492

35.Curtis Bicknell $492

36.Matthew Matthiesen $492

37.Neng Vang $369

38.Kathrine Armstrong $369

39.Neil Matthiesen $369

40.Michael Howes $369

41.Daniel Lottes $369

42.Mayo Morgan $369

43.Curtis Timperly $369

44.Scott Stacy $369

45.Jonathan Lawson $369

Pat Olsen, Playing a Tournament For ‘Diversion,’ Wins Event 5

His Daughter Also Plays this Event, and Her Favorite Hand is His Winning Hand

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #5 Winner Pat Olsen

Council Bluffs, IA — Pat Olsen is a fork lift operator at a meat-packing plant in Emporia, Kansas who plays mostly cash games. He decided to try a tournament here for diversion and entered the fifth event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $300 no-limit hold’em. He was accompanied by his daughter, Kristian, who also signed up. Her favorite hand is pocket deuces, and that turned out to be the hand that won the event for him! His daughter is also a better tournament player than he is, he admitted.

First place paid $36,935. However, when Olsen had only a slight lead over his final opponent, they made an even-money chop.

Olsen has been playing poker for four years, and his prior tournament activity has pretty much been limited to small buy-in events. Tonight he was able to move up a little at every level. His style was tight in early going, aggressive at the right time later on.

This event drew the largest turnout so far in this series, an impressive total of 423 players who built a prize pool of $123,093.

Final-table play started with blinds of 6,000-12,000, five minutes left. Holding a substantial lead with 812,000 chips was Evan Brockman.

Here was the final table chip count:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Jordan Blair 357,000

2. Pat Olsen 257,000

3. Graham Beynon 136,000

4. Kevin Parmely 204,000

5. David Yee 306,000

6. Charlie Gran 110,000

7. Vince Leonardo 168,000

8. Paul Eichfeld 197,000

9. Evan Brockman 812,000

In quick action, Kevin Parmely was down to 35,000 when Graham Beynon paired an ace to outrun Parmely’s treys. But Parmely rebounded a hand later when his A-Q filled as he crushed Paul Eichfeld’s pocket 7s.

9th place: With blinds now at 8,000-16,000. David Yee, holding Jd-6d, flopped a flush when the board showed 4d-7-d-9d and he moved in. Holding Qd-9s for top pair and a better flush draw, Beynon called all in. Two offsuit babies came, and Beynon, first out, cashed $2,462 for ninth. Beynon, 30 is a software engineer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

8th place: Second out, with blinds now at 10,000-20,000, was Paul Eichfeld, a 45-year-old retired police officer from Yankton, South Dakota. Holding Q-10, he went all in when a flop of J-9-2 gave him an open-end straight draw. He missed, lost to an ace-high, and took out $3,693 for eighth. Eichfeld started playing in New Jersey 10 years ago and now plays online and in live tournaments with his wife Amy.

7th place: When a flop of 7-6-4 looked safe, Vince Leonardo tried an all-in move holding A-8 and ran into a straight when Olsen turned up a 3-5. Leonardo made aces-up, but it was too little too late and he went out with $4,924 for seventh. Leonardo is a landscape contractor from Kansas City, Missouri. He has a win in the Winter Classic at Reno.

6th place: Blinds moved to 12,000-24,000. Next to cash out was Brockman when his pocket treys were beaten by a river straight. He moved in, was called by Parmely with A-10, and the board then came J-9-J-Q-8. Brockman is a chef from Omaha.

5th place: Two big stacks with two big hands now went up against each other. With an arsenal of 591,000 chips, Jordan Blair raised 200,000 with pocket queens, then called when Yee, with 611,000 chips, moved in. Yee turned up two cowboys, flopped a set, and Blair left in fifth place, worth $7,386. Blair is a 22-year-old student from Kansas City, Missouri who placed 18th in this event last year.

4th place: With 1,235,000 chips, Yee had now amassed more than half of all those in play. We had blinds of 15,000-30,000 with 5,000 antes, and all players were still here when blinds went to 20,000-40,000. After a long time we finally got down to three when Charlie Gran moved in with A-9. Yee called with A-6, spiked a river six, and Gran picked up $8,617 for fourth. Gran, 31, is a city superintendent from Kennebec, South Dakota.

3rd place: We then got heads-up when Parmely moved in with A-8 and was called by Olsen, holding pocket 7s. The pair held up when the board came 3-6-10-2-Q and Parmely was paid $9,847 for third. Parmely is a trapper and iron scraper from Huron, South Dakota who finished fourth in an earlier no-limit event.

Olsen now led in chips and he increased his lead to about 3-1 as play went on. Then, after going all in with 10-7 against Olsen’s A-9, Yee got lucky, flopped a set of 10s and pulled close to even. The two made their deal, and play continued.

2nd place: Soon after blinds climbed to 30,000-60,000, this event ended. Yee moved in with A-J, Olsen called with his daughter’s favorite hand, and the deuces prevailed when the board came 10-9-3-7-5. For second, Yee, who is from Omaha and gave his occupation as a former student and now a “bum,” took home $19,818.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #5 Final Results

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

– Max Shapiro

Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room Manager – Gary Margetson
Tournament Director – Kevin Ferguson

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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #4 Final Results

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 19, 2010
Event #4
Omaha Hi-Lo
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 77
Total Prize Money: $22,407

Final Results:

1. John Sozio York, NE $8,068

2. Brent Carter Oak Park, IL $4,481

3. Curt Timperley Battle Creek, NE $2,465

4. Richard Walter Schickley, NE $1,793

5. Larry Christensen Kennebec, SD $1,568

6. Tim Van Buren Omaha, NE $1,344

7. Walt Lustgroot Queen Creek, AZ $1,120

8. Luke Burgher Lincoln, NE $896

9. Jerry Rau Sioux Falls, SD $672

Soccer Director John Sozio Outlasts Brent Carter to Win Omaha/8 Event

He Survives Two All-Ins Before Finally Kicking Field Goal in 90-Minute Match

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #4 Winner John Sozio

Council Bluffs, IA—The fourth event of the Horseshoe Council Bluffs Circuit, $300 Omaha hi-lo, had excitement galore. John Sozio, director of the Nebraska Soccer League, started the table with the chip lead, 12 times that of celebrated player and Omaha specialist Brent Carter. By the time they got heads-up, Carter had worked his way into the lead with more than twice as many chips as Sozio. Then, after going all in twice and surviving, Sozio clawed his way back up with careful play in a marathon match lasting about 90 minutes before finally claiming victory. The win brought him $8,068.

Sozio is from York, Nebraska, and has worked as League director for 15 years. He’s been playing poker since age 18 and last year made a final table at a H.O.R.S.E. event here. He said he played very conservatively against Carter, picking his spots, only trying a couple of bluffs against him, and mostly staying out of his way until they got heads-up..

“If he checked twice in a row, then I could bet into him,” he said. Sozio, who tried a couple of WSOP Omaha events last year without cashing, likes Council Bluffs because it’s only110 miles away, and this Circuit event precedes the March 20 date when he’s too busy working to play.

This 4 p.m. event drew 77 players who made a prize pool of $22,407. When the final table assembled, blinds were 1,500-3,000 with 3,000-6,000 limits and 22 minutes left at that level. Sozio started well in front with 106,000 chips, while at the other end, Jerry Rau was near the cloth with 4,500 and Carter not much better with 9,000..

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Larry Christensen 71,000

2. Luke Burgher 40,500

3. Walt Lustgroot 62,000

4. Richard Walter 53,000

5. Curt Timperley 55,000

6. Brent Carter 9,000

7. Jerry Ray 4,500

8. John Sozio 106,000

9. Tim Van Buren 58,000

9th place: A few hands after action started, Rau raised pre-flop with A-2-3-K and put in his last chip when the flop came 4-6-10. There were 21 cards to give him a nut low. But he missed when a 10 and Q hit, while Richard Walter, holding another low starting hand of A-4-5-K, paired his 4 to leave Rau in ninth place, which paid $672. Rau, 48, is a financial operations group manager from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This final table is his poker highlight.

Limits moved up to 4,000-8,000. Carter, near elimination, hung on when he was all in and got a quarter of the pot with a nut low. Then, all in again against three opponents with another low hand, A-3-8-Q, he got lucky when no low came, but he made queens and treys, scooped and quadrupled up.

Limits inched up to 5,000-10,000 and then again to 6,000-12,000 with all eight players still around. But after returning from break, three players quickly departed.

8th place: First to go was Luke Burgher. Down to a couple of chips, he lost when his garbage cards stayed that way after he missed the flop completely and he left with $896 for eighth. Burgher, 35, is a dentist from Lincoln, Nebraska. His poker highlight is winning the Friday Night Poker League Championship. (Actually, it’s his home game, but it sounds impressive.)

7th place: Walt Lustgroot followed him a couple of hands later. He went all in with the classic low starting hand of A-2-3-4. A flop of K-2-7 looked promising, but a 9 and 10 left him with nothing but a pair of deuces, and he lost to a paired king. Seventh paid $1,120. Lustgroot, 36, from Queen Creek, Arizona is a former casino shift manager who has now settled for just being “a bum who hasn’t gone broke yet.”

6th place: Immediately after, with limits it was Tim Van Buren’s turn to leave. He had to post his last chips from the big blind holding a weak 8-9-10-5 in multi-way action. When the board came 9-J-J-A-7, Carter, holding A-5-8-8, took the pot with his paired ace and Van Buren cashed sixth for $1,344. Van Buren, 51, is from Omaha.

As play continued, Carter, starting with A-2-3-J, made aces and jacks, took a big pot from Larry Christensen, and moved into a slight lead with just over 100,000.

5th place: With limits now at 8,000-16,000, Christensen went out after getting into a raising war with Curt Timperley and going all in with A-4-6-6. He couldn’t make any kind of low and lost to his opponent’s aces and jacks. Fifth was worth $1.568. Christensen, 54, is a former rancher from Kennebec, South Dakota who “just enjoys playing.”

4th place: With the board showing Jc-Qc-Qs-8s-9s, Walter bet his last chips. Carter called. All Walter had was pocket kings, while Carter, holding As-4s-10h-Qh, had flopped a set of queens and now had a flush. As Carter moved into a bigger lead, Walter moved to the payout desk to pick up $1,793 for fourth. Walter, 63, lives in Schickley, Nebraska where he is in insurance and real estate. His poker highlight is knocking Barry Greenstein out in a 2008 WSOP shootout event. He has four Circuit cashes and this is his second Circuit final table.

3rd place: With limits of 12,000-24,0000, the match got heads-up after Timperley got into a raising war with Carter. He made a six-low but got blown away by Carter’s wheel.and cashed third for $2,465. Timperley is a truck driver from Battle Creek, Nebraska. He’s 51 and has some small tournament wins to his credit.

Heads-up, Carter had more than a 2-1 lead over Sozio. They played a dozen or so hands until the next break, with Carter gradually wearing his opponent down. They resumed play with 16,000-32,000 limits. Carter had Sozio all in twice, but both times Sozio escaped with a split before climbing back up. By the end end of the level, with limits now at 20,000-40,000, he had regained the lead he started the final table with.

2nd place: Carter couldn’t make much headway after that, and drifted down. On the final hand, the board showed Kd-5c-Ac-As. Holding Kc-Qc-Qd-6c, Sozio bet and Carter was left with one chip after calling with 7-4-2-J for a wheel draw. A river 5 was useless to him, but Carter called anyway with a jack-high, as he ended up second, worth $4,481. Carter, 61, a former harness race driver from Oak Park, Illinois, is a well-known tournament pro with literally hundreds of cashes in his long career. Among them are a final-table finish in the 1995 WSOP main event and a dozen final tables in Omaha.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #4 Final Results

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

–Max Shapiro

Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room Manager – Gary Margetson
Tournament Director – Kevin Ferguson

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

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #1 Final Results

Friday, February 19th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Event #1
February 18-19, 2010
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 303
Total Prize Money: $88,173

Final Results:

1. Lee Patitz Hastings, NE $27,332

2. Shaun Barnett Lacona, IA $14,108

3. Thomas Applegate Dallas, TX $7,054

4. Kevin Parmely Huron, SD $6,172

5. Joe Shanks Bellevue, NE $5,290

6. Eric Grave Tea, SD $4,409

7. Wesley Gronhovd Nekoma, ND $3,527

8. Chuck Tabor Kansas City, KS $2,645

9. Chadd Johnson Kansas City, MO $1,763

10.Kyle Golden $1,058

11.Steve Kang $1,058

12.Gerald McVeigh $1,058

13.Jefferey Tebben $882

14.Nicholas Marsh $882

15.Sean McLGlauglin $882

16.Alex Rosales $882

17.Vinh Nguyen $882

18.Christopher Hovey $882

19.Mohammed Nuwwarah $529

20.Gregory Daily $529

21.Danny Huber $529

22.Wesley Appleworth $529

23.Thomas Wessling $529

24.Gary Southworth $529

25.Gray Hannibal $529

26.Alan Harding $529

27.Oren Georing $529

28.Nicole Offner $353

29.Michael Armstrong $353

30.Fred Walker $353

31.Kou Vang $353

32.Brian Topp $353

33.Jesse Starke $353

34.Adam Behrendt $353

35.Alan McNaughton $353

36.Christopher Johnson $353

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #1 Winner Lee Patitz

73-Year-Old Lee Patitz has ‘Fun and More Fun’ as He Wins Circuit Opener

This is the Control Room Operator’s Second Circuit Ring in Two Years

Council Bluffs, IA—Lee Patitz, a 73-year-old control room operator at an electrical generating plant from Hastings, Nebraska, generated a win in the opening event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $300 no-limit hold’em. Victory brought him $27,332 and a handsome gold-and-diamond trophy ring. Patitz likes to come to town once a month to play a tournament, and at last year’s Circuit here made three final tables and won another $300 no-limit event. “Fun, fun and more fun,” is how he describes his poker activities.

Patitz says he plays erratically, changing his style a lot to keep players from figuring him out. At this final table he said he played “semi-conservatively, waiting until the hot shots got out.” Most of his poker is devoted to tournaments, since he also sits in a lot of non-money events back in Hastings. Now, with a sizeable bankroll, he plans to stay and play here for the remainder of the Circuit events.

This sixth stop on the 2009-2010 Circuit tour will be offering something for everyone. There are 24 tournaments scheduled over the 13 days, with the 4 p.m. events offering a whole palette of games from which to choose, including limit hold’em, limit Omaha hi-lo, H.O.R.S.E., pot-limit Omaha and PLO hi-lo. And the large majority of buy-ins for all events will be an affordable $300.

To accommodate the action, the number of tables this year has been increased to 53. Also, a Hilton Inn ho
tel has been opened adjacent to the casino, along with the Country Inn & Suites across the street.

This opening event drew 303 players with a prize pool of $88,173. Eleven finalists returned on day two. When we got to the final nine, Patitz had the chip lead with 290,000. Blinds at this point were 4,000-8,000 with 19 minutes left on the clock.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Thomas Applegate 100,000

2. Joe Shanks 163,000

3. Shaun Barnett 283,000

4. Eric Grave 131,000

5. Chadd Johnson 256,000

6. Lee Patitz 290,000

7. Kevin Parmely 244,000

8. Wesley Gronhovd 73,000

9. Chuck Tabor 283,000

It took a very, very long time lose our first player after several all-in escapes. The most spectacular to that point came nearly 90 minutes into the final table when Thomas Applegate moved in for 140,000 with pocket 4s and was called by Wesley Gronhovd with pocket jacks. “I never flopped a set of 4s,” Applegate said, ceding defeat…and then proceeded to flop a set of 4s. A few hands later, another big draw-out when Joe Shanks, all in with Ad-Jc, made a flush on the river to out-draw Patitz’ Ad-Qd. Unbelievably, the same play then came down when Chadd Johnson, all in with 10-9 offsuit, hit a spade flush on the river to crack Gronhovd’s pocket aces. And the parade continued when Shaun Barnett, all in with pocket 8s, doubled up by making quads!

About two hours had gone by when the nine players returned from break. By now, blinds had increased to 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes. On the first hand of the new level, another clever method of survival was devised by Chuck Tabor. All in with 6-5 offsuit, he was nearly dead to Shanks’ pocket nines when the board showed J-A-J-K. And then a river ace allowed both players play the board for a split. Another hand and yet another survival when Gronhovd won with ace-high.

9th place: It appeared we had still another survival when Johnson, all in with pocket kings against Shanks’ A-Q., flopped a set on a board of K-10-6. But then a jack turned to give Shanks a straight, as Johnson, suffering a really bad beat, cashed ninth for $1,763. Johnson, 24, is from Kansas City, Missouri, and was a student before turning pro. His biggest poker cash was online, winning $42,000.

8th place: Soon after, we had two all ins. Tabor moved in under the gun with Js-9s and Patitz, just covering him, called with A-K. Patitz filled when the board came 5-6-A-6-A and Tabor took home $3,645 for eighth. Tabor, 44, is a bar owner from Kansas City, Kansas. He won the Oklahoma State Championship in 2007, has four cashes in the WSOP main event, and has a 22nd-place finish in the PokerStars Sunday Million event.

7th place: Soon after, another player left when Gronhovd’s pocket 6s couldn’t catch Applegate’s pocket 10s after the board came J-J-4-Q-A. Gronhovd is a 53-year-old farmer from Nekoma, North Dakota.

6th place: We had a coin-flip match-up when Eric Grave was all in with pocket treys, up against Patitz’ A-K. Big slick did the trick when the board came A-J-6-5-4 and Grave went out sixth for $4,409. Grave is a sales manager from Tea, South Dakota. He also had a final table in last year’s Circuit here.

5th place: Shanks went out next. He had the best hand with top pair when the flop came 10-6-8 and raised all in with J-10 after Applegate bet his 9-6. But then a 6 turned to give Applegate winning trips. Shanks got $5,290 for fifth. He is 29, from Bellevue, Nebraska, was in tech support and sales, and now is “unemployed.” This is his first WSOP Circuit event. “First time is a charm,” he wrote on his bio sheet.

4th place: With blinds at 12,000-24,000 and 3,000 antes, Kevin Parmely went out holding A-7. He was up against Barnett, who had K-10 and made a runner-runner straight when the board came 6-2-9-Q-J. Parmely,who gave his occupation as a “trapper scraper jack of all trades, master of none,” is from Huron, South Dakota.

3rd place: Players returned from break to blinds of 15,000-30,000 and antes of 5,000., Applegate quickly found himself down to one chip when his K-10 was beaten by Barnett’s A-5, and he lost the chip on the next deal. He had A-10 against A-5 for Barnett and a mere 5-2 for Lee. The board was checked down, and when it came A-A-3-4-Q, Patitz had a wheel. Applegate is a 42-year-old pro from Dallas who previously had been a bartender. His poker highlight is finishing in the top 11 in every WSOP event he has played.

2nd place: Patitz enjoyed better than a 3-1 lead over his final opponent, and the match only lasted one hand. Patitz pushed in with A-9, Barnett called with A-5, Patitz’ kicker was the decider when the board came K-2-J-4-Q, and Barnett, a 36-year-old truck driver from Lacona, Iowa, settled for $14,108 for second place.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #1 Final Results

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

–Max Shapiro

Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room Manager – Gary Margetson
Tournament Director – Kevin Ferguson

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

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #2 Final Results

Friday, February 19th, 2010
2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 18, 2009
Event #2
Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $200 + $35
Number of Entries: 66
Total Prize Money: $12,804

Final Results:

1. Tom Wentzel Plymouth, MN $4,611

2. Mike Van Genderen Newton, IA $2,561

3. Dale Hanke Ankeny, IA $1,408

4. Dan Povondra La Vista, NE $1,024

5. Bob Cox Omaha, NE $896

6. Adam Clayman Ogallala, NE $768

7. Randy Belmont Omaha, NE $640

8. Mark Schubbe Chanhassen, Mn. $512

9. Ryan Gerdes Omaha, NE $384

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #2 Winner Tom Wentzel

With Rooting Help from his Friends, Tom Wentzel Wins Circuit Event #2

He Also Knocks Out a Home Game Friend Who Was Seated Next to Him

Council Bluffs, IA—Aided by a rooting section of two friends (one of whom finished eighth tonight), and getting hit by the deck in the late stages, Tom Wentzel won the second event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $200 limit hold’em. It paid $4,611.

(This 4 p.m. tournament was a one-day event. The opening tournament,, $300 no-limit, is two days, with 11 remaining players coming back on the second day.)

Wentzel, 41, is in sales for a consultant firm and hails from Plymouth, Minnesota. He has two prior WSOP final tables, one at Tunica and one here. He’s been playing poker since he was a kid, about eight years seriously. He splits his online time between tournaments and cash games, and in casinos, mostly tournaments, about 10 a year. This is only his second limit hold’em event, but he plays enough live limit to have felt comfortable. Tonight he was down to about 4,000 chips with four tables left, but started building from there.

This event drew 66 players who made a prize pool of $12,804. The final table started at midnight at level 14 and three minutes later moved up to level 15 with blinds of 2,000-4,000 and limits of 4,000-8,000.In a near-tie for the chip lead were Adam Clayman with 98,000 and Wentzel with 97.500.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat
1. Mike Van Genderen 37,000

2. Dale Hanke 23,500

3. Randy Belmont 21,000

4. Tom Wentzel 97,500

5. Bob Cox 27,000

6. Dan Povondra 33,000

7. Ryan Gerdes 19,500

8. Mark Schubbe 55,000

9. Adam Clayman 98,000

9th place: First to depart was Ryan Gerdes, who is 32, self-employed, and from Omaha. With the board showing two pair in three-way action, the best he could come up with was a queen-high, and the pot was taken down by Bob Cox, with an ace-high. Ninth place paid $384. Gerdes listed his poker highlight as “folding hands.”

8th place: With limits now at 5,000-10,000, a short-chipped Mark Schubbe put in his last chips with A-9, up against Mike “Bird” Van Genderen’s pocket queens. All babies came on the flop and turn. Schubbe’s only hope was an ace, but he missed, collected $512 for eighth, and moved to the sidelines to root for his friend Tom. Schubbe, 44, is a mortgage banker from Chanhassen, Minnesota.

7th place: Next out was Randy Belmont. He was all in pre-flop with 10-9, dominated by Van Genderen’s K-10. The board came A-5-A-5-4, and Belmont was out in seventh place, worth $640. Belmont, 49, is a bar manager from Omaha. He had a ninth-place finish in a $300 no-limit event here last year.

6th place: With limits now at 6,000-12,000, Clayman was all in with only a “Dolly Parton” 9-5 (the name derives from Parton’s movie “Nine to Five”). He was up against Wentzel’s pocket 7s and couldn’t help enough when the board came 5-6-8-2-6. Clayman is 49 and a futures trader from Ogallala, Nebraska. Sixth paid $768.

5th place: Last year Cox, playing in a H.O.R.S.E event at age 82, was credited with being the oldest player in the tournament, but still made the final table, finishing seventh. Now a year older, and “dead tired” as the clock approached 2 a.m., he still got half-way through another final table here. He went out when the flop came 3-6-J, and he called with his last chips after Dale Hanke, holding A-J, bet out. When a 4 turned, Cox had an open-ended straight draw, but he missed when a river ace gave Hanke two pair and cashed fifth for $896. The talented octogenarian is from Omaha.

4th place: Next to leave was Dan Povondra. He got short-chipped when he held A-Q and lost to Wentzel, who held J-10 and snagged a jack. On the next hand, Povondra’s last chips went in from the big blind when he had just 8-5 and couldn’t catch anything against Wentzel’s A-K. For fourth, he collected $1,024. Povondra, from La Vista, Nebraska, is in sales.
’3rd place: Soon after limits went to 8,000-16,000, Hanke had a close call. He bet all in with K-7 and escaped against Wentzel’s A-K when a 7 flopped..But not long after he was all in again holding A-7. With the board showing 10-5-9-2, he called when Van Genderen bet his pocket kings. A 10 came on the river and Hanke cashed third for $1,408. Interestingly, Hanke and Van Genderen play together in a weekly home game, but obviously Van Genderen showed no favoritism against his buddy. Hanke is 62, retired, and lives in Ankeny, Iowa.

2nd place: Heads-up, Wentzel enjoyed about a 4-1 chip lead. Van Genderen held on for a while with a couple of draw-outs, but went out on the 12th hand, betting his last chips with pocket jacks. Wentzel called with A-10, and the event was over when the board came A-3-4-8-2.

Van Genderen, 40, is a race car driver from Newton, Iowa, who previously was a regional manager for an insurance firm.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

–Max Shapiro

Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room Manager – Gary Margetson
Tournament Director – Kevin Ferguson

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Horseshoe Council Bluffs 2009 WSOP Circuit – Event #18 Final Results

Friday, February 27th, 2009

2008-2009 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs
Event #18
Feb. 24, 2009
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 74
Total Prize Money: $21,534

Final Results:

1. John Thelen Meridew, KS $7,752
2. Jonas Wexler Philadelphia, PA $4,307
3. Drew Woodke Omaha, NE $2,369
4. Matt Ferguson Omaha, NE $1,723
5. Joel Merwick Lincoln, NE $1,507
6. Jason Vargas Omaha, NE $1,292
7. Bob Treffert Racine, WI $1,077
8. Wallace Dawkins Lincoln, NE $861
9. Brian French Omaha, NE $646

John Thelen Wins #18, $300 No-Limit, After Final Four Players Make a Deal

John Thelan 2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #18 Winner

Council Bluffs, IA–The 18th event of the WSOP Circuit at Horseshoe Council Bluffs ended in a four-way deal. It had become a one-day tournament, and with the time approaching 2:30 a.m., the remaining players decided to call it a night. Holding the most chips and declared the winner was John Thelen, a restaurant owner from Meridew, Kansas who is mostly a cash game player, but will once in a while try a tournament when it’s held here. Last November he won a “Fat Stacked” tournament at Council Bluffs.

First place in this $300 no-limit event paid an official $7,752. Thelen, who is 44, has been playing poker 20 years.

Final table action began with blinds of 1,500-3,000 and 400 antes. With 80,000 chips, Joel Merwick had a very big lead.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat 1. John Thelen 32,000
Seat 2. Drew Woodke 38,400
Seat 3. Joel Merwick 80,000
Seat 4. Brian French 30,000
Seat 5. Matt Ferguson 8,700
Seat 6. Wallace Dawkins 7,600
Seat 7. Jason Vargas 20,200
Seat 8. Bob Treffert 31,200
Seat 9. Jonas Wexler 44,000

Ninth Place, $646. Brian “Frenchie” French was first out when he moved in with A-7. Wallace “Dawk” Dawkins called with J-10 and flopped a winning jack. French is 29 and owns a soccer store in Omaha. He’s played seriously for eight years and is a consistent winner in cash games.

Eighth Place, $861. Next to go was Dawkins when his A-Q couldn’t catch Jonas “Plumber” Wexler’s pocket kings. Dawkins, 26, is a media account executive from Lincoln,, Nebraska.

Seventh Place, $1,077 With blinds now at 3,000-6,000, the plumber drained another player, this time Bob Treffert. Treffert, 27, is a bartender from Racine, Wisconsin who’s only played two or three years

Sixth Place, $1,292. Soon after, John “The Bomb” Vargas got bombed out in sixth place when Joel “Tango” Merwick bombed him with a set of deuces. Vargas, 37, is a project manager from Omaha who started playing seven years ago.

Fifth Place, $1,507, “Tango” Merwick had his last dance and went out fifth when, short-chipped, he was all in with 9-2 and lost to Drew Woodke’s A-10.. Merwick is 28 and an entrepreneur from Lincoln, NE. He has a $40,000 cash in the 2005 WSOP main event, finishing 189th out of 5,600 players.

After negotiating for a while, the four finalists made their deal, and this event was over. Here’s how the other three ended up:

Fourth Place, $1,723. Matt Ferguson took fourth. Ferguson, playing four years, is a teacher from Omaha. He’s won two tournaments at Council Bluffs, along with four seconds and three thirds.

Third Place, $2,369. Third went to Woodke, a real estate agent from Omaha who started playing 10 years ago.

Second Place, $4,307. And Wexler got second. Wexler is 30, a plumber, and lives in Philadelphia. He’s been playing five years and his poker highlight is one time hitting a two-outer.

–Max Shapiro

World Series of Poker Commissioner: Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment: Jack Effel
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Poker Room Managers: Gary Margetsen
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Tournament Director: Janis Sexton

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2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs $5,000 Championship Event Results

Friday, February 27th, 2009

2008-2009 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs
Event #16
Feb. 23-25, 2009
Championship, Final Day
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $5,000 + $150
Number of Entries: 67
Total Prize Money: $313,950

Payouts:

1. Jesse Hale Houston, TX $113,020
2. Dennis Meierotto Kansas City, MO $62,790
3. John McDonald Marshall, MN $34,535
4. Evan Panesis Overland Park, KS $25,116
5. Joaquin Sosa Chicago, IL $21,977
6. Alan Engel Las Vegas, NV $18,837
7. Jeff Banghart Bennington, NE $15,698
8. Jeff Bryan Fort Calhoun, NE $12,558
9. Jeff Daubs Plattsburgh, NY $9,419

Skydiver Jesse Hale Floats to Win in Council Bluffs Circuit Championship

Jesse Hale 2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Championship Event Winner

Council Bluffs, IA–Jesse Hale, a 35-year-old professional skydiving coach and instructor from Houston, Texas, and as upbeat a guy as you would ever hope to find, sang, joked and talked his way into a win in the $5,150 championship event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. A deal had been made when the three finalists were pretty even, but his win was worth an official $113,020 along with the gold and diamond trophy ring and a buy-in to the WSOP $10,000 main event.

Strangely, he really didn’t want that seat, which is non-transferable, because the WSOP championship event starts two days after the expected birth of his first child (daughter Kayla), and he offered a public apology to his wife. You see, he really came here to play blackjack, badly beat up the tables, and at the last minute decided to use some of the money to play a couple of tournaments. He came in second in the pot-limit Omaha event, and was diving back and forth as he played that event and day one of this main event simultaneously.

Victory tonight did not come easy to Hale. With three players left, at one point he was down to 125,000 after taking a bad beat, and would have been out on the next hand if he didn’t outdraw his opponent on the turn. The final heads-up match with Dennis Meierotto was no cakewalk, either. It lasted 78 hands. Hale rated him a very tough and conservative player, but was able to play off that conservatism with continuation bets that got Meierotto to fold as Hale slowly ate up his chips.

Hale has been playing poker a bit over three years and is mostly a cash-game player. He prefers pot-limit Omaha and hold’em because he feels pot-limit favors the better player. He has a Circuit cash at New Orleans and a few other small tournament pay-outs.

Hale first started skydiving from planes 13 years ago, and has some 4,000.jumps to his credit. He’s been instructing for eight years. He is also a pilot and snow and water skier.

Action on this final day started at 2 p.m. at level 12 with blinds of 2,000-4,000 and 500 antes, 52 minutes left in the 90-minute round. Jeff “Mr Rain” Banghart, winner of the opening event, began day two as chip leader but was overtaken in the late stages by John McDonald, who now was in front with 439,500 chips.

Here were the final day starting chip counts:

Seat 1: John McDonald 439,500
Seat 2: Dennis Meierotto 387,500
Seat 3: Evan Panesis 203,000
Seat 4: Alan Engel 92,000
Seat 5: Joaquin Sosa 60,000
Seat 6: Jeff Bryan 27,500
Seat 7: Jeff Banghart 52,000
Seat 8: Jesse Hale 77,000
Seat 9: Jeff Daubs 34,500

Ninth Place, $9,419. It didn’t take long to see action. On the first hand, Hale tried to raise with pocket aces, but before he could announce how much, Jeff Daubs did the job for him, pushing in for 34,000 with pocket jacks. The board came 4-5-8-K-3 and Daubs was first to leave. Daubs is 49, from Plattsburgh, New York, and is a software test engineer. He started playing three years ago.

Eighth Place, $12,558. Thirty minutes later, Jeff Bryan, who started lowest-chipped, moved in from late position with his last 6,000 holding Q-J. He had three callers. On a flop of 2-5-K, Dennis Meierotto bet out and the other two callers folded. Meierotto turned up K-4. When a 5 turned, Bryan, now drawing dead, stood up and watched as a river king give Meierotto a full house. Bryan, 51, is from Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, and works as a sales manager for a concrete equipment company. He’s been playing since age 9. He has over a half-million in tournament cashes in three years, including nine Circuits. His two cashes in WSOP main events include $333,490 for 27th in 2007. He also has a WSOP money finish in pot-limit Omaha. He and his wife Donna (who also played in this main event but went out on day one) have five children and three grandkids.

Seventh Place, $15,698. After a break, play continued with blinds of 3,000-6,000. Now virtually tied for the lead with about 430,000 each were McDonald and Meierotto. Ten minutes into the level, Banghart moved in. As McDonald hesitated, Banghart told him he really wanted a call so he could double up. Finally, McDonald obliged and turned up A-8 to Banghart’s 10d-7d. The board came 6-9-K-9-5, and Banghart, failing to catch anything, had talked himself out of the tournament. He is 47 and from Bennington, Nebraska where he owns a lawn sprinkler company. He’s played poker since age 12. Besides winning the opening event here, Banghart also placed fifth in event 14. Other major payouts include $237,000 for 41st in the 2007 WSOP main event and $54,000 for fourth in the Council Bluffs Circuit main event that same year.

Sixth Place, $18,837. Next out was Alan “Ari” Engel, one of two pros at the table. He was all in with K-J against Hale’s A-J, and busted out after the board came A-5-2-8-Q. Engel, 25, is a full-time player originally from Toronto, Canada now living in Vegas. His biggest cash was $120,125 for a third in a $2,000 no-limit Borgata Deep Stack event last year.

Fifth Place, $21,977. Joaquin Sosa, who hadn’t seen much action thus far, now looked down at pocket kings and made a small raise of 20,000. Hale re-raised to 50,000 and Sosa moved in, only to see Hale turn up pocket aces. The board of 5-3-7-Q-2 was irrelevant, and Sosa, 49, a lab technician from Chicago who started poker five years ago, was out. This was his poker highlight

A hand later, Evan :”MacDaddy” Panesis, the other poker player at the table, had a close call. He had K-9 against McDonald’s J-10. McDonald flopped two pair, but then Panesis caught two miracle kings to escape and double up. As play continued, Meierotto took down a monster pot. Hale bet 50,000 on a board of 2-5-Q-4 and Meierotto, with a set of ladies, raised to 100,000, then won a few more chips with a river bet.

Fourth Place, $25,116. Blinds moved to 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes. Meierotto now had the lead with 640,000 followed by McDonald, 336,000; Hale, 321,000; and Panesis, 89,000. On the second hand of the new level, Panesis committed his last chips with K-7, a small underdog to MacDonald’s pocket treys. He couldn’t find anything when the board came 8-6-A-Q-A, and went out fourth. Panesis is a college student turned online cash-game player from Overland Park, Kansas. He’s played five years and this is only his third live tournament.

Play now tightened considerably with relatively small bets and no confrontations. Hale, meanwhile, was enjoying himself immensely, putting out a constant stream of commentary, patter, sound effects, singing, clapping and banging on the table on almost every card dealt. Along the way he played and talked his way into the chip lead.

The level dragged on and new blinds of 6,000-12,000 with 2,000 antes kicked in. Then at Hale’s suggestion, the three pre-ordered from the Jack Binion Steakhouse, ready to take a break when the steaks were ready. A few minutes into the new level, the pot of the night thus far came down. Pre-flop, Hale bet 100,000 and McDonald called. The flop came 3-4-2 and Hale moved in for 375,000 with pocket queens. “Either way, I’ll buy dinner,” he offered. McDonald accepted and called with A-10. An 8 turned and then a river 5 gave McDonald a wheel, leaving Hale with just 125,000 chips. “How could you call? What did you think I had?” he kept asking. McDonald wasn’t really sure, just didn’t think that Hale had anything much.

Hale nearly busted immediately after, all in with A-J against McDonald’s 8d-7d after an 8 flopped. Then a jack turned, Hale doubled up, and kept adding to his stacks after that. “Laugh is good,” he said. “I’m thankful for everything.” But he also said that McDonald now had to pay for dinner. Thirty minutes into the level the three went off to eat. By now it was a race, with Hale climbing back to 429,000 to 471,000 for Meierotto and 462,000 for McDonald. While they were out, they agreed to do a deal and play for the ring.

Third Place, $34,535. Five minutes into the level, with Hale now in front, the flop came Q-8-6. Holding pocket aces, McDonald bet 80,000 and Hale, with 8-6 for two pair, moved in, filling when a 6 turned, knocking McDonald out in third place. McDonald, 38, is a real estate investor from Marshall, Minnesota playing five years. He has some cashes in small events, but this is his first big tournament. He’s also still looking for a nickname.

Heads-up, Hale had about a million chips to around 450,000 for Meierotto. Poker room manager Gary Margetsen now brought in the trophy ring and a silver tray loaded with cash as the two prepared to do battle. Fifty hands and an hour later, Hale had picked up about another 75,000 chips, and blinds were now 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes. On and on and on the contest went. In all this time there had been nothing close to a major bet, much less an all-in.

As play went on, Hale gradually took more chips away as Meierotto, would fold when Hale bet.. Finally, on the 78th deal heads-up, the board came J-A-6. Holding A-7, Hale slow-played it. When a king turned, Meierotto, holding 6-5 for a pair of 6s, moved in for his last 136,000. Hale called, hit a second pair with a river 7, and the skydiver landed in first place.

Second Place, $62,790. Meierotto is a coin dealer from Kansas City, Missouri who has been playing three years. His nickname is Denny “D”: Dealer.

–Max Shapiro

World Series of Poker Commissioner: Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment: Jack Effel
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Poker Room Managers: Gary Margetsen
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Tournament Director: Janis Sexton

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2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #15 Results

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

2008-2009 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs
Event #15
Feb. 21-22, 2009
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 + $55
Number of Entries: 220
Total Prize Money: $106,700

Payouts:

1. Joe Rechtfertig Newton, IA $34,146
2. Clint Landman Birmingham, AL $18,779
3. Dave Word Pierre, SD $9,603
4. Chad Hancock Chillicothe, IL $7,469
5. Isaah Wright Iowa City, IA $6,402
6. Paul White Liberty, MO $5,335
7. Eric Grave Tea, SD $4,268
8. Mark Mueller Columbia, MO $3,201
9. Jim Scheibler Bennington, KS $2,134
10.Craig Steinacher $1,289
11.Shawn Meyer $1,280
12.Michael Book $1,280
13.Daniel Holverson $1,067
14.Austin McCormick $1,067
15.Duane Gerleman $1,067
16.Mark Eddelman $1,067
17.Curtis Milstead $854
18.Larry Nichols $854
19.Troy Ethridge $640
20.Douglas Margita $640
21.Benjamin Hock $640
22.Daniel Bruch $640
23.Paul Passerrello $640
24.Kenny Sousa $640
25.Jan Post $640
26.Paul Cameron $640
27.Tod Robering $640

Joe Rechtfertig 2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #15 Winner

Council Bluffs, IA — Playing for just fun and a ring after an even-money chop, Joe Rechtfertig and Clint Landman nevertheless battled it out for two hours with the chip lead going back and forth. Finally the key hand came down when Rechtfertig spiked a third 6 on the river to gain a huge chip advantage, and soon after claimed victory in event 15 of the WSOP Circuit at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $500 no-limit hold’em. This was the final event before the championship tomorrow. Victory for Rechtfertig was worth an official $34,146 along with the keepsake ring.

Rechtfertig, 30, is from Newton, Iowa, and is employed as an area supervisor for nine restaurant franchisees. He is married with one daughter and another child on the way. He’s been playing only three years and enters just a couple of live tournaments a year. He had a cash in the Latin American Poker Tour in Costa Rica last May, and three years ago won a satellite into the WSOP main event, but did not get in the money. Heads-up tonight, he noticed that Landman liked to limp and then come over the top when he raised, so he played him very selectively, going in with only strong hands.

After two players went out at the same time on day one, the next day’s final table began with 4,000-8,000 blinds and 1,000 antes, 43:43 left. Rechtfertig had the lead with 299,000 chips.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat 1. Dave Word 266,000
Seat 2. Mark Mueller 104,000
Seat 3. Joe Rechtfertig 299,000
Seat 4. Paul White 214,000
Seat 5. Eric Grave 156,000
Seat 6. Jim Scheibler 64,000
Seat 7. Isaah Wright 167,000
Seat 8. Clint Landman 278,000
Seat 9. Chad Hancock 192,000

Ninth Place, $2,134. Jim Scheibler, lowest in chips with 64,000, was first out in early action. He was all in with pocket treys and lost to Clint Landman’s A-10 after a 10 flopped. Scheibler is a 68-year-old farmer from Bennington, Kansas who’s been playing seven years. This is his first Circuit. He’s married with two daughters.

Eighth Place, $3,201. For the second time in a row, a player went out by being outdrawn when a 10 flopped to pair his opponent. This time it was Mark Mueller who took the beat. He was all in with Ac-8c against Eric Grave, who held 10-7. The flop was 8-5-10, and that was all that Grave needed after a 4 and 9 came. Mueller, 53, owns a foundation repair company in Columbia, Missouri. He has been playing five years and is mostly a cash game player. He is married with three children.

The level ended, and blinds moved up to 6,000-12,000 with 2,000 antes.

Seventh Place, $4,268. Tens seem to be working overtime here, as they proceeded to knock out the third player in a row. After Eric Grave moved in with pocket 9s, Joe Rechtfertig called with pocket 10s. They held up and did the job after the board came 4-Q-3-5-J. Grave, 31, lives in Tea, South Dakota where he’s a sales manager for a building construction company. He’s mostly a cash game player, and this is his first Circuit try.

Sixth Place, $18,779. The knockout requirements increased. This time kings did the job. After Rechtfertig pushed in with the cowboys, Paul White decided to call with A-6. The board changed nothing, and four were gone. White, 48, is a real estate investor from Kansas City, Missouri. He has cashes at the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge and the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza. He is married with a son and daughter.

Fifth Place, $9,603. Isaah Wright finished fifth. Holding Qh-Jh, he bet into a board of Q-5-7 and Rechtfertig moved in. After some thought, Wright called for his last chips and saw Rechtfertig turn up pocket 5s for a set. After a 10 and deuce came, Wright checked out. He is 24, from Iowa City, Iowa, and works in Internet advertising while being a part-time student as well. He’s played four years and has a few final tales in second chance events.

After a break, players returned, playing with blinds of 10,000-20,000 and 3,000 antes. By now, Rechtfertig had a very big lead with about 1 million chips, followed by Dave Word, 231,000; Landman, 183,000; and Chad Hancock, 112,000.

Fourth Place, $7,469. Soon after, a spectacular, made-for-television hand came down, similar to the stunning hand that opened yesterday’s event. First, Hancock moved in. Then Word moved in, and then both Rechtfertig and Landman called. The flop came A-7-3. Rechtfertig moved in and Landman folded. The cards were turned up. Rechtfertig and Hancock both had A-9 while Word had Q-J. Word appeared ready to be carved up by his two opponents, each of whom had paired his ace. Instead, a 10 turned and then a river king gave Word a runner-runner Broadway straight, just as happened yesterday when William Burdick’s runner-runner straight outran pocket aces and a set of kings. Word’s straight tripled him up while Hancock departed in fourth spot. Hancock, 34, is an investment manager from Peoria, Illinois who’s played poker five years. He has two $100,000 online wins along with a cash in a $2,000 WSOP event in 2007.

Third Place, $6,402. About 45 minutes of cautious play went by, and everyone was left when level 18 brought blinds of 15,000-30,000 and 4,000 antes. Finally, with five minutes left in the level, a surprising development. Word moved in with just 8-2, the second-worst starting hand in hold’em, and was called by Landman with A-K. Word’s nickname is “The Suck-Out King,” but he couldn’t suck out this time as Landman blew him out of the water when a board of 9-Q-K-J-10 gave him a straight. “It’s the only junk cards I’ve played all night,” Word lamented. “He just called, so I figured I could get away with it.” Word, 48, is from Pierre, South Dakota where he owns a construction company. In 30 years of play, this is his first time playing a Circuit. He is married with two sons.

Landman, aided by his lucky “Incredible Hulk” card cover, had now pulled into a virtual dead-even tie with Rechtfertig, and the two agreed to chop and play for the ring. Two hands later they took a break, preparing to play with blinds of 20,000-40,000 and 5,000 antes. After 30 minutes of play, the two were still very close to even. Then Rechtfertig pulled way ahead until the final hand when Landman flopped a straight, doubled up and closed the gap once again.

Blinds were now 30,000-60,000. Landman pulled ahead, and then came the big hand. The flop was K-10-6. Landman had 10d-8d to Rechtfertig’s 6-5. He was in the lead and would have won the event had not a river 6 given Rechtfertig trips and a big lead again.

Second Place, $5,335. Right after that the final hand came down. Landman was all in with K-9 against Rechtfertig’s A-Q and went out in second place after the board came 8-3-7-7-2. Landman is a 39-year-old accounting executive from Birmingham, Alabama who’s been playing five years. He has three cashes, including a fifth at a Circuit event at Tunica this year.

–Max Shapiro

World Series of Poker Commissioner: Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment: Jack Effel
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Poker Room Managers: Gary Margetsen
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Tournament Director: Janis Sexton

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Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #14 Results – 2009 WSOP Circuit Tour

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

2008-2009 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs
Event #14
Feb.20-21, 2009
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 314
Total Prize Money: $91,374

Payouts:
1. William Burdick Palmetto, FL $28,334.
2. John Nohr Spearfish, SD $14,620
3. Jeff Bryan Fort Calhoun, NE $14,620
4. James Yockey Smithland, IA $7,310
5. Jeff Banghart Bennington, NE $5,482
6. Joe Geisler Manhattan, KS $4,569
7. Scott Standridge Fort Smith, AR $3,655
8. Kaven Wood Rock Port, MO $2,741
9. Ken Oldenborg Lake Crystal, MN $1,827
10. Daniel McGuire $1,096
11. Duane Gerleman $1,096
12. Garon Keuten $1,096
13. Timothy Vansant $914
14. Matthew Manderfeld $914
15. Troy Williams $914
16. Patrick Kellogg $731
17. Patrick McGrane $731
18. Frederick Smith $731
19. Kyle Golden $548
20. Melissa Verrett $548
21.Anthony Pleuskas $548
22.Wesley Snow $548
23.Dale Hanke $548
24.Timothy McReynolds $548
25.Mark Ogle $548
26.Stephen Puleiu $548
27.Jimmy Blevins $548
28.Timothy Ohnoutka $365
29.Craig Melvin $365
30.Brad Stomer $365
31.Kenny Sousa $365
32.Jeffrey Elseman $365
33.William Drumm $365
34.Kyle Clarkson $365
35.Ramon Ruiz $365
36.Scott Beck $365

Amazing First Hand is Key as William Burdick Wins Event 13 in 90 Minutes

William Burdick 2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #14 Winner

Council Bluffs, IA — It’s a sure bet that no tournament in history every started off as dramatically as the 14th event of the WSOP Circuit at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. The very first hand started with the only three all-ins in this series. First, Ken Oldenborg moved in with pocket kings. Next, Scott Standridge pushed in with pocket aces. Then, Burdick, after going in the tank for a very long time, finally called with pocket jacks, which he later admitted was a bad call. (“I was about to fold, but ‘all in’ came out of my mouth,” he said afterwards.) A flop of K-8-9 put Oldenborg in the lead with a set of kings as he outran the aces. A queen turned. And then the river brought a 10. Burdick’s call turned out not so bad after all because it gave him a winning straight as he knocked out one player, crippled another and zoomed up from 248,000 to over 600,000 chips, about a third of those in play. He kept building his big lead, and, as bang-bang action continued, won this $500 no-limit event in just over 90 minutes. His victory was worth $28,334, along with the coveted diamond-and-gold trophy ring.

Burdick who listed his occupation as “father,: but is actually a pro, is 37 and from Palmetto, Florida. He started playing full time in 2003 after quitting his job as a municipal bond stockbroker. He swings around the country playing tournaments at the WSOP, the Wynn, the Borgata, various Circuit sites and elsewhere, with the full support and encouragement, he said, of his wife Robin and 15-month-old daughter, Payton. He has about $200,000 in tournament cashes, his best being $57,000 for a third at the Foxwoods Poker Classic. He also has a final table at a $1,500 Circuit event here. On his bio, he called himself “Mr. Modesty,” described his existence as “basically a life of mediocrity,” but also wrote that he is “a very tough player, as opponents will tell you.” His style, he said, is just to play a lot of hands.

This event drew 314 players who made a prize pool of $91,374. Final-table play commenced at level 16 with blinds of 10,000-20,000 and 3,000 antes, a full hour left in the round. Leading with 394,000 chips was Jeff Banghart, winner of the opening event here.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat 1. James Yockey 266,000
Seat 2. Scott Standridge 284,000
Seat 3. Jeff Bryan 108,000
Seat 4. Jeff Banghart 394,000
Seat 5. William Burdick 248,000
Seat 6. Ken Oldenborg 98,000
Seat 7. John Nohr 112,000
Seat 8. Joe Geisler 202,000
Seat 9. Kaven Wood 193,000

After the incredible opening hand, Oldenborg cashed ninth for $1,827 while Standridge was left with just 22,000. Oldenborg, 45, is a farmer from Lake Crystal, Minnesota. He’s had some local cashes but this is his first Circuit final table. He has two boys, ages 17 and 20..

Standridge, meanwhile, stayed alive by flopping a set of 8s on the next hand, then, right after, escaping with K-Q against a pair of 9s when a straight hit the board to give him a chop.

Fast action continued. A few hands later, Kaven Wood pushed in with A-10 and busted out when Jeff Bryan called with Ks-Qs, winning with a pair when the board came K-2-5-4-7, Wood is 36, lives in Rock Port, Missouri and is a manufacturing supervisor. He’s played five years and this is his first final table. He has three sons.

Once more Standridge had another all-in, this time his last. He had K-9 against James Yockey’s pocket queens. The ladies did the job when the board came A-3-6-6-A, and three were gone very quickly. Standridge, earning $3,655 for seventh, is from Fort Smith, Arkansas. He’s self-employed as a locksmith, has played five years and his big achievement was winning the Scotty Nguyen V main event which brought him $98,941. He also has a second in a $200 Circuit event at Tunica..

Action did not slow. Five minutes later, another player was knocked out, the fourth in just 35 minutes. This time it was Joe Geisler. He pushed in with As-10s and got a call from John Nohr, who had Kh-Qh. A board of Q-6-7-K and two spades gave Nohr two pair and Geisler a flush draw. Geisler’s hopes were dashed when an offsuit 6 came, and he collected $4,569 for sixth. Geisler 24, is from Manhattan, Kansas and has been playing four years. He’s currently an electrician but plans to move to Vegas and turn pro.

There were more all ins, but all five players were left when blinds went to 15,000-30,000. It then didn’t take long to lose another player. Banghart moved in with pocket7s. Burdick called with pocket 10s and filled when the board came 4-4-Q-J-10. Banghart got $5,482 for fifth. He is 47, from Bennington, Nebraska, and owns a lawn sprinkler business. Hence his nickname of “MrRain.” He won $30,127 for his victory in the first event here, where he also started the final table with the chip lead. He’s been playing since age 12. His biggest cash was $238,000 for 41st in the 2007 WSOP main event. That same year he collected $55,000 for finishing fourth in the Circuit $5,000 main event here.

Burdick now had a huge lead with about 1.2 million of the 1.9 million in play. Right after that, he picked up even more chips by knocking out the next player. Yockey was all in with Q-J against Burdick’s A-3. Nothing came for him, and he took out $6,396 for fourth.. Yockey, 34, is a FedEx driver from Smithland, Iowa who’s played 15 years. He’s married with four children and has won a few small tournaments.

Going out in third place was Jeff Bryan. He was all in with A-8 against Burdick’s A-9, losing when the board showed K-J-6-3-9. Bryan, 36, lives in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. where he is a sales manager for a concrete equipment company. This is his eighth final table. He has about a half-million in tournament cashes, his largest being $333,400 for finishing 27th in the 2007 WSOP main event. He also won $61,374 for a third in the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge in 2006. Bryan started playing at age nine and tournaments three years ago. He now has five children and 2 grandchildren.

Burdick’s final match-up with Nohr only lasted a few hands. On the final deal he had pocket 10s to Nohr’s A-7, and the pair held up after a board of Q-2-5-8-6. Nohr, 32, is from Spearfish, South Dakota and is self-employed. His various tournament cashes include a 12th in a $500 event here in 2007. –Max Shapiro

World Series of Poker Commissioner: Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment: Jack Effel
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Poker Room Managers: Gary Margetsen
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Tournament Director: Janis Sexton

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2009 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #13 Results

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

2008-2009 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs
Event #13
Feb. 19-20
Six-handed No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 112
Total Prize Money: $32,592

Payouts:
1. Brian Scobee Bennington, NE $10,268
2. Drew Woodke Omaha, NE $6,355
3. Austin McCormick Kansas City, MO $4,074
4. Jay Carstens Omaha, NE $2,770
5. Tobin King Brunswick, NE $1,874
6. Joe Ritter Omaha, NE $1,385
7. Joshua Mancuso $1,059
8. William Castillo $1,059
9. Shawn Marley $978
10. Sean Kebbekus $978
11. Jonathan Hanner $896
12.Wilbur Futhey $896

Brian Scobee Outlasts Long and Wild Final Table in #13, 6-Handed No-Limit

Brian Scobee 2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #13 Winner

Council Bluffs, IA — Even with only six players at the final table, the 13th event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs raged on for close to five hours, with lots of chip lead changes in what all participants agreed was a tough table. In the end it was Brian Scobee, a 35-year-old nurse recruiter for INA Healthcare, who ended up first. When it got two-handed, he led with about 185,000 chips to Drew Woodke’s 150,000, and the two agreed to a deal ending the action. Scobee was declared the winner, taking out an official $10,268. The key hand for him in late action when he took the chip lead after his pocket queens held up against pocket 8s.

Scobee, 35, is a health care nurse recruiter from Bennington, Nebraska playing for four years who earlier won $2,400 in a three-way chop in a second-chance event.

Scobee plays mostly tournaments and sometimes small no-limit cash games. His style is selective-aggressive. “I like to put the pressure on,” he says. He came to the final table second in chips but had an up-and-down ride all the way through until finally grabbing the chip lead. Scobee is the father of two girls and a month-old baby boy.

Final-table action began with 1,500-3,000 blinds and in three minutes went to 400 antes and 2,000-4,000 blinds with 400 antes. Leading with 275,300 chips was Drew Woodke.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat 1. Joe Ritter 29,600
Seat 2. Drew Woodke 275,300
Seat 3. Tobin King 49,100
Seat 4. Jay Carstens 39,800
Seat 5. Brian Scobee 137,200
Seat 6. Austin McCormick 130,000

First out, in sixth place, was Joe Ritter. He was all in with K-Q and lost to Jay “Bis Slick” Carsten’s A-J after the board came 7-8-7-2-6. Sixth paid $1,385. Ritter, 40, is a software programmer from Omaha who has played for 25 years, and this is his first final table.

Next to go was Tobin King. He pushed in his entire 76,000 with A-K and got a call from Austin McCormick with pocket 8s. “Eight ball in the corner pocket,” McCormick called out, and sure enough the dealer obliged by putting out a flop of 8-6-7. King, now drawing dead, cashed fifth for $1,874. King, 36, is a business owner from Brunswick, Nebraska. He’s been playing four years and has two cashes out of three Circuit tries.

Blinds now were 3,00-6,000 with 500 antes, and all players remained when blinds went to 4,000-8,000. It took a long time to lose our third player, but finally it was Carstens who cashed fourth for $2,770. He moved in with A-3 and was called by McCormick holding Q-J. Carstens paired his trey on a flop of 3-7-6, only to see McCormick pair his jack on the turn. A river deuce didn’t help and after three hours, half the field of six was gone. Carstens is 43 and an area sales manager from Denison, Iowa

Chips moved back and forth for a long time between the three remaining players. An hour later, McCormick had A-K and was up against Woodke’s pocket 8s in a big pot. In earlier action, McCormick knocked out a player who had A-K by flopping a set of 8s Now, ironically, the tables were turned. McCormick’s A-K went nowhere after Woodke was the one to flop a set of 8s. McCormick now was left with just a few chips. He doubled through once, but on the next hand was all in again with J-2 against Scobee’s A-10. An ace flopped, and that was more than enough to leave McCormick in third place, which paid $2,770. McCormick is 21-year-old student turned pro from Kansas City, Missouri. This is his second final table. He had a fourth in the prior $500 no-limit event.

Heads-up, Scobee led with about 185,000 chips to 150,000 for Woodke. They now took a break, talked deal, came to an agreement and the tournament was over. Second paid an official $6,355. Woodke, 27, is a real estate agent from Omaha playing 10 years. His multiple cashes include a sixth in last year’s $500 event where he achieved the additional glory of knocking out Amarillo Slim.

–Max Shapiro

World Series of Poker Commissioner: Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment: Jack Effel
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Poker Room Managers: Gary Margetsen
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Tournament Director: Janis Sexton

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2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #12 Results

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

2008-2009 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs
Event #12
Feb. 19-20
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 + $55
Number of Entries: 151
Total Prize Money: $73,235

Payouts:

1. David Grandstaff Des Moines, IA $23,727
2. Corey Rasmussen Cedar Falls, IA $12,450
3. Chris Drew Omaha, NE $7,324
4. Nouk Sengchan Sioux City, Iowa $5,859
5. Nathan Rowan Jefferson City, MO $4,394
6. Adam Sleper Omaha, NE $3,662
7. Lou Salamone St. Louis, MO $2,929
8. Chris Hovey Omaha, NE $2,197
9. David Dicken Waterloo, IA $1,465
10. Timothy Soscoe $1,172
11. Scott Buller $1,172
12. Frank Patti $1,172
13. Steven Verrett $1,025
14. Drazen Ilich $1,025
15. Daniel Thomas $1,025
16. Brandon Mifsud $879
17.Mark Kroon $879
18. Scott Burch $879
David Grandstaff, 65, Overcomes Lack Of Sleep to Win Event 12, $500 No-Limit

David Grandstaff 2009 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #12 Winner

Council Bluffs, IA–David “Governor” Grandstaff, a retired paint contractor from Des Moines, Iowa, turns 66 next week. He’s been here since Sunday and trying to get by on two to three hours sleep a night. It caused him some confusion leading to a few bad plays along the way. Fortunately, he didn’t make any major errors tonight as he ended up winning the 12th event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $500 no-limit hold’em. He did, however, admittedly get very lucky on the last hand, which he said he overplayed, when he caught a second pair on the river to outrun his final opponent’s higher pair. The win was worth $23,727 along with his first trophy ring.

Grandstaff, who has been playing poker “too long to remember,” divides his time between playing small $100 tournaments about once a week and $30-$60 and $40-$80 limit hold’em cash games. His best prior tournament cash was $9,630 for a second in a Gold Strike $500 event here last year. He also has a fourth at a Bellagio weekly event and another cash at Fiesta al Lago. He moved back to Iowa three years ago, after living in California and spending a lot of time playing at Bay 101 in San Jose.

There were two minutes left on the clock when players returned on day two, playing with 2,000-4,000 blinds. Way in the lead with 264,000 chips was Corey Rasmussen.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat 1. Nathan Rowan 103,500
Seat 2. Chris Drew 248,000
Seat 3. David Dickin 105,000
Seat 4. Adam Sleper 33,000
Seat 5. Corey Rasmussen 264,000
Seat 6. David Grandstaff 146,500
Seat 7. Chris Hovey 80,000
Seat 8. Nouk Sengchan 144,000
Seat 9. Lou Salamone 57,500

Blinds now were 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes. It took halfway through the level before there was a second all-in and call. David Dicken went all in with pocket 6s, and Rasmussen crushed him with pocket kings. Ninth paid $1,465. Dicken, 33, is a pro from Waterloo, Iowa playing six years He has a two seconds, one here in a $1,500 event, another in a $5,000 event at the Bellagio. He’s also played in three WSOP main events, never making it past the first day.

With blinds at 4,000-8,000, a second player exited. Chris Hovey was all in with A-4, up against David Grandstaff’s Q-J. When the board came J-8-6-4-3, Grandstaff’s paired jack left Hovey in eighth place, which paid $2,197. Hovey, 35 is from Omaha and owns a concrete flatwork company owner. He’s played six years.

In rapid-fire action, Lou “Bowhunter” Salamone was next out.when his pocket aces were cracked in a bad beat. Nouk “Nouky” Sengchan had 8-7, flopped a second eight, and hit a third 8 on the turn. Salamone, 47, taking home $2,929 for seventh, is a retired fireman from St. Louis who’s a veteran of more than 30 years of poker. He won the Chris Moneymaker Playboy event in St. Louis last year and has two final tables at the Venetian Deep Stack. He’s a bowhunter and an operator of Suburban Bowhunters whose members have killed over 400 “nuisance” deer, with Salamone accounting for over 100 since 2001.

Soon after, Adam “Sleepydude” Sleper went out sixth when his K-9 fell to Sengchan’s A-3 after a board of Q-2-7-A-9. Sleper, 35, is a published, technical writer from Omaha with a master’s degree in literature who’s just completed his first novel. He’s proud to say he’s never watched Fox Sports News’ Best Damn Poker Show.

On a roll, Sengchan quickly knocked out his third player in a row (:unintentionally,” he innocently claimed). This time, with the board showing 8-6-7, Nathan “Uberdonk” Rowan moved in for 61,000. “On a draw?” Sengchan probed. He finally called, holding 7-6 for two pair as Rowan turned up 10-8 for top two. Well in the lead, Sengchan finished Rowan off by catching a 7 on the river for a full house. Rowan, 30, was paid $4,394 for fifth. He is a bar manager/semi-pro from Jefferson City, Missouri who’s been playing four years. This event is his first “quasi-big live tournament.” His poker highlight was spending 36 straight hours in the same chair in a $2-$5 no-limit cash game (must have been a good game).

After a break, blinds went to 6,000-12,000 with 2,,000 antes. Soon after, Chris Drew had a narrow escape when he was all in with A-7 against Grandstaff’s pocket 6s. Grandstaff moved way in front when a flop of 5-6-2 gave him a set. But then a 3 turned and a 4 hit the river. That made a six-high straight on board, with Drew’s 7 giving him a higher one.

The next big hand pitted Grandstaff’s pocket aces against Sengchan’s pocket 6s. The aces were good enough, but Grandstaff also made a nut flush when four spades hit the board. Down to 15,000 Sengchan doubled up on the next hand, but then went out on the one after when his K-3 couldn’t overcome Chris Drew’s A-Q after all small cards boarded. For fourth, he cashed for $5,859.:”Nouky,” who had been the liveliest, most talkative player at the table, is originally from Laos and now lives in Sioux City, Iowa. He is employed as a casino supervisor and has played for 15 years.

Blinds became 10,000-20,000 with 3,000 antes. Midway through, the tournament got heads-up when Drew made a jack-high straight but lost to Rasmussen’s queen-high straight. Drew is 28, and works as a bartender in Omaha. He’s been playing six years. He’s had several prior WSOP Circuit cashes, and this is his second final table

The heads-up match didn’t last very long. On the final hand, both players limped pre-flop. Grandstaff had the button. The flop came 9-4-J. Rasmussen bet 60,000 holding Q-9 and Grandstaff`moved in with 10c-4c. Rasmussen was in the lead with 9s to Grandstaff’s 4s, but then a river 10 gave Grandstaff two pair and the win. Rasmussen, 29, is from Cedar Falls, Iowa.

–Max Shapiro

World Series of Poker Commissioner: Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment: Jack Effel
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Poker Room Managers: Gary Margetsen
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Tournament Director: Janis Sexton

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