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Daniel Negreanu Rates the World’s Top Ten Toughest Tournaments

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Daniel Negreanu posted a recent blog entry where he gives his opinion on what is the world’s toughest poker tournaments.

He has stated that the number one variable in determining the toughest tournaments are the strength of field. The second variable of importance is tournament structure, and finally a third important factor, but to a much lesser degree, is field size. Generally speaking, the larger the field, the more likely that the level of skill drops.

Here is a list of the Top Ten Toughest Tournaments in the World according to Daniel Negreanu:

10 – WPT LA Poker Classic

9 – PokerStars Caribbean Adventure

8 – $10,000 No Limit Hold’em WSOP Heads Up Championship

7 – PokerStars EPT Grand Final

6 – WSOP Main Event

5 – WPT Championship

4 – PokerStars NAPT Bounty Shootouts

3 – WSOP Europe Main Event

2 – $25,000 WSOP 6 Handed No Limit Hold’em Event

1 – $50,000 WSOP Players Championship

Notice that the WSOP Main Event is not in the Top 5? That is a rough spot to put the Main Event, but Negreanu is right that there are tons of qualifiers in this event. But, let’s not forget that everyone who is a poker professional is also at the WSOP Main Event.

To read the complete blog entry and more in depth explanations on how he rates the top ten, click on the link below:

Daniel Negreanu – World’s Top Ten Toughest Tournaments

Tags: daniel negreanu, no limit holdem, Poker, poker tournaments, world series of poker
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2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Satellites at Ultimate Poker

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Ultimate Poker is currently running satellites where players can win a seat into the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

Here is a list of tournaments at Ultimate Poker where you can win a seat into the 2010 WSOP Main Event:

* Weekly Super Satellites Every Sunday – $500+30

* Satellites to the Sunday Super Satellite – from $10+1

* Step Tourneys – from $0.10

* VIP Tournaments – Watch your email for exclusive invites

* 25-seat Guarantee – Sunday, June 6th at 4pm ET – $500+30

* 50-seat Guarantee – Sunday, June 20th at 4pm ET – $500+30

* Satellites to both Guarantees – from $10+1

They have Weekly Super Satellites every Sunday with a buy-in of $500 + $30. But, you don’t have to buy-in directly to the Super Satellites, you can get in for as little as $11.

They also have Step Tournaments with buy-ins starting at only $0.10 – you could actually get into the World Series of Poker for investing a dime.

On June 6th at 4PM ET there will be a 25-Seat Guaranteed tournament with a buy-in of $500 + $30 – get into this event for about $10.

On June 20th at 4PM ET they will have a 50-Seat Guaranteed tournament with $500 + $30 buy-in – satellites starting at only $10.

There are several ways to qualify to get into the 2010 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. Ultimate Poker gives you more chances to win a seat into poker’s most prestigious tournament – the World Series of Poker.

Download Ultimate Poker now win a seat into the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event

Tags: 2010 world series of poker satellites, 2010 wsop main event satellites, 2010 wsop main event seat, Online Poker, Poker, poker tournaments, ultimate poker, ultimatebet, win a seat into the 2010 wsop, world series of poker
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World Series of Poker (WSOP) Satellite Events – $12,500 Tournament Package

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

At Spin32 Poker, World Series of Poker (WSOP) satellite tournaments are running daily.

Every day at Spin32 Poker you have the opportunity to win an entry into this year’s World Series of Poker by playing in the lower buy-in satellites.

There are Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT) and Sit’n'Go Satellites starting from as low as $2 buy-in.

You can buy in at any level or work your way up to the Grand Final Events where there are large guaranteed prize pools or $12,500 Real Life Tournament Packages given away.

World Series Satellite Tournament Schedule:

Sit’n'Go – $2, $10 & $55 Tournaments registering 24/7, visit the Tournaments > Sit’n'Go > Satellite tab of the Spin32 Poker software.

$2 MTT – Every day at 06:30, 09:00, 13:45, 16:00, 20:30 & 00:00 Spin32 Poker time (GMT-5 / ET-1).

$10 MTT – Every day at 10:30, 14:30, 19:00 & 21:30 Spin32 Poker time (GMT-5 / ET-1).

$55 MTT – Every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 18:00 Spin32 Poker time (GMT-5 / ET-1).

The first Grand Final Event was held on Sunday 21st February 2010.

However, don’t worry if you missed this. As there are more Grand Final Events coming up over the next three months.

Win a Seat into the 2010 WSOP Main Event

Tags: multi-table tournaments, poker tournaments, satellites, sit and go, spin32 poker, world series of poker, world series of poker satellites, wsop, wsop main event, wsop satellites
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Win a 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seat – WSOP Qualifiers and Satellites

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Getting a seat into the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is not as hard as it seems. There are several ways to get your seat in this year’s WSOP Main Event.

Ultimate Poker is currently running qualifiers and satellites:

Weekly Super Satellites Every Sunday – $500 + $30
Satellites to the Sunday Super Satellite – From $10 + $1
Step Tourneys – From $0.10
VIP Tournaments – Exclusive e-mail invites
25-seat Guarantee – Sunday, June 6th at 4pm ET – $500+30
50-seat Guarantee – Sunday, June 20th at 4pm ET – $500+30
Satellites to both Guarantees – From $10+1

This year, Ultimate Poker is also running some great WSOP promotions. They will be paying a minimum of $1,000 cash just for playing in this year’s WSOP Main Event. The prize pool is progressive so the more Ultimate Poker players in the WSOP, the bigger the bonus will be. You can get up to $5,000 in cash just for winning a seat into the WSOP at Ultimate Poker.

King of Satellites

Ultimate Poker is paying top poker players tournament dollars for winning multiple Main Event seats. Win your seat through Ultimate Poker, and for each additional seat you win, they will credit your account with $12,000 in cash. For each additional Main Event seat you win, you will earn one point. Onl July 1st, Ultimate Poker will look at the leaderboard and award the top five winners up to $5,000 in cash.

Ultimate Poker is also willing to pay you to go deep in this year’s World Series of Poker Championship. Make the Final Table of the Main Event and they will give you a solid final table sponsorship deal that is worth up to $750,000.

Visit Ultimate Poker and play in their WSOP Qualifiers and Satellites

Tags: 2010 world series of poker, 2010 wsop main event seat, main event, qualifiers, satellites, sponsorship, ultimate poker, win a seat into the 2010 wsop, world series of poker
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #20 Final Results

Monday, March 1st, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 27
Event #20
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 329
Total Prize Money: $95,739

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Steve Kats Omaha, NE $26,683

2. Danny Parde Lincoln, NE $15,318

3. Mark Fink Sioux Falls, SD $7,659

4 Michael Dreiger Omaha, NE $6,702

5. Scott Pape Omaha, NE $5,744

6. Duane Gerleman Ridgeway, IA $4,787

7. Mitchell Ricknell Pittsburg, KS $3,838

8. Jason Fennell Chicago, IL $2,782

9. Dave Muller Cedar Rapids, IA $1,915

10.Tony Treiber $1,149

11.Daniel Collier $1,149

12.Nicholas Srille $1,149

13.Gerald Walter $957

14.Daniel Roth $957

15.Dave Ward $957

16.Randal Simmons $765

17.Larry Nichols $765

18.Robert Conway $765

19.James Schertz $574

20.Gary Fleischman $574

21.John Nohr $574

22.Lyle Bryan $574

23.Jefferey Fielder $574

24.Kyle Schroeder $574

25 Kirk McKenzie $574

26 Carl Mellecker $574

27.Nathan Robda $574

28.Morgan Carr $383

29.Michael Albert $383

30.Michael Fong $383

31.Dennis Moffitt $383

32.Paul Hansen $383

33.Daniel Rinkel $383

34.Timoth Sciscoe $383

35.John Johnson $383

36.Cullen Oldham $383

Circulation Salesman Steve Kats, Playing Only His 2nd Tournament, Wins Event 20

Key Hand Comes in Heads-Up Match When he Makes an Inside Straight

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #20 Winner Steve Kats

Council Bluffs, IA — Steve Kats, a circulation salesman for the Omaha World Herald, scored his first tournament cash by winning the 20th event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $300 no-limit hold’em. The win brought him $26,683 and a diamond-and-gold trophy ring. He came to the final table with a good chip and held it throughout, although Danny Parde came close to catching up during their heads-up match that lasted nearly an hour.

Kats, 27, is from Omaha and has been playing 10 years, mainly in home games and online. He played one tournament here last year, but only got to 90th place. He said he never got pocket aces throughout the tournament and had only half average until about four tables were left when he began moving up.

This event drew 329 players and the prize pool was $95,739. Play kicked off with blinds of 8,000-16,000 and 2,000 antes, 23 minutes on the clock. With 483,000 chips, Kats had a sizeable lead.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Michael Dreiger 174,000

2. Duane Gerleman 130,000

3. Danny Parde 204,000

4. Dave Muller 32,000

5. Jason Fennell 78,000

6. Scott Pape 326,000

7. Mark Fink 330,000

8. Mitchell Ricknell 162,000

9. Steve Kats 483,000

9th place: On the first hand, Lowest-chipped Dave Muller pushed in his last 30,000 with A-6, called by Scott Pape with 6-4 A board of 9-7-5-2 gave Pape a double belly-buster straight draw (either an 8 or a trey), but he settled for a paired 4 to leave Muller ninth, worth $1,915. Muller, 46, is an eye surgeon from Cedar Rapids, IA. He’s had several Heartland Poker Tour cashes, and this is his first final table.

8th place: It didn’t take long to lose another player. We had a classic match-up: pocket queens for an all-in Jason Fennell, Ac-Kc for Kats. A board of 6c-8d-3c-4h gave Kats 15 ways to knock Fennell out, with a club, an ace, or a king. A jack of clubs rivered, and Kats’ flush gave Fennell, a 27-year-old army sergeant from Chicago, his discharge to eighth place, which paid $2,782.

7th place: With blinds of 10,000-20,000, Mitchell Ricknell found himself all in and in bad shape with A-10 against Kats’ A-Q. A board of 7-10-J-5-3 left both players with 10s, and Kats’ ace kicker was the decider as Ricknell took home $3,838. Ricknell, 49, from Pittsburg, Kansas, is self-employed. He won the Masters of Oklahoma tournament twice and played in a WSOP main event.

6th place: For the fourth time a player would go all in, and for the fourth time fail to get out. The victim this time was Duane Gerleman, ahead with A-Q against Mark Fink’s K-J. The flop was 10-3-2, and then Fink caught a fourth-street king to outrun Gerleman and leave him in sixth place, paying $4,787. This was the third final table in this tournament series for Gerleman, a 54-year-old farmer from Ridgeway, Iowa. His other cashes include a 23rd out of 2,240 entrants in the WSOP Seniors event two years ago.

Blinds jumped twice, to 12,000-24,000, before we had another all-in. This time it was Danny Parde, who had A-8 to Pape’s pocket kings. For the first time we had a survival when Parde paired his ace on the flop.

5th place: Scott Pape went out with pocket 10s when Kats flopped an ace to his A-6. Pape, 54, is a maintenance technician from Omaha who’s played weekly tournaments here for the last four years. He took out $5,774 for fifth.

4th place: Soon after, Michael Dreiger, 59, a programmer from Omaha, checked out fourth for $6,702 when his A-9 could not overtake Kats’ A-K. Last year he finished seventh in a similar event here.

3rd place: This event got heads-up when Mark Fink went out on a bad beat. He had A-J against Parde’s A-3. Both players were nearly even chips, but Parde just had his opponent covered. The board came K-3-7-9-5, and Parde’s paired trey knocked Fink out in third place, which paid $7,659. Fink is 30, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and works in his family electrical contracting business. He has four Circuit and two WSOP cashes.

2nd place: The final match lasted just under an hour. Kats started with the lead, but Parde was never far behind as the chips went back and forth. With blinds now at 20,000-40,000 and 5,000 antes, the killer hand came down. The flop showed 8-7-3, and all the chips went in the middle. Parde, with Qc-8c, was in the lead with a paired 8, while Kats, with Jc-10h, had two overcards and an inside straight draw. A 9 turned to give Kats a straight, and Parde, drawing dead, was suddenly down to 80,000 chips. Parde was all in on the next hand with 9h-7h against Kats’ Ks-7s. A board of 4-2-8-Q-J didn’t make any difference, and Kats had his first big cash.

Parde, 33, a U.S. Postal Service mailman from Lincoln, Nebraska, was making his second Circuit final table. His second-place finish paid him $15,318. He also has a couple of cashes in the Poker Classic events here.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #20 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, Poker, poker tournament results, tournament results, world series of poker, wsop circuit events
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2010 WSOP Circuit Events at Horseshoe Council Bluffs – Event #18 Final Results

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 26
Event #18
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 + $55
Number of Entries: 153
Total Prize Money: $74,205

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Timothy Morgan Pompano Beach, FL $24,045

2. Joel Wassom Dickens, IA $12,615

3. Danny Walker Omaha, NE $7,421

4. Roger Lipton Greenwood, NE $5,936

5. Bernard Morrow Grand Island, NE $4,452

6. Saad Vasquez Castle Rock, CO $3,710

7. Eric Koffman Bay City, MI $2,968

8. Lee Patitz Hastings, NE $2,226

9. Jeff Banghart Bennington, NE $1,484

10.Kyle Caslin $1,187

11.Mark Fink $1,187

12.Randy Crow $1,187

13.Cary Long $1,039

14.Doug Carli $1,039

15.Joel Merwick $1,039

16. Stanley Schrier $890

17.Joe Farb $890

18.Derek Masek $890

Despite Big Chip Lead He Agrees to Deal In Order to Get His First Title and Ring

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #18 Winner Timothy Morgan

Council Bluffs, IA — Timothy Morgan has had a lot of cashes – 19 along with nine final tables in 2009 alone – but no wins. He came close a number of times, including a second in the Southern States Poker Championship. Tonight he got heads-up in the 18th event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $500 no-limit hold’em. At that point, he had better than a 2-1 chip lead, but was afraid of bubbling a win again. So he made an even-money chop in order to bring home his first title along with the diamond-and-gold trophy ring. “I did it for my wife Lisa,” he said. “She’s put up with my shenanigans for a long time.” First place paid $24,045, but he and Joel Wassom got $18,330 each for their split in this event.

Morgan, 57, is a full-time player from Pompano Beach, Florida. He used to be a commercial diver in the New England area doing salvage, bridge and underwater demolition work. He later bought a marine salvage and towing business which his wife now runs. He’s been playing poker for 20 years, seriously since the Moneymaker revolution.

This $500 event attracted 153 players. The prize pool was $74,205. The second-day final table was totally dominated by Danny Walker until the very late stages when Morgan began grinding him down, sometimes three-betting him, until he finally knocked Walker out by flopping two small pair to beat Walker’s pocket kings.

As a side note, Doug “Rico” Carli had tournament payouts the past two days, extending his world’s record for Circuit cashes to 42.

The final table began with blinds of 1,500-3,000, 15 minutes left. About four laps ahead of everyone else in chips was Walker, with 423,000.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Danny Walker 423,000

2. Saad Vasquez 151,300

3. Lee Patitz 43,900

4. Bernard Morrow 77,400

5. Eric Koffman 102,200

6. Joel Wassom 32,200

7. Jeff Banghart 116,000

8. Roger Lipton 68,900

9. Timothy Morgan 68,900

9th place: Jeff “MrRain” Banghart was first to check out after he was all in with A-8 against Walker’s pocket 7s. A board of 4-4-8-7-K gave Walker a full house and even more chips (as if he needed them). Banghart’s nickname comes from his ownership of a lawn sprinkler company. He has so many poker accomplishments that he provided a printout of them because there wouldn’t be room on the bio sheet. Online he has more than $1.2 million in cashes, including four six-figure payouts. He has three prior Circuit final tables at Council Bluffs including a win in the opening event last year. His biggest cash ever was $237,500 for coming in 41st in the WSOP main event in 2007. The Rain Man is from Bennington, Nebraska. His finish tonight paid $1,484

8th place: Not long after, Lee Patitz, winner of the opening event here, had all his chips in with 9d-8s against Roger Lipton’s A-8 Three diamonds and an ace flopped. Patitz missed his flush draw, and Lipton’s paired ace ended his hopes for a second ring, but he cashed for $2,226. Patitz, 73, is from Hastings, Nebraska, where he works as a power plant operator. When he won his first event, he said that he was having “fun, fun, fun.” He still is, he said.

7th place: After a break, blinds were 2,000-4,000 with 400 antes. Holding pocket aces, Eric Koffman made what turned out to be a big mistake when he just limped. Walker, in the small blind, called for the additional 2,000 with 9-2 suited. A flop of k-9-9 gave him trips. He put Koffman all in, winning when a J and 10 came. Koffman, 35, is a property manager from Bay City, Michigan. He has a prior Circuit final table, cashing 7th in a $500 event at Tunica earlier this year. .

6th place: After several all-ins and survivals, another player exited. This time it was Saad Vasquez, who went in with K-J and couldn’t catch Walker’s A-2 after the board came Q-10-4-8-A. Sixth paid $3,710. Vasqez is from Castle Rock, Colorado, where he owns an unusual business: a medical marijuana dispensary.

Walker, meanwhile, had knocked out three of the first four players and had now amassed about 450,000 chips, close to half of all those on the table.

5th place: With blinds of 3,000-6,000 and 500 antes, an unstoppable Walker continued his massacre. His next victim was Bernard Morrow, who moved in for 40,000 with K-Q, well ahead of Walker’s Kh-10h. No problem. Walker promptly made a flush on a flop of 9h-7h-5h, and we were down to four. Morrow, 58, is a 58-year-old government worker from Grand Island, Nebraska. This final table is his best yet. Fifth place paid $4,452.

Walker went after the next all-in player, and again was behind with A-7 to Joel Wassom’s A-J. The best Walker could manage this time was a chop when the board came 4-10-A-K-4. Was Walker slipping? Maybe. On the next hand he challenged an all-in Roger Lipton, again behind with 6c-3c to Lipton’s A-6. He was about to knock Lipton out with two pair, 6s and 3s, when the board showed 4-3-8-6. But he let Lipton get away when a river 4 gave his opponent 6s and 4s. Shame on you, Danny.

4th place: Perhaps Walker had now given up knocking out players, because he let Morgan do the next job. Roger Lipton was all in with Ac-10c and Morgan had Ah-Qh. A board of Jc-5h-7h-Kc gave both players flush draws. Morgan got there when a 2h gave him the flush and Lipton left in fourth place, paying $5,936. Lipton, 36, from Greenwood, Nebraska, owns a trucking company. This is his first final table here.

3rd place: Three-handed, Walker still led, but by now not nearly as much, and after losing a couple of pots to Morgan, dropped back into second place behind him. Soon after we had another confrontation between the two players. When the flop came Q-8-6, Walker bet 55,000, Morgan made it 120,000 to go and Walker, with pocket kings, moved in. Morgan turned up 8c-6c for two pair, and won after a jack and deuce came. Finishing a disappointing third, Walker settled for $7,421. Walker is a 25-year-old gambler from Omaha. His cashes include a win and a second in Circuit events here, three final tables at the L.A. Poker Classic, and a 30th in a $1,500 7-card razz event at the WSOP.

2nd place: Despite being well in front, with about 800,000 chips to around 350,000 for Wassom, Morgan agreed to the chop and first-place honors. Wassom, 40, is from Dickens, Iowa, where he is a security/safety director.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #18 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs casino, iowa poker, no limit holdem, poker tournament results, world series of poker
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #19 Final Results

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 26
Event #19
Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Buy-In: $200 + $35
Number of Entries: 63
Total Prize Money: $12,222

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Curt Timperley Battle Creek, NE $4,400

2. Glen Walston Bedford, IA $2,444

3. Ronald Grandgeorge Papillion, NE $1,344

4. Joe Miklas Crescent, IA $978

5. Jack Spencer Bedford, Iowa $856

6. Doug Dickenson Kansas City, MO $733

7. Lawrence Berg Las Vegas, NV $611

8. Jim McGill Carter Lake, IA $489

9. Dave Schenk Hiawatha, IA $367

Truck Driver Curt Timperley Hauls in Win No. 2, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo

It’s His Fourth Cash and Third Final Table So Far at Council Bluffs Circuit

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #19 Winner Curt Timperley

Council Bluffs, IA — “I’m hot. I can’t ever remember running this good for this long,”
Curt Timperley remarked after winning his second event at the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $200 pot-limit Omaha hi-lo. The win in event 19 paid $4,400.

Earlier he won a $200 no-limit tourney. And he has two other cashes as well, one being a third in Omaha hi-lo! Not bad for someone whose past tournament cashes were limited to small local buy-in events.

Driving around the Midwest, the grocery warehouse truck driver frequently checks the action at casinos along his route. He splits his poker time between tournaments and live games, and is able to pack in about 50 tournaments a year..

This tourney had 63 players and a $12,333 prize pool. When we got to the final nine, Doug Dickenson had a slight lead over Lawrence Berg, 75,000 to 72,000.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1.Curt Timperley 57,000

2. Jim McGill 11,500

3. Glen Walston 50,000

4. Joe Miklas 33,500

5. Doug Dickenson 75,000

6. Ronald Grandgeorge 7,500

7. Lawrence Berg 72,000

8. Dave Schenk 10,000

9. Jack Spencer 38,000

Final table play commenced with blinds of 1,000-2,000 and 24 minutes left.

9th place: Dave Schenk was all in with A-3-J-K against Berg with J-2-4-6. Neither player managed a low when the board came A-3-3-6-9, but Berg settled for deuces full, leaving Schenk in ninth place, worth $367. Schenk, 47, is a youth worker from Hiawatha, Iowa.

8th place: With blinds at 1,500-3,000, Jim McGill found himself all in from the big blind, with a nondescript 10-6-5-5. Doug Dickenson had A-3-7-9 with two spades, and when three spades came on a board of 9-4-4-Q-J, McGill left with $489 for eighth. McGill, describing his occupation as a “bar drinker,” is 57, from Carter Lake, Iowa, and this is his first live final table..

7th place: Blinds were now 2,000-4,000. Suddenly, two players with two big hands built a very big pot. Berg had A-A-2-5 and Timperley A-A-9-7. Pre-flop, Timperley bet the pot, Berg re-potted it and went all in, and Timperley called.. The board came K-7-8, giving Timperley a pair of 7s and Berg a draw to a nut low. Then two 9s gave Timperley 9s-full while Berg missed his low draw. Timperley had him covered and moved into a big lead as Berg, a 32-year-old Las Vegas poker dealer, cashed seventh for $611.

6th place: Next to go out was Dickenson. He had A-4-9-Q and a flop of K-2-3 gave him draws to a nut low and a heart flush. At the same time, Timperley, holding K-K-3-Q, flopped a set of cowboys. Dickenson missed low when two paints came, and he took home $733 for sixth. Dickenson, making back-to-back final tables, is a 68-year-old CPA from Kansas City, Missouri,

5th place: With blinds of 2,500-5,000, Jack Spencer was in the big blind and he was left with a single 1,000 chip when his J-10-8-4 went nowhere. He stayed alive for a few hands by twice making a set of fours to take half of four-way pots. All in again from the big blind, he had all four players going after him. When the board came Q-Q-5,Glen Walston bet out, and Spencer, with K-9-8-2, knew he was dead. The other two players folded, Walston turned up A-Q-J-7 for trip queens, and Spencer, a 54-year old farmer from Bedford, Iowa, went out after two more 5s didn’t help.

4th place: The next player went out after a set-over set flop.”Grocery” Joe Miklas had pocket deuces and flopped the lower set when the board showed Q-2-9. Timperley had pocket queens and the grocery man was now dead to a fourth deuce. Instead, two more 9s came, and Miklas cashed fourth for $978. Miklas, 55, is a small business owner from Crescent, Iowa.

3rd place: Hanging on with a single 500 chip, Ronald Grandgeorge committed it from the big blind. After his two opponents checked down a board of 2-6-2-7-7, Timperley turned up A-2-3-Q for a nut low and three deuces and Grandgeorge, with 3-4-8-6 went out with $1,344 for third. Grandgeorge, 53, is retired from the U.S. Air Force. He earlier finished eighth in pot-limit Omaha event..

The two finalists, Timperley and Walston, started their match-up fairly even in chips. As play went on, blinds moved up to 4,000-8,000. Timperley soon moved into the lead and steadily kept increasing it. On the final hand the board showed 2s-Qc-3c-9d-8c. Walston had 8d-3h-7h-Qh for two pair and no low. Holding Jc-8h-7d-8c, Timperley scooped with a flush. For second, Walston, a 60-year-old farmer from Bedford, Iowa, took home $2,444.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #19 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs casino, iowa poker, poker tournament results, pot limit omaha hi lo, world series of poker
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #17 Final Results

Friday, February 26th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 25
Event #17
H.O.R.S.E
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 36
Total Prize Money: $10,476

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Tim McReynolds Omaha, NE $5,028

2. Ray Babb Soldiers Grove, WI $2,829

3. Todd Kidd Beloit, IL $1,729

4. Loren “Matt” Rice West Union, IA $890

Liver Transplant Survivor Tim McReynolds Plays First H.O.R.S.E. Tournament and Wins

Omaha Attorney is Now Freerolling After Being Given Six Months to Live

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #17 Winner Tim McReynolds

Council Bluffs, IA — Here’s one for the books: a liver transplant that not only saved someone’s life, but his poker game as well.

Tim McReynolds is an attorney from Omaha who used to do corporate mergers and later had his own law firm. Four years ago his liver began failing, along with his mental acuity. He started playing poker two years ago, but was terrible at it because his mind wasn’t working very well. Then, last August, he had a liver transplant. He rebounded in health, and his mind immediately regained its sharpness, along with his poker game. Tonight he tried playing H.O.R.S.E for the first time, and thanks to his new liver and rejuvenated brain, he won it. McReynolds’ operation was in August. Afterwards, the doctors told him he had six months to live. That date arrived Feb. 15, McReynolds still feels great, so every new day is a freeroll for him. He also went back to doing corporate mergers.

Before poker, McReynolds used to be a blackjack card-counter until he got thrown out of three casinos. Until tonight he played only hold’em, and came third in a tournament at Caesars Palace recently. In any event, despite his win tonight, he still considers himself a novice. First place officially paid $5,028, but most of the money had been distributed in two deals.

This event had 36 players, a prize pool of $10,476, and only four players for the final table. Before that, the final nine made a deal allowing everyone to get back his buy-in.

Play got underway for the final four in a stud hi-low round with 1,500 antes and 6,000-12,000 limits. McReynolds was in front with 99,500 chips. .

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Todd Kidd 20,000

2. Ray Babb 75,000

3. Tim McReynolds 99,500

4. Loren “Matt” Rice 20,500

4th place: Starting lowest-chipped with 20,000, Todd Kidd was quickly all in with three-way action. Going for low, and showing 7-Q-K-8, the best he could have was an 8-7. He did, but it wasn’t good enough because Todd Kidd made an 8-6, while McReynolds took high with trip deuces. Fourth officially paid $890. Rice, 42, from West Union, Iowa, is a professor of economics

McReynolds, meanwhile, took some hits, began to drift down and was quite low when he got quartered in an Omaha round with 8,000-16,000 limits. McReynolds held A-4-9-9 to Ray Babb’s A-3-3-4. A board of 3-10-6-5-9 gave Babb a set of treys and the same low as McReynolds. But McReynolds hung on, scooped the next pot, and began climbing up again.

3rd place: McReynolds then took the lead when he knocked out Todd Kidd in a razz round, making a 9-low to Kidd’s 10-low.Kidd, 45, is a trucking manager from South Beloit, IL. Third officially paid $1,729.

Heads-up, McReynolds had 165,000 chips to 55,000 for Ray Babb. Soon after, Babb doubled through in a stud round with 12,000-24,000 limits, making two pair against McReynolds’ pair of 8s.

2nd place: The match continued for about a dozen hands after that. Finally, the two made a deal: chop the remaining money evenly and deal one hand, with the winner getting the title. Babb started with (8-7)6 and his next two cards were 7s, giving him trips. That’s how he ended after a queen and jack were dealt to him. McReynolds began with (A-K)10. He picked up a 10 on fourth street and another on the river, and his three 10s beat Babb’s three 7s. Babb, 68, is a rancher from Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. Second officially paid $2,829.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #17 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, poker tournament results, world series of poker
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #15 Final Results

Friday, February 26th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 24
Event #15
Omaha Hi-Lo
Buy-In: $300 +$45
Number of Entries: 47
Total Prize Money: $13,677

Final Results:

Omaha/8 Event Turns Into A Race Against the Clock

Jeff Bryan Wins with Most Chips After Time Deadline is Set

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #15 Winner Jeff Bryan

Council Bluffs, IA — The game was Omaha hi-lo, not H.O.R.S.E., but it turned into a horse race as a new record of sorts was likely set tonight. The 15th event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, limit Omaha hi-lo, may very well have been the first tournament in poker history to have been played with a time limit.

Here’s how it happened. Late in the final heads-up match, the two remaining players, Jeffrey Bryan and John “J.C. Lovejoy, agreed to chop the money evenly and play for the trophy. When it was pointed out that with no money or ring at stake the tournament was effectively over, Lovejoy proposed that they play out the 17 minutes left in the round, and whoever had the most chips would be the winner. So it was a race against the clock.

Lovejoy was well ahead at that point, but Bryan steadily gained ground. With two minutes left, either player could win, but Bryan surged ahead with a wheel, to take the lead, and Lovejoy, unable to catch him, just folded the last hand and trotted to the sidelines as Bryan raced across the finish line.

First officially paid $6,154, but with the chop, each player took home $4,786. Bryan, 52, lives in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska and is a sales manager for a concrete equipment company. He’s played poker all his life, tournaments, which he prefers because it is a “low investment, high return” endeavor. He plays mainly hold’em, and this was only his fourth Omaha try, the third being the night before. He describes his play as tight-aggressive. He was surprised at the high level of skill among the players at the final table, and was particularly of Lovejoy, who he noted played super-aggressively, but knew what he was doing. Bryan’s cashes include four at the WSOP, his biggest being $333,490 for finishing 27th in the 2007 main event. He also had praise for his wife Donna who supports his poker activities.

Five spots were paid in this event which had 47 entrants and a $13,677 prize pool. When we got to the final five, Lovejoy was the leader with 133,500 chips. He was also the undisputed leader in gab, loudly chattering away and commenting on every single hand.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. John Lovejoy 133,500

2. Robert Rearden 61,000

3. Kelly Vandemheen 51,000

4. Jeff Bryan 80,000

5. David Kerrigan 7,000

Opening blinds were 2,000-4,000 with 4,000-8,000 limits, and 10:33 left on the clock.

5th place: Early action brought a three-way pot. Robert Rearden was all in and his opponents, Lovejoy and David Kerrigan, checked the hand down. The board showed J-2-Q-7-Q. Lovejoy turned up Q-3-5-8, winning with trip queens. Rearden, with an A-4-6-J low hand that went nowhere, checked out fifth for $684.Rearden is 45 and from Nantucket,

Kerrigan, meanwhile, was down to 1,000 after the three-way pot. He stayed around for a while, going all in three times and escaping, once doubling up with a full house, once tripling up with a straight, and once chopping the pot.

4th place: Blinds went to 3,000-6,000 and 6,000-12,000 limits. Kerrigan finally went out in a hand where he thought he had a winner with two pair until Bryan pointed out that he had a straight. Kerrigan, 53, is a jockey’s agent from Omaha. He cashed in the WSOP $1,500 shootout event in 2007 and had a third in a hold’em event here four years ago.

3rd place: This match very quickly got heads-up. Pre-flop, Kelly Vandemheen was all in with an excellent low starting hand: 1-2-4-7, against Lovejoy’s A-A-5-9. But no low came when the board showed 2-10-K-7-K, and Lovejoy’s aces left him in third place, paying $2,052.Vandemheen, 47, is a small business owner from Omaha. He had a fifth in the $2,500 WSOP six-handed event, cashing for $96,000.

After a few hands, limits went up to 8,000-16,000. Bryan continued to build his stacks, and when he had about 90,000, the two agreed to a chop, playing for the trophy and then set a time limit.

2nd place: Bryan was behind, but not very much. The key hand came with a board of 4-2-6-J-5. Bryan had an A-3 in his hand for a wheel, and with the clock running out, Lovejoy walked off the field, making Bryan’s last hand irrelevant. Lovejoy, who says he plays full time but is not a pro (“I just love playing cards”) is 35 and from Papillion, Nebraska. He won a bracelet in a World Poker Open Omaha event in 2008, and has an eighth in an L.A. Poker Classic tournament.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #15 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe casino council bluffs, iowa poker, omaha hi-lo, poker tournament results, world series of poker
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #14 Final Results

Friday, February 26th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Event #14
6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300
Number of Entries: 121
Total Prize Money: $35,211

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Brendan Waite San Diego, CA $11,094

2. Trevor Harrold Omaha, NE $6,866

3. Dennis Modde Des Moines IA $4,401

4. Mike Sortino Omaha, NE $2,993

5. Lee Gardner Topeka, KS $2,025

6. Tim Sciscoe Omaha, NE $1,496

7. Larry Kolk $1,144

8. Charles Marty $1,144

9. Anthony Larson $1,056

10.Matthew Nielsen $1,056

11. Jeffrey Webber $968

12. Chadd Johnson $968

Returning to Old Hometown for Visit, Brendan Waite Plays, Wins 6-Handed

Bartender/Student Patiently Takes 45 Hands to Win Final Match-Up

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #14 Winner Brendan Waite

Council Bluffs, IA — Brendan Waite, 26, is a general studies student and bartender who grew up in North Platte, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska. Last year he moved to San Diego when he visited that city and liked what he saw. Now, on a visit back to his hometown, he decided to play some poker at Horseshoe Council Bluffs’ WSOP Circuit tour and ended up winning event number 14, $300 6-handed no-limit hold’em. Victory brought him $11,094, by far his biggest tournament cash ever, along with the diamond-and-gold trophy ring.

While it didn’t take very long for the first four players to get knocked out, the final match-up dragged on for some 45 hands. It was more like a limit instead of a no-limit contest. There were no big bets, much less any all-ins, with players folding to raises or even moderate bets. Waite explained that he started with the chip lead and was determined not give it up or risk much until he got a big hand. He finally did get that big hand on the final deal when he won with a flush against two pair.

Waite started playing in college about five years ago, when he didn’t know that a full house beat a flush. He now plays both live games and tournaments. He has two prior cashes when he played two second-chance events here last year and won them both.

This event had 121 players and a $35,211 prize pool. The six survivors in this event started with blinds of 1,500-3,000 and 300 antes, 23 minutes left. On top with 205,500 chips was Mike Sortino.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Brendan Waite 189,000

2. Dennis Modde 94,100

3. Lee Gardner 91,200

4. Trevor Harrold 121,600

5. Tim Sciscoe 29,400

6. Mike Sortino 205,500

6th place: Tim Sciscoe started at the bottom with 29,400 chips, and he was out in four minutes. He moved in with Ad-5c in late position and was called from the big blind by Brenden Waite holding A-Q. A board of 9-8-3-K-6 changed nothing, and we were quickly down to five. Sciscoe, paid $1,496 for sixth, is an Omaha goat herder. (“I could use your help with my dealers,” cracked tournament supervisor Sue Phillips, doing the announcing.) Getting drunk with noted player Robert Williamson III is still his best poker highlight, he said.

5th place: Blinds became 2,000-4,000. Another A-Q nearly knocked out the next player. Mike Sortino was up against that hand holding A-9, but a board of 3-10-A-10-10 gave both players a full house. Instead, it was Lee Gardner, a 38-year-old roofing contractor from Topeka Kansas who was next out. He moved in with K-Q, ran into Waite’s pocket aces and cashed $2,025 for fifth. This is Gardner’s second final table here. He was runner-up in the second event, $200 limit hold’em.

4th place: Now playing with blinds of 2,000-4,000 and 500 antes, Mike Sortino lost a lot of chips when his Ad-10d was beaten by a K-3 when a king hit the river. He was all in on the next hand. This time he had the lesser hand, As-5s against Trevor Harrold’s A-7. Harrold was still ahead when the board showed A-4-10-8, and then finished Sortino off with a river 7. Sortino, paid $2,993 for fourth, is 50, retired, and from Omaha. His poker highlight is “Playing with the best dealers around at the Council Bluffs WSOP, especially the Reverend Jackie Moon!”

3rd place: The three remaining players returned from break to blinds of 4,000-8,000 and 1,000 antes. In early action, Waite looked at pocket aces in the small blind and just limped, prompting Dennis Modde to push in from the small blind with pocket 5s. After a board of 8-J-10-7-6 failed to rescue him, Modde cashed third for $4,401. Modde, 49, is self-employed and from Des Moines, Iowa. This is his best finish to date.

Heads-up, Waite was in front with about 425,000 chips to around 300,000 for Harrold. The two began very, very careful play. By the time blinds went to 5,000-10,000 with 1,000 antes 29 hands later, the chip count hadn’t changed that much, with Waite up to about 470,000.

2nd place: On the final hand, Waite was dealt Jc-4c, Harrold 7s-5s. The flop was Qc-7h-5c. Harrold checked, Waite bet, and Harrold check-raised with two pair. Had Harrold gone all in, Waite said, he probably would have folded, especially with a queen on board, but he decided to go for it. The turn brought the 3c. Waite bet his flush, and Harrold moved in. When a river 9 failed to fill him, Harrold cashed second for $6,866. Harrold, from Omaha, is 25 works in construction and has won a few online tournaments.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #14 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, no limit holdem six handed, poker tournament results, world series of poker
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2010 WSOP Circuit Events at Horseshoe Council Bluffs – Event #12 Final Results

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 23
Event #12
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 +$45
Number of Entries: 137
Total Prize Money: $30,867

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Carl Haney Des Moines, IA $12,919

2. Mitch Hinrichs Grand Rapids, MI $6,777

3. Scott Westphalen Brayton, IA $3,987

4. Tucker Stone Iowa City, IA $3,189

5. Ralph Shannon Atlanta, GA $2,392

6. Joel Merwick Omaha, NE $1,993

7. Corey Aune Lake Geneva, WI $1,595

8. Doug Hutcheson Council Bluffs, IA $1,196

9. Larry Nichols Omaha, NE $797

10.Brian Barcroft $638

11.Drew Woodke $638

12.Jeffrey Sherman $638

13.David Grandstaff $558

14.Brad Lammers $558

15.Ryan Gerdes $558

16.Daniel Rinkal $478

17.Raymond Noritske $478

18.Andy Wilken $478

Computer Programmer Carl Haney Wins Circuit #12 After Long Heads-Up Match

After Splitting Most of the Prize Money, Finalists Agree to Play 10-Minute Rounds

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #12 Winner Carl Haney

Council Bluffs, IA — After exactly two hours of heads-up play and numerous chip-lead changes, Carl Haney, a 46-year-old computer programmer from Des Moines, Iowa, captured the 12th event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $300 no-limit hold-em. First place officially paid $12,919. However, when he and Mitch Hinrichs were just about dead even half-way through the match, they agreed to take out $9,000 each and play for the remaining $1,696 and the diamond-and-gold trophy ring. They also agreed to speed things up by playing 10 minute rounds, and by the time they were through, the limits had bounced up five times to 20,000-40,000 with 5,000 antes. It ended when Haney, holding Q-5 to Hinrichs’ Q-J, sucked out by hitting a runner-runner straight.

Haney, who’s played poker for more than 20 years, prefers tournaments over cash games, playing mostly online and averaging one live event a month. He had a cash in a $500 event earlier this week and was the “bubble boy” in another $500 event here last year. He describes himself as a conservative player (“Even if I’m not I want them to believe it,” he added), and his strategy at this final table was to let the wilder players knock each other out.

This event had 137 players and a $30,867 prize pool.

The final table got going with blinds of 1,500-3,000 and 300 antes, 22 minutes left. We had two big chip leaders. Scott Westphalen had 197,000 of the 822,000 chips in play, and Tucker Stone had 173,600.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Corey Aune 45,200

2. Joel Merwick 52,300

3. Scott Westphalen 197,000

4. Mitch Hinrichs 61,900

5. Ralph Shannon 87,500

6. Carl Haney 103,600

7. Doug Hutchens 46,100

8. Tucker Stone 173,600

9. Larry Nichols 74,100

9th place: Five minutes into play a hand came down so spectacular that it wouldn’t even be believable in a James Bond movie. First, Corey Aune moved in holding A-K. Next, Haney looked at pocket aces and he pushed in. Then, Larry Nichols called with all his chips holding pocket kings! Ready for more? The flop came K-10-Q, putting Nichols way ahead with a set of cowboys. And then, unbelievably, a jack turned to give both Aune and Nichols Broadway straights! A river 9 failed to fill up Nichols, and Aune and Haney chopped the pot and chopped Nichols. It took about an hour to figure out the chip distribution. Haney had Nichols covered, so he got the extra side-pot chips, and Nichols, understandably dazed, went out ninth, which paid $797. Nichols, 70, is a retired grain merchandiser from Omaha who’s been playing for 53 years. “I really enjoy playing,” he wrote. His poker highlight had been winning a $500 entry into last year’s event.

8th place: With blinds now at 2,000-4,000 and 400 antes, Doug Hutcheson, a business owner from Council Bluffs, went out eighth for $1,196. He was soundly beaten when Hinrichs, holding A-K, flopped trip aces to blow away Hutcheson/s Q-J. Hutcheson, making back-to-back final tables, wrote that doing so takes more than a little luck…”It takes a lot of luck.”

7th place: Blinds now were 2,500-5,000. Corey Aune went out next, picking up $1,595 for seventh. He called, with fewer chips, after Carl Haney pushed in with pocket queens and a board of K-J-2-8-5 couldn’t help him. Aune, 27, is a pro (golf, not poker) from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

6th place: Joel Merwick finished sixth for $1,993 when his A-J couldn’t beat Mitch Hinrichs’ pocket 9s. Merwick, 29, is a poker player from Omaha. He finished 189th in the 2005 WSOP main event.

5th place: Blinds became 3,000-6,000. Ralph Shannon, all in with J-10, went out fifth for $2,392 when his J-10 was crushed by Carl Haney’s set of queens after the board came Q-J-Q-9-8. Shannon, 53, is vice president of an optical company in Atlanta.

4th place: Play resumed after a break with blinds of 4,000-8,000. On the first hand, Stone tried a move, pushing in for more than 100,000 with A-4. “You don’t have to embarrass me,” he said when his hand was announced. Westphalen called with pocket nines and flopped a set, leaving Stone with not many outs other than the door. Stone, picking up $3,189 for fourth, is a 31-year-old pro from Iowa City, Iowa. His poker highlight was online, chopping turbo take-down on PokerStars.

3rd place: This match got heads-up after Hinrichs, holding Qc-7c, flopped a flush when the board showed Jc-Ac-2c. He slow-played the flop and turn, then bet enough on the river to put his Scott Westphalen all in. Holding just 8s-2s for a pair of deuces, Westphalen called and went out third, which paid $3,987. Westphalen, 51, owns a construction company in Brayton, Iowa. His best prior finish was a second-chance final table here.

2nd place: With blinds now 5,000-10,000 and 1,000 antes, Hinrichs had a 2-1 chip advantage over Haney, but after he pulled even they made their deal and began playing their 10-minute rounds. They both played carefully during the long match, with not many all-ins. On the final deal, Hinrichs committed his chips with Qh-Jc to Haney’s Qs-5h, losing when a board of Q-4-A-3-2 gave Haney a wheel. Hinrichs, 27, is a salesman from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #12 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, no limit holdem, poker tournament results, world series of poker
Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #10 Final Results

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 22
Event #10
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 132
Total Prize Money: $38,412

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Natasha Barbour Miami, Florida $12,444

2. Dale Johnson Columbus, NE $6,530

3. Brian Hansen Las Vegas, NV $3,841

4. Wade Readell Buchanan, ND $3,073

5. Jeremy Golden Sidney, OH $2,305

6. Duane Gerleman Ridgeway, IA $1,921

7. Doug “Rico” Carli Alliance, OH $1,536

8. Brandon Foster Lincoln, NE $1,152

9. Jake Hamilton Lincoln, NE $768

10.Todd Bartlett $615

11.Eric Chalgren $615

12.Gary Dumas $615

13.James Briney $538

14.James Ekman $538

15.Lou Merwick $538

16.Jan Blumenthal $461

17.K.C. Sundermeier $461

18.Mark Pogge $461

23-Year-Old College Dropout Natasha Barbour Wins Event 10

This is First Final Table for Her As she follows the Tournament Trail

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #10 Winner Natasha Barbour

Council Bluffs, IA — Natasha Barbour was a college student at the University of South Florida studying microbiology, but her heart was really in poker. She would even take her books with her into the casino, playing while studying. Then, a year ago, after doing well at the tables, she decided to drop out af school and pursue her real love. Tonight she struck gold in the form of a gold-and-diamond championship ring when she joined a handful of women, perhaps seven or eight, ever to win a WSOP Circuit open tournament. Her victory, in event 10, $300 no-limit hold’em, was worth $12,444. The effervescent 23-year-old from Miami could barely contain her excitement and delight throughout the final table, her first ever as she follows the Circuit tournament trail. Her previous best tournament finish was a 30th in the Bayou Poker Challenge at Harrah’s New Orleans.

Tonight she said she played a very steady game and was able to make big laydowns.

The final table began with blinds of 1,500-3,000 with 24 minutes left. Wade Readell led with 151,800 chips.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Doug “Rico” Carli. 48,500

2. Brian Hansen 119,100

3. Jake Hamilton 97,200

4. Wade Readell 151,800

5. Duane Gerleman 64,400

6. Dale Johnson 129,200

7. Brandon Foster 28,000

8. Natasha Barbour 80,600

9. Jeremy Golden 83,500

9th place: With blinds at 2,000-4,000, Jake Hamilton went out ninth, cashing for $768. He had 10s-8d, missed a flush on a flop of 5s-9s-Qs, and lost to Jeremy Golden, who started with Q-9, flopped top two and filled on the river. Hamilton, cashing for $768, is 26 and from Lincoln, Nebraska.

8th place: Next to go was Brandon Foster. He went all in pre-flop with A-Q and ran into Brian Hansen’s pocket kings. Foster flopped an ace, but Hansen flopped a set of kings and was now a 97 percent favorite, Foster couldn’t beat the odds and took out $1,152 for eighth. Foster, who cashed in the 2008 WSOP main event, is a 26-year-old air conditioning technician from Lincoln, NE.

7th place: Doug “Rico” Carli holds the world’s record for Circuit cashes, this being his 40th. The trouble, he complained, is that once he makes a final table, he never seems to win a race. Today was no exception. He was a slight favorite, all in with pocket 4s against Readell’s A-K. As expected, there was a bullet on the flop, and Carli went out seventh for $1,536. Carli, 54, is a retired stockbroker turned pro from Alliance, Ohio. His cashes include 19 final tables, two wins…”and too many losses.”

6th place: With blinds now at 2,500-5,000, Duane Gerleman had only 6,000 left and decided to go all in with 10-9. He had two callers. The board came 3-J-7-4-9 with three hearts, Jeremy Golden showed two hearts, and Gerleman took out $1,921 for sixth. Gerleman, 54, a farmer from Ridgeway, Iowa, has made several final tables here in the past three years. He also cashed 23rd in a WSOP Seniors event.

As play continued, Hansen shook his head after taking big hit, set-over-set. Much happier a while later was Barbour, the second woman so far to make an open-event final table here. All in with A-K, she jumped up excitedly when she flopped a king to outrun Golden’s pocket 10s.

5th place: Back from break, blinds were now 4,000-8,000. On the first deal, the flop came J-6-6. Holding J-4 in the small blind, Golden pushed all in. His jacks weren’t much good because Hansen, holding 8-6, had trips. After a queen and ace came, Golden checked out fifth and collected $2,305. Golden is a retired farmer from Sidney, Iowa

4th place: In the small blind with only 23,000 left, Readell went all in with Q-J, a big favorite after Barbour called with J-10. But then a 10 hit the turn, and her pair put Readell out in fourth place, worth $3,073. Readell, 34, is a farmer from Buchanan, North Dakota whose poker play consists mainly of Poker League activities at home.

A big hand came down with the board showing 3-J-8-8. Holding J-10, Dale Johnson moved in, and after long indecision, Barbour called, also all in. She had Q-8, her trips held up, and she was now the chip leader.

3rd place: Blinds were now 5,000-10,000 with 1,000 antes. There was soon three-way action.First, Hansen moved in for 117,000. Johnson called, and Barbour came over the top all in. Figuring he was beat, Johnson folded. Hansen turned up 9-8, Barbour pocket queens, and when the board came 8-K-Q-4-3, Hansen went out third for $3,841. Hansen, 36, is from Las Vegas and has numerous cashes at the WSOP and Venetian Deep Stack.

2nd place: Heads-up, Barbour enjoyed a lead of better than 3-1 over Johnson. He quickly doubled up and drew about even when his pocket deuces beat her A-6 suited. But the crusher came a couple of hands later. She looked at pocket aces on the button/small blind and just limped. Johnson bit and moved in with Qc-3c and was down to 61,000 after losing the pot. On the next and final hand he pushed in with Ks-7h and she called with Jd-9d (“My favorite hand,” she said.) The board came 10-4-5-9-Q to give her a winning pair of 9s, and the young lady became the newest member of a very elite group. Johnson, cashing $6,530 for second, is a 62-year-old truck driver from Columbus, Nebraska.

2010 WSOP Circuit Events Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #10 Final Results

2010 WSOP Circuit Events Horseshoe Council Bluffs 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, no limit holdem, poker tournament results, world series of poker, wsop
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #11 Final Results

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Event #11
Pot-Limit Omaha
Buy-In: $200 + $35
Number of Entries: 60
Total Prize Money: $11,640

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Chris Ybarra Plattsmouth, NE $4,191

2. Brent Carter Oak Park, IL $2,328

3. Frank Dukich Carter Lake, IA $1,280

4. Ivan Janssen Farmington, MN $931

5. Nick Janssen Farmington, MN $815

6. Steve Hayes Burlington Jctt., MN $698

7. Adrian Hernandez Hastings, NE $582

8. Ronald Grandgeorge Papillion, NE $466

9. Scott Erickson Carter Lake, IA $349

Recent Pro Chris Ybarra Outduels Brent Carter, Wins Pot-Limit Omaha

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #11 Winner Chris Ybarra

Council Bluffs, IA — Chris Ybarra is 26 years old, had been an audio engineer, decided to turn pro just a couple of months ago and had never heard of Brent Carter, his final opponent. Carter is a bit older, won his first tournament two years after Ybarra was born, has cashed in hundreds of tournaments for more than $3 million, and has now made a dozen WSOP Omaha final tables. The betting would seem to be on Carter when the two got heads-up in event 11 of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, pot-limit OMaha. But after a back-and-forth battle, it was Ybarra who took first place, which paid $4,191

Both paid solid poker and Carter had a decent lead at one point. But the turning point came when Ybarra flopped a straight. Carter was crippled and busted out on the next hand. Ybarra, from Plattsmouth, Nebraska, until now has played mostly no-limit hold’em cash games, with a little Omaha thrown in.

This $200 event had 60 participants and a prize pool of $11,640. The final table began with blinds of 1,500-3,000 and 19 minutes remaining. With 74.500 chips, Steve Hayes started with the lead.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Brent Carter 46,500

2. Nick Janssen 28,500

3. Chris Ybarra 35,000

4. Steve Hayes 74,500

5. Ivan Janssen 43,500

6. Scott Erickson 12,000

7. Frank Dukich 11,000

8. Adrian Hernandez 25,500

9. Ronald Grandgeorge 15,500

9th place: On the very first deal, Scott Erickson’s hand contained two aces, and that was enough for him to re-raise all in for his last 11,000. Ybarra called holding two kings, turned a set, and Erickson cashed out ninth for $349. Erickson, 35, is a roofing contractor from North Platte, Nebraska. He’s played Circuits for six years and this is his first final table. Last year he finished 18th in the main event here

8th place: A couple of beats later, the board showed A-3-3- and Ronald Grandgeorge,. holding 10-8-5-3, bet his last chips on his trips and got two calls. When Carter bet the pot when a 4 turned, the other caller folded, and Grandgeorge muttered, “I’m pretty much toast.” He was, because Carter, with A-3-Q-8, had flopped a full house, and Grandgeorge left with $466.for eighth. Grandgeorge, from Papillion, Nebraska, is 53 and retired from the Air Force. He once finished 63rd out of 4,800 in a no-limit event in Vegas.

7th place: With blinds now at 2,000-4,000, a third player departed. This time Adrian Hernandez, short-chipped, was all in with J-Q-9-6, hit a queen, but couldn’t overtake Carter’s pocket aces and left seventh for $582. By now Carter had increased his lead dramatically and was well in front of the field. Hernandez, 22, is from Hastings, Nebraska, playing mainly online, where he’s won a few tournaments.

6th place: Blinds became 2,500-5,000. There was quickly another all-in when Steve Hayes pushed in his last chips and Carter, holding A-A-Q-7, re-raised with all his chips to get heads-up. Hayes turned up 10-10-8-6. The board came 2-J-7-8-7. Carter, trying to figure out the hands, asked Hayes, “Do you have a seven?” then realized that he had one. He took the pot as Hayes cashed sixth for $608. Hayes, 51, is from Burlington Junction, Missouri.

5th place: Nick Janssen went out fifth. He made a straight but lost to Frank Dukich’s 4s full of sixes. Janssen, 30, is a buyer from Farmington, Minnesota who is “just happy playing cards with my dad.” (That would be Ivan Janssen, who was next out.)

4th place: Blinds now were 3,000-6,000. On the first hand Ybarra hit a flush on the river to get close to the lead. Later, he moved in front with more than half the 300,000 chips in play by knocking out Ivan Janssen. On that hand, Ivan Janssen was all in with 10-10-A-2. Ybarra had A-A-9-8. The board came Q-5-3-J-10 as the river card gave Janssen a set but Ybarra a straight. Janssen, 56 is an auto salesman from Farmington, Minnesota.

3rd place: The match got heads-up when Frank Dukich, holding J-10-3-3, missed his straight draw after the flop came Q-9-7 while Carter would make aces and queens. Dakich is a 85-year-old retired newspaper pressman.from Carter Lake, Iowa. He has a prior win in a limit hold’em event here along with a second in pot-limit Omaha.

2nd place: The turning point in the final match came when Ybarra, with A-10-9-8, flopped a straight when the board showed 6-9-7. Carter, with pocket kings, was still alive with a flush draw but missed. He was now down to 22,000 with blinds of 5,000-10,000. Ybarra put the finishing touches on him the next hand, Carter had K-9-5-2, could only pair his 5 when the board came 5-6-4-8-J, and lost to Ybarra’s pocket 7s. Carter took an official $2,328 for second, though the two had earlier agreed to a $500 save. Carter, a veteran pro, is a retired harness race driver from Oak Park, Illinois.

As an interesting sidelight, for many years Carter has dressed as conservatively as anyone on the tournament trail. He just recently decided to change his image and tonight showed up in an incredible outfit that made him look like a cross between an Army desert soldier and a duck hunter, with pieces of loose fabric hanging all over and some sort of black hood-like thing in back. “My new uniform,” he said.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #11 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, poker tournament results, world series of poker
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #7 Final Results

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 21
Event #7
Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,000 + $80
Number of Entries: 73
Total Prize Money: $70,810

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Jim Scheibler Bennington, KS $25,491

2. Ron Koenemann Omaha, NE $14,162

3. Jesse Starke Loveland, CO $7,789

4. Neal Cooke Loveland, CO $5,665

5. Nathan Jessen Maryville, MO $4,957

6. Shawn Meyer Davenport, NE $4,249

7. Doug Hutcheson Council Bluffs, IA $3,541

8. Troy Ethridge Salinas, KS $2,832

9. Bill Sindelar Howells, NE $2,124

Kansas Farmer Jim Scheibler Goes On Late Rush to Win $1,000 No-Limit

He Changes Play and Show Bluffs to Lose His Tight Image and Throw Opponents Off

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #7 Winner Jim Scheibler

Council Bluffs, IA — Jim Scheibler, a 69-year-old wheat farmer from Benningon,Kansas, went on a rush by knocking out his final four opponents as he scored an easy win in the seventh event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $1,000 no-limit hold’em. Victory brought him $25,491 and a keepsake diamond-and-gold trophy ring.

Scheibler, who likes to come up for Circuit action every year because he enjoys the way the tournaments are run, finished ninth in a $500 event last year. He also has a ninth in a Fall Classic tournament here. He’s been playing poker since his teens and farming all his life. He was also in his family trucking business, but found more time for poker when he gave up trucking 10 years ago. Tonight he was way down with six players left. He thought his opponents had him marked as a tight player, so he began playing aggressively and showed a couple of bluffs to throw them off.

Play got underway with blinds of 1,500-3,000 and 300 antes, 20 minutes still on the clock. Leading the pack with 163,900 chips was Doug Hutcheson.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Jesse Starke 84,900

2. Ron Koenemann 70,400

3. Neal Cooke 125,100

4. Bill Sindelar 57,800

5. Doug Hutcheson 163,900

6. Nathan Jessen 25,500

7. Troy Ethridge 41,400

8. Shawn Meyer 93,900

9. Jim Scheibler 70,000

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #7 Final Results

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

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

Tags: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, poker tournament results, world series of poker
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World Series of Poker Europe Finale on ESPN2 Sunday

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

ESPN2 will air the two-hour conclusion of the World Series of Poker Europe on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 9 p.m. From a field of 334, just nine players remain, and legends and amateurs have come and gone. The final nine is headlined by Daniel Negreanu, as well as James Akenhead and Antoine Saout — members of the 2009 November Nine in Las Vegas. Perhaps the biggest story is 23-year-old Florida pro Jason Mercier, who owned Day 4 and brought a quarter of the chips to the final table.

In the final hour, only four players remain in contention for the coveted bracelet and nearly $1.3 million prize. The action will begin with the fairly even chip stacks, but from the start, it’s clear that two players have brought their “A” game when it matters most.

Tags: antoine saout, daniel negreanu, finale, james akenhead, jason mercier, world series of poker, World Series of Poker Europe
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #9 Final Results

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 21
Event #9
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $200 + $35
Number of Entries: 223
Total Prize Money: $43,262

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Curt Temperley Battle Creek, NE $13,840

2. David Hengen Omaha, NE $7,614

3. Duane Gerleman Ridgeway, IN $3,894

4. Garry Kipp Bellevue, NE $3,028

5. Kevin Wheeler Omaha, NE $2,596

6. Andrew Franks Omaha, NE $2,163

7. Ryan Thorson Rapid City, SD $1,730

8. George Brand Dublin, OH $1,298

9. Bradley Lau $865

10.Jerold Bray $519

11. Brendon White $519

12. David Anderson $519

13.Bruce Klosterbuer $433

14.Timothy Newcomer $433

15.Toni Hagard $433

16.Timothy Petersen $346

17.Curtis Bicknell $346

18.Kent Hamilton $346

19.Christopher Charamente $260

20. Trevor Carter $260

21.Dale Johnson $260

22.Roger Ferdig $260

23.Craig Walters $260

24.Robert Reck $260

25.Dennis Hasley $260

26.Steve Yang $260

27. Peter Sullivan $260

Truck Driver Curt Temperley Speeds To Third Cash and a Win in Event # 9

He Finishes with a Flourish, Knocking Out Last Two Players on Final Hand

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #9 Winner Curt Temperley

Council Bluffs, IA — Curt Temperley, a 51-year-old grocery warehouse truck driver from Battle Creek, Nebraska, should get a ticket for speeding. The WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs has been running for just four days, but he already has racked up three cashes and two final tables, his latest being a win in today’s event, $200 no-limit hold’em. He also placed third in Omaha hi-lo. In high gear, Temperley nailed down his win tonight by driving over his last two opponents on the final hand. His victory brought him $13,840. It was by far his biggest cash, his other tournament winnings being mainly in small local events. Driving all around the Midwest, Temperley has plenty of opportunity to get in some poker along the way and is able to play about 50 tournaments a year. He splits his time between tournaments and live games, playing whichever he seems to be running well at. Tonight he shrewdly picked his spots, moving in whenever he thought he had the best hand..

Temperley, who has been playing poker seriously for seven or eight years, also puts in time at bar league poker tournaments, where he gets a lot of enjoyment out of aggravating his friends with occasional erratic play.

Some 223 players entered this one-day event, and the prize pool was $43,262. Only eight players made the official final table because, with 10 players left, two got knocked out on the same hand. On that deal,.Andrew Franks had J-10 against an A-3 suited and a Q-7 suited. When the board came J-K-Q-9, Franks had made a straight, and the two all-ins were both all-out. With more chips, Bradley Lau took ninth while Jerold Bray ended up 10th.

Eight-handed play began with blinds of 5,000-10,000 and 2,000 antes, 23 minutes left at that level. Leading with 287,000 chips was Davis Hengen, with George Brand close behind with 283,000.. .

Here were the final table chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Ryan Thorson 58,000

2. David Hengen 287,000

3. George Brand 283,000

4. Garry Kipp 106,000

5. Curt Temperley 174,000

6. Andrew Franks 202,000

7. Curt Temperley 174,000

8. Andrew Franks 202,000

8th place: Opening action was fast and furious, with three players quickly knocked out. First to fall was George Brand. He had lost almost all his chips when he took two big hits, once with pocket jacks against pocket kings. Soon he was all in from the big blind with J-3. Kevin Wheeler had only a 6-5, but when the flop came 2-4-6, the paired 6 was all he needed to leave Brand in eighth place, paying $1,298. Brand, 39, is an engineer from Dublin, Ohio. His poker highlight is finishing 24th out of 301 players in a WSOP $1.500 stud event…

7th place: Immediately after, Ryan Thorson was all in with Q-10, losing to Hengen’s A-K after the board showed 2-5-J-Q-A. Thorson, collecting $1,730 for seventh, is from Rapid City, South Dakota, and in the trucking business.

6th place: Franks was next to depart. He had A-9, Wheeler had pocket 5s, and the pair did the job when a board of 4-J-8-3-2 missed both players. Franks, 27, is a railroad worker from Omaha. Sixth paid him$2,163.

5th place: As action continued at a fast pace, Wheeler was next to drop out when he went in with K-4 and lost to Duane Gerleman’s K-J after the board came Q-10-A-3-10. Wheeler, getting $2,596 for fifth, is an underground sprinkler technician from Omaha.

4th place: Blinds now were 6,000-12,000. And yet another player soon went out. First, Garry Kipp moved in and Gerleman called. Then, after Hengen moved in with his much larger stack, Gerleman made what turned out to be a good fold after Hengen turned up pocket kings. “I’m dead,” Kipp exclaimed, showing a Q-10. He was. The board came A-6-J-9-5, Kipp missed his straight draw and cashed fourth for $3,028. Kipp, making his first Circuit final table, is a CPA from Bellevue, Nebraska..

Meanwhile, Temperley had been taking down pots and moved into the chip lead. The grand finale to this massacre ended when two players were run over on the final hand. First, Gerleman pushed in for 128,000. Next, Hengen pushed in all his chips. And then Temperley called, covering them both. Gerleman turned over K-Q, Hengen showed pocket deuces, and Temperley, A-J. When the flop came 6-9-Q, Gerleman took the lead with his paired queen. Next a 5 turned, changing nothing. And then an ace on the river gave Temperley top pair, the pot and the tournament.

3rd place: Gerleman got $3,894 for third. He is a farmer from Ridgeway, Iowa who’s made three final tables here in the past two years. He also finished 23rd out of 2,200 players in the 2008 WSOP Seniors event.

2nd place: Holding more chips than Gerleman, Hengen took second place, paying $7,614. He is 38 and is an attorney from Omaha.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #9 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, poker tournament results, world series of poker
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2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #8 Final Results

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 21
Event #8
LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $200 + $35
Number of Entries: 53
Total Prize Money: $10,282

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Chip Count

1. Chris Kasper Gaylord, MI $3,702

2. Shannon VanLaningham Omaha, NE $2,056

3. Tashina Blackbull Sioux Falls, SD $1,131

4. Amy Muller Cedar Rapids, IA $823

5. Stephani Travnicek El Dorado, KS $720

6. Cinda Trost Lenox, IA $617

7. Gwen Oulton Colorado Springs, CO $514

8. Phyllis Schweitzer Lincoln, NE $411

9. Kim Strong Glencoe, MN $308

Chris Kasper Wins Ladies Event After Lengthy Heads-Up Battle

She Prefers Tournament Action, Finding Cash Games ‘Boring’

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #8 Winner Chris Kasper

Council Bluffs, IA — After a back-and-forth contest with her final opponent, Chris Kasper finally claimed victory in the Ladies Championship event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. The win was worth $3,702. Kasper, from Gaylord, Michigan, along with her husband owns a wheel bearing auto parts manufacturing plant. She’s been playing poker only three years, mostly small tournaments back home, and this is only her second major event. She prefers tournaments because she finds cash games boring and that tends to make her chase and play small cards. “Tournaments take patience, and I have patience there,” she said. Tonight she was in good shape until the final table, being among the chip leaders most of the time.

It took more than 90 minutes to lose a tenth player and start the final table. There were still four players left at an adjacent $300 no-limit final table when the ladies got down to 10, and the $300 event was over, with the winner interviewed and photographed before the ladies finally got to nine.

There were 53 entrants and a $10,282 prize pool in this event. Play began with blinds of 1,000-2,000 and 200 antes with 22 minutes on the clock. Tashina Blackbull had the most chips, 50,300.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Phyllis Schweitzer 12,200

2. Shannon VanLaningham 44,000

3. Chris Kasper 35,200

4. Tashina Blackbull 50,300

5. Cinda Trost 20,100

6. Stephani Travnicek 35,600

7. Amy Muller 16,500

8. Gwen Oulton 14,800

9. Kim Strong 6,100

9th place: A half-hour into play, after several all-in survivals, Kim Strong moved in. and had two callers. The board of 3-4-7-9-7 was checked down. “Anyone have anything?” she asked, turning up A-Q. “I have ace-high.” Blackbull also had an ace…and a trey, and her small pair left Strong in ninth place, paying $308. Strong, from Glencoe, Minnesota, is in sales. She finished second in this event in both 2009 and 2008.

8th place: Next to go was Phyllis Schweitzer. Amy Muller pushed in with Jc-Qc, and Schweitzer called with A-Q. A nine-high straight hit the board, but there was no chop because three of the cards were clubs. Muller’s flush took the pot and Schweitzer took home $411 for eighth. Schweitzer, 36, is a general manager from Lincoln, Nebraska.

7th place: Blinds went to 1,500-3,000 and then to 2,000-4,000 before another player left. This time it was Gwen Oulton. She was all in with A-10 and flopped two pair to pull ahead of Kasper, who had A-Q. But then a queen turned to give Kasper the higher two pair, and Oulton went out with $514 for seventh. Oulton, 46, is from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Tonight she managed to make the final table after being low-stacked the entire time.

6th place: A short-chipped Cinda Trost found herself all in with 8d-4d against Shannon VanLaningham’s K-10. It was no contest as VanLaningham flopped a king and caught another on the river. Sixth paid $617. Trost, 59, is a housewife from Lenox, Iowa

5th place:Stephani Travnicek was next out when her pocket jacks couldn’t catch Kasper’s pocket queens. Fifth place was worth $720. Travnicek is 46 and works in corrections in El Dorado, Kansas.

4th place: Amy Muller then finished fourth for $823 when her A-4 was up against Blackbull’s pocket 7s. Blackbull flopped a set and that did it. Muller is an opthamology assistant from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She has a sixth in a prior Circuit and a second in the Heartland Poker Tour.

3rd place: Blinds became 2,500-3,000 with 400 antes. Blackbull, by now short on chips, moved in with 9d-8d. Kasper called with K-Q and won after the board showed 4-7-A-3-K. Third paid $1,131. Blackbull, 32, is a student from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her poker highlight is “just being here.”

Kasper and VanLaningham, now heads-up, were a study in contrasts, VanLaningham chattering away and Kasper mostly all business. Kasper started with the lead, but chips would go back and forth during their lengthy match. In the first major exchange, VanLaningham raised with A-2 and Kasper moved in with Kc-Jc. Two aces and two clubs flopped, Kasper missed her flush draw, and now VanLaningham was way in front. Later, Kasper regained a huge lead when VanLaningham moved in with pocket queens and Kasper, calling with A-J, hit two pair.

2nd place: VanLaningham hung on for a while, but only had a little over 20,000 when the players came back from break to blinds of 3,000-6,000. On the last hand, VanLaningham moved in with Ac-5c and Kasper called with Kd-3d. With a board of 10-10-6-Q, VanLaningham looked ready to double up, until a river trey paired Kasper and ended the tournament. For second, VanLaningham got $2,056. She is a social worker from Omaha.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #8 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: 2010 wsop circuit events, iowa poker, ladies championship, no limit holdem, poker tournament results, world series of poker
Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

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

Tags: horseshoe council bluffs, iowa poker, no limit holdem, poker tournament results, world series of poker, wsop circuit events
Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

2010 World Series of Poker Satellites – Win a Seat into the 2010 WSOP Main Event

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

The time has come again when everyone is starting to get really excited about this year’s World Series of Poker.

At Spin32 Poker, players are also getting very exited and so to celebrate its start, they are giving away Live Seat Packages for the Las Vegas event!

Every day Spin32 Poker is offering players the chance to earn entry into this year’s World Series of Poker, by playing in the lower buy-in 2010 WSOP Satellite Tournaments.

There are Multi-Table tournament (MTT) and Sit’n'Go Satellites, starting from as low as $2 buy-in.

You can buy in at any level or work your way up to the Grand Final Events, where large Guaranteed Prize Pools or $12,500 Real Life Tournament Packages will be given away.

World Series Satellite Tournament Schedule:

Sit ‘n’ Go – $2, $10 & $55 Tournaments registering 24/7, visit the Tournaments > Sit’n'Go > Satellite tab of the Spin32 Poker software.

$2 MTT – Every day at 06:30, 09:00, 13:45, 16:00, 20:30 & 00:00 Spin32 Poker time (GMT-5 / ET-1).

$10 MTT – Every day at 10:30, 14:30, 19:00 & 21:30 Spin32 Poker time (GMT-5 / ET-1).

$55 MTT – Every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 18:00 Spin32 Poker time (GMT-5 / ET-1).

The first Grand Final Event will be held on Sunday 21st February 2010. So you have the chance to be in at the very beginning.

However, don’t worry if you miss this month’s main event, as there will be three more Grand Final Events that you can enter, which are coming up over the next three months at Spin32 Poker.

Tags: 2010 wsop satellites, las vegas, live seat packages, main event, online poker satellites, spin32 poker, world series of poker
Posted in Online Poker, Poker, World Series of Poker, poker professionals | No Comments »

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #6 Final Results

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Feb. 20, 2010
Event #6
H.O.R.S.E.
Buy-In: $300 + $45
Number of Entries: 55
Total Prize Money: $16,005

Final Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

1. Adam Clayman Ogallala, NE $5,843

2. Fred Walker Omaha, NE $3,153

3. Ed Tonnellier Alberta, Canada $2,145

4. Michelle Freeman Spencer, IA $1,520

5. Tom Wentzel Plymouth MN $1,168

6. Dennis Larimer Columbia, MO $928

7. Shaun Burnett Lacona, Iowa $720

8. Peter Clark Jr. Colorado Springs, CO $528

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event #6 Winner Adam Clayman

Superstition Gets Adam Clayman A Win in Event # 6, H.O.R.S.E.

He Decides to Extend his Stay Here After Winning Two Events Online

Council Bluffs, IA — Adam Clayman is a futures trader, and people in that trade tend to be superstitious, he says.. For example, if something fortuitous happens on a given day, they will risk more on that same day in the future. So, after he booked a hotel room here for two nights, but then won two H.O.R.S.E. tournaments playing online at home, he was inspired to extend his stay one night and enter the H.O.R.S.E. event. His intuition paid off as he ended up winning this sixth event in the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. The win paid $5,843, coming on top of his sixth-place finish in an earlier limit hold’em event. He also has a 14th place finish in a Party Poker Million 5 event.

Clayman is 49 and lives in Ogallala, Nebraska. He began playing poker in San Jose, California back in 1995. He likes all games, though he hasn’t played that much stud. He also prefers tournaments to cash games because the payout for the investment can be so much greater. He tries to be patient, saying that bulls can win and bears can win, but pigs get slaughtered. At the beginning of tonight’s tournament he ran into quads and a straight flush, but still had enough chips to keep him going.

When the final table started, we were playing stud hi-lo, with antes of 700, a bring-in of 1,000, blinds of 1,500-3,000 and limits of 3,000-6,000. Dennis Larimer, with 58,000, and Ed Tonnellier, with 57,800, were racing neck and neck for the chip lead, while Peter Clark Jr. was many lengths behind with 7,000. .

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat Name Chip Count

1. Adam Clayman 77,000

2. Ed Tonnellier 57,000

3. Fred Walker 31,000

4. Shaun Burnett 46,000

5. Peter Clark Jr. 7,000

6. Michelle Freeman 19,500

7. Tom Wentzel 38,200

8. Dennis Larimer 58,000

8th place: On the first hand, Clark started with three good low cards, A-5-6, and decided to go for it.. He couldn’t make a low and lost to Tom Wentzel’s trip 10s, collecting $528 for eighth place. Clark, 45, is a computer programmer from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

7th place: The next game was hold’em with 4,000-8,000 limits and 1,000 antes. Shaun Burnett put his last chips in with As-10s and was called by Michelle Freeman, the first lady to grace a final table here thus far. She had pocket 8s, and they held up when the board missed both players. For seventh, Shaun got $720. Burnett, a truck driver from Lacona, Iowa, finished second in the first $300 event here..

6th place: Larimer was next out, in a razz round. He and Tonnellier both made 8-lows, but Tonnellier’s 8 was a perfect 8-4-3-2-1, while Larimer showed 8-5-4-3-A. He was paid $928 for sixth. Larimer, 34, is a radio station manager from Columbia, Missouri. This is his third final table.

5th place: We were now playing stud, 6,000-12,000 limits. Low on chips, Tom Wentzel went all in on third street, up against three opponents. He thought he might quadruple up when he made a 9-high straight, but then Tonnellier turned up an ace-high flush. Fifth was worth $1,168. Wentzel, 41, is in sales for a consulting firm in Plymouth, Minnesota. This is his fourth Circuit final table. He won the second event here, limit hold’em.

4th place: An Omaha hi-lo round was the last for Freeman. Holding A-2-4-9, she had a pretty good flop of 10-4-3, and bet out. A king turned and she called for her last chips. Then a 9 hit the river. She missed her low while Adam Clayman, holding a J-Q, showed a straight. Fourth paid $1.520. Freeman, 44, is a customer service/at-home professional from Spencer, Iowa. This is her first try at a Circuit tournament.

3rd place: We were now playing razz. Showing a door card king, Tonnellier decided to chase with two low cards in the hole and went all in.. The best that he could make was a king-low, while Walker edged him with a queen-low. Tonnellier, a 53-year-old retiree from Alberta, Canada, left with $2,145 for third, just a little less than the $118,000 he won for coming in second in a WSOP half Omaha, half hi-lo stud event in 2007.

2nd place: The final hand dealt was in a stud round. Clayman started with split 6s, paired a trey on the river, and his two pair outran Walker’s queens. Walker is a 73-year-old retiree from Omaha. His five WSOP cashes include thirds in stud and.razz in 1994 and 1995. His runner-up finish was worth $3,153.

2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit – Event #6 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: council bluffs, h.o.r.s.e., poker iowa, poker tournament results, world series of poker, wsop circuit events
Posted in Poker, World Series of Poker Circuit Events | No Comments »

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