Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's St. Louis
The 2011/2012 World Series of Poker Circuit is slowly winding down and will culminate in the National Championship this summer; however, before then there are a few stops to be held, including the one at Harrah��s St. Louis which began on April 12. That stop��s Main Event begins on Saturday, April 21, so we thought it��d be a good idea to recap the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis action thus far, which included the largest tournament in Missouri history.
That tournament was actually Event #4: $355 No Limit Hold��em Re-Entry, which attracted 1,066 players, creating a prize pool of $310,206 and surpassed last year��s field of 843 entries. It took four long days for action to be completed, including a 15-hour final table.
It was there that Roy Riley squared off against Javier Zarco in heads-up action. The two started nearly even in chips, but Riley pulled out to a 3-to-1 chip lead in the first hour of heads-up play. It was at that point that Zarco, a 27-year-old student from Madrid, Spain studying in the U.S., moved all in with 6?4? on an 8?7?4? flop. Riley made the call with a pair of sevens and held as the Q? appeared on the turn followed by the 3? on the river.
Zarco finished as runner-up for $35,327, while Riley became the champ and took down the $57,139 top prize. ��I have the perfect life right now,�� the 26-year-old physical education teacher and star of NBC��s ��Ironman World Championship�� reality show said after his win. ��This was a great victory.��
��I am going to give it a shot,�� Riley said of his poker career. ��I planned to do this before I won this event. But now, I really think I am ready to take the next step . . . I love poker. I really love to play the game. But to me, it��s important to do something that��s really important and help other people. I love my job just as much.��
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Ring Event #1: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 473 | $137,643 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shain Matthews | Marysville, CA | $29,306 |
| 2 | Scott Sharpe | Leawood, KS | $18,117 |
| 3 | Patrick Fogleman | Springfield, IL | $13,235 |
| 4 | John Fagg | Terre Haute, IN | $9,812 |
| 5 | Michael Souza | San Diego, CA | $7,379 |
| 6 | Nikolas Stone | Auburndale, WI | $5,629 |
| 7 | James Beetz | Friendswood, TX | $4,355 |
| 8 | David Finch | Peoria, IL | $3,417 |
| 9 | Michael Tripplet | Charlotte, MI | $2,719 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Event #2: No-Limit Hold'em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$65 | 279 | $135,315 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerry Ard | Monticello, MS | $32,147 |
| 2 | William Arnold | Teutopolis, IL | $19,870 |
| 3 | Ruth Hagen | Troy, IL | $14,417 |
| 4 | Royce Cohen | Bensalem, PA | $10,637 |
| 5 | Dylan Thomassie | Champaign, IL | $7,978 |
| 6 | Kevin Azzariti | Antioch, TN | $6,079 |
| 7 | James Choquette | Austin, TX | $4,705 |
| 8 | Richard Hash | Maryville, TN | $3,697 |
| 9 | Gerald Paskert | Caseyville, IL | $2,950 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Event #3: Pot-Limit Omaha
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 150 | $43,650 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Balsman | St. Louis, MO | $11,844 |
| 2 | Cory Sargent | Terre Haute, IN | $7,320 |
| 3 | Gordon Brown | Elizabeth, NJ | $5,284 |
| 4 | Robert Quick | Belton, MO | $3,883 |
| 5 | William Matula | Ballwin, MO | $2,903 |
| 6 | Joseph Hebda | Saint John, IN | $2,207 |
| 7 | Nicholas Alumbaugh | Indianapolis, IN | $1,706 |
| 8 | Ryan Gentry | La Jolla, CA | $1,340 |
| 9 | Gary Menard | Wellsville, MO | $1,070 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Ring Event #4: No Limit Hold��em Re-entry
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 1,066 | $310,206 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roy Riley | Savoy, IL | $57,139 |
| 2 | Javier Zarco | Godfrey, IL | $35,327 |
| 3 | Tripp Kirk | Atlanta, GA | $26,253 |
| 4 | Douglas Campbell | Highland, IL | $19,736 |
| 5 | Aaron Wilson | Ballwin, MO | $15,007 |
| 6 | Matt Lawrence | Tulsa, OK | $11,545 |
| 7 | William Diepenbrock | Columbia, IL | $8,985 |
| 8 | Bradley Lipsey | Franklin, TN | $7,073 |
| 9 | Matthew Clerk | De Soto, IL | $5,634 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Event #5: No-Limit Hold'em Turbo
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 277 | $80,607 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byrnes | Saint Charles, MO | $19,025 |
| 2 | Christopher Campbell | Romeoville, IL | $11,755 |
| 3 | Aaron Duczak | Kamploops, BC, Canada | $8,530 |
| 4 | Eli Loewenthal | Carmel, IN | $6,253 |
| 5 | Sean Burson | Hidden Valley Lake, CA | $5,909 |
| 6 | Aaron Massey | Chicago, IL | $4,520 |
| 7 | Daniel Maassen | Florissant, MO | $2,784 |
| 8 | Pradeep Buddharaju | Houston, TX | $2,187 |
| 9 | Karl Pirkopf | Denver, CO | $1,745 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Ring Event #6: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 355 | $103,305 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Laskey | Fargo, ND | $23,449 |
| 2 | Chip Ervin | Tuscaloosa, AL | $14,497 |
| 3 | Drew Woodke | Omaha, NE | $10,576 |
| 4 | Charlie Ussery | Lees Summitt, MO | $7,844 |
| 5 | Paul Fehlig | St. Louis, MO | $5,909 |
| 6 | David Horton | Saint Charles, MO | $4,520 |
| 7 | Andrew Wright | Union, MO | $3,507 |
| 8 | Jeffrey Gaines | Godfrey, IL | $2,761 |
| 9 | Boulos Estafanous | Darien, IL | $2,204 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Ring Event #7: No Limit Hold��em Six Handed
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 323 | $93,993 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikolas Stone | Auburndale, WI | $21,770 |
| 2 | Adam Geiger | Regina, SK, Canada | $13,461 |
| 3 | Scott Hall | Maryland Heights, MO | $9,777 |
| 4 | Jennifer Reel | Du Quoin, IL | $7,222 |
| 5 | Adam Zschau | Bloomington, IL | $5,421 |
| 6 | Sam Barnhart | Little Rock, AR | $4,135 |
| 7 | Stephanie Belk | Midland, TX | $3,203 |
| 8 | Se Bom Kim | Warrensburg, MO | $2,518 |
| 9 | Rafiq Mohammed | Chicago, IL | $2,009 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Ring Event #8: No Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$65 | 292 | $141,620 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Friedel | Vandalia, IL | $33,664 |
| 2 | Michael Sanders | London, AR | $20,805 |
| 3 | Steven Skowronski | Hammond, IN | $15,096 |
| 4 | Drew Woodke | Omaha, NE | $11,137 |
| 5 | Ben Smith | Viola, WI | $8,353 |
| 6 | Jae Chang | Austin, TX | $6,365 |
| 7 | Dennis Phillips | Cottage Hills, IL | $4,926 |
| 8 | Christopher Parr | Fort Worth, TX | $3,871 |
| 9 | William Stone | Auburndale, WI | $3,089 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Ring Event #9: No Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 425 | $123,675 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Smurzynski | Midlothian, IL | $27,212 |
| 2 | Michael Smith | Magnolia, MS | $16,814 |
| 3 | Stewart Yancik | Blue Springs, MO | $12,286 |
| 4 | Gary Catens | St. Louis, MO | $9,122 |
| 5 | Jason Ratcliff | Wright City, MO | $6,879 |
| 6 | Ahmad Raghebi | St. Louis, MO | $5,265 |
| 7 | Ryan Gentry | La Jolla, CA | $4,089 |
| 8 | Scot Brady | Evansville, IN | $3,220 |
| 9 | William Corvaia | Keokuk, IA | $2,572 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis Casino Champion is undecided. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. Here's a look at the players who have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Player | Qualified |
|---|---|
| David Nicholson | Horseshoe Bossier City Main Event Winner |
| Chris Gamboa | Horseshoe Bossier City Casino Champion |
| Robert Castoire | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner |
| Mark ��Pegasus�� Smith | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion |
| Bob Chow | Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner |
| Drazen Ilich | Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion |
| Gene Dudek | IP Biloxi Casino Champion |
| Jerry Monroe | IP Biloxi Main Event Winner |
| Michael Rosenbach | Lake Tahoe Casino Champ |
| Bryan Schultz | Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion |
| Tuan Phan | Harrah��s AC Main Event Winner |
| Hao Le | Harrah��s AC Casino Champ |
| Freddy Deeb | Bicycle Casino Main Event Winner |
| Huy Quach | Bicycle Casino Champ |
| Raja Kattamuri | Choctaw Casino Champ |
| Abraham Araya | Choctaw Main Event Champion |
| Gary Bolden | Caesars Palace Casino Champ |
| Kevin Calenzo | Caesars Palace Main Event Winner |
| Matthew Weber | Harrah��s Tunica Casino Champ |
| Kurt Jewell | Harrah��s Tunica Main Event Winner |
| Charles Flett | Palm Beach Casino Champ |
| James Harnden | Palm Beach Main Event Winner |
| Tuan Phan | Harrah��s AC Main Event Winner |
| Hao Le | Harrah��s AC Casino Champ |
| Joseph Kuether | Harrah��s Rincon Main Event Winner |
| Jonas Mackoff | Harrah��s Rincon Casino Champ |
| Scott Stanko | Council Bluffs Main Event Winner |
| Michael Nellis | Council Bluffs Casino Champ |
In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy-in to the National Championship:
WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Clark | 202.5 | 1 | 8 | $74,868 |
| Alexandru Masek | 167.5 | 1 | 9 | $138,169 |
| Daniel Blakeman | 160 | 1 | 7 | $143,777 |
| Stephen Kats | 160 | 1 | 11 | $57,506 |
| Mark ��P0ker H0�� Kroon | 157.5 | 1 | 7 | $62,973 |
| Michael Cooper | 155 | 0 | 9 | $57,051 |
| Chris Parsons | 150 | 0 | 7 | $74,942 |
| Benjamin Kramer | 150 | 1 | 10 | $52,354 |
| Daniel Lowery | 135 | 0 | 8 | $243,008 |
| Dan Natarelli | 135 | 1 | 6 | $44,646 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s St. Louis stop.
Don��t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are only a couple of remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule:
Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule
| Event | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Event | Harrah��s Chester | April 26 - May 7, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah��s New Orleans | May 10 - 21, 2012 |
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! In the meantime, see who qualifies for the National Championship this week by following our Live Reporting Team��s coverage from the Harrah��s St. Louis.
*Photos courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.
