Recapping the 2012-2013 WSOP Circuit Harrah's Tunica Prelims
The 2012/2013 World Series of Poker Circuit presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof has been rolling along here in the first month of 2013. The Bicycle Casino and Choctaw Durant stops are already in the books, and since Jan. 24, Harrah’s Tunica in Mississippi has been playing host to several ring events. The stop will culminate this weekend with the $1,675 Main Event. There are sure to be some interesting story lines emerging from that tournament, and we thought we’d set the stage by taking a look at the Harrah’s Tunica winners thus far.
One of the feel-good stories that emerged early on was Sean Maurer’s win in Event #2 $365 No-Limit Hold’em for $43,880. The 22-year-old Illinois factory worker, who has only played cash games, was playing his first live tournament and managed to top a field of 611.
Maurer began the final table second in chips, and he seemed to stay toward the top as play progress. One by one his opponents fell, including final table chip leader Ben DeForrest, who was eliminated in sixth place. After three-and-a-half hours of play, only Maurer and Mark Bell, a 43-year-old poker player from Louisville, Kentucky, remained. The heads-up battle lasted only 30 minutes before Maurer clinched victory after his 6x6x held up against his opponent’s 4x4x.
“I’m speechless right now. I can’t even describe how I feel right now,” Maurer told WSOP officials after his win. “My job doesn’t pay big money, but it's steady, and I don’t have the stress of playing professionally,” he added when asked what the win means for his future. “I’ll keep playing tournaments like this one but I’m going back to work on Monday. But I’ll be walking in with a big smile.”
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 435 | $130,500 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Holley | Destin, FL | $28,707 |
| 2 | Mark Maletic | Canton, MI | $17,741 |
| 3 | Richard McCrary | Huntsville, AL | $12,964 |
| 4 | Ray Green | Pleasant View, TN | $9,626 |
| 5 | John Malone | Memphis, TN | $7,258 |
| 6 | Carl Brewington | Nashville, TN | $5,555 |
| 7 | Douglas Mackinnon | East Amherst, NY | $4,314 |
| 8 | Kory Kilpatrick | Athens, GA | $3,398 |
| 9 | John Prather | Nashville, TN | $2,714 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 611 | $183,300 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Maurer | Grayville, IL | $43,880 |
| 2 | Mark Bell | Jeffersonville, IN | $23,809 |
| 3 | Kevin Praytor | Odenville, AL | $17,410 |
| 4 | Ryan Turner | Rochester, IL | $12,919 |
| 5 | Ber Xiong | Lawrenceville, GA | $9,720 |
| 6 | Benjamin Deforrest | Ballwin, MO | $7,414 |
| 7 | Donna Heard | Truman, AR | $5,734 |
| 8 | Calvin Simpson | Nashville, IN | $4,495 |
| 9 | Paul Mckanna | Nashville, TN | $3,571 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Ring Event #3 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 1,271 | $381,300 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Sawyer | Kennett, MO | $67,681 |
| 2 | Sean Small | Douglasville, GA | $41,943 |
| 3 | Daniel Rivera | Baton Rouge, LA | $30,782 |
| 4 | Justin Brown | Bloomington, IN | $23,259 |
| 5 | Duy Tran | Brentwood, TN | $17,750 |
| 6 | Robert Norris | Richland, WA | $13,662 |
| 7 | Brandon Shane | Sagamore Hls, OH | $10,638 |
| 8 | Michael Bozarth | Hawesville, KY | $8,381 |
| 9 | Jeff Huffman | Noblesville, IN | $6,680 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 306 | $91,800 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Kerns | Sullivan, IN | $21,571 |
| 2 | David Reed | Ontario, CA | $13,339 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Hoffman | Wichita Falls, TX | $9,688 |
| 4 | Ronald Brassard | Nashua, NH | $7,156 |
| 5 | Steven Williams | Little Rock, AR | $5,372 |
| 6 | Sean McDonald | St. Louis, MO | $4,097 |
| 7 | Peter Sullivan | Roscoe, IL | $3,174 |
| 8 | Stuart Breakstone | Memphis, TN | $2,495 |
| 9 | Bobby Byram | Osceola, AR | $1,991 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Ring Event #5 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 300 | $90,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Loiacano | Mooresville, NC | $21,595 |
| 2 | Carter Myers | Breckenridge, MI | $13,349 |
| 3 | Marc Nellist | Loganville, GA | $9,686 |
| 4 | Robert Hankins | Murfreesboro, TN | $7,146 |
| 5 | Nicholas Melville | N/A | $5,360 |
| 6 | Erin Slaughter | Rowlett, TX | $4,084 |
| 7 | Nicolas Vaca-Rondon | Bogota, Colombia | $3,161 |
| 8 | Ricky Stanton | Bolivar, MO | $2,484 |
| 9 | Ronald Bowers | Cape Girardeau, MO | $1,982 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Ring Event #6 NLHE Six-Handed
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 283 | $84,900 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shawn Fakhimi | Fayetteville, AR | $22,071 |
| 2 | John Holley | Destin, FL | $13,640 |
| 3 | Douglas Ashmore | Houston, TX | $9,470 |
| 4 | Calvin Kincade | Paragould, AR | $6,644 |
| 5 | Kat Bowen | Gladewater, TX | $4,712 |
| 6 | Philip Boyd | High Ridge, MO | $3,377 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Ring Event #7 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 339 | $101,700 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Zenthoefer | Evansville, IN | $23,389 |
| 2 | Samuel Price | Chattanooga, TN | $14,461 |
| 3 | Robert Ward | Saint Charles, MO | $10,549 |
| 4 | Henry Montgomery | Lexington, KY | $7,825 |
| 5 | Michael Wissler | St. Louis, MO | $5,895 |
| 6 | Harold Mahaffey | Anderson, SC | $4,508 |
| 7 | Robert Manley | Fort Worth, TX | $3,498 |
| 8 | Richard Moon | Rowlett, TX | $2,754 |
| 9 | Ronald Bowers | Cape Girardeau, MO | $2,199 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica Champion is undetermined. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the National Championship. Here's a look at the players who have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Player | Qualified |
|---|---|
| Jeff Fielder | Choctaw Durant Main Event Champion |
| Andrew Robinson | Choctaw Durant Casino Champion |
| Baptiste Chavaillaz | Bicycle Casino Main Event Champion |
| Nathan Bjerno | Bicycle Casino Casino Champion |
| Jonathan Chehanske | Harrah’s Rincon Main Event Champion |
| Valentin Vornicu | Harrah’s Rincon Casino Champion |
| Adam Teasdale | Harrah’s Atlantic City Main Event Champion |
| Brandon Fish | Harrah’s Atlantic City Casino Champion |
| Cary Marshall | Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion |
| Daniel Gilmer | Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino Champion |
| John Crncic | River Rock (Vancouver) Main Event Winner |
| Sandra Wong | River Rock (Vancouver) Casino Champion |
| Josh Williams | Horseshoe Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner |
| Mike Leah | Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion |
| Dan Heimiller | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner |
| Jonathan Taylor | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion |
| Quan Nguyen | Bossier City Casino Champion |
| Jeff Gibralter | Bossier City Main Event Champion |
| Kyle Cartwright | IP Biloxi Main Event Winner |
| Cory Wood | IP Biloxi Casino Champion |
In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will earn a spot into the National Championship:
WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rex Clinkscales | 217.5 | 0 | 9 | $59,432 |
| Yossi Azulay | 165 | 0 | 12 | $79,218 |
| Wendy Freedman | 150 | 1 | 5 | $55,755 |
| Charles “Woody” Moore | 150 | 0 | 7 | $46,997 |
| Caufman Talley | 142.5 | 2 | 5 | $82,963 |
| Aaron Massey | 142.5 | 1 | 5 | $55,252 |
| Joshua Pender | 132.5 | 1 | 9 | $46,558 |
| Austin Buchanan | 127.5 | 0 | 9 | $50,334 |
| Trevor Deeter | 127.5 | 1 | 8 | $37,898 |
| Alex Masek | 127.5 | 2 | 6 | $37,163 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Tunica stop.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
| Date | Event Location |
|---|---|
| Feb. 7-18, 2013 | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) |
| Feb. 14-25, 2013 | Palm Beach Kennel Club (Florida) |
| Feb. 28 - March 11, 2013 | Caesars Atlantic City |
| March 14-25, 2013 | Lodge Casino Black Hawk (Colorado) |
| March 27 - April 8, 2013 | Foxwoods (Connecticut) |
| April 4-15, 2012 | Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina) |
| April 11-April 22, 2013 | Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Iowa) |
| April 25 - May 6, 2013 | Harrah’s Philadelphia |
| May 9 - May 20, 2013 | Harrah’s New Orleans |
| May 21-23, 2013 | Harrah’s New Orleans (National Championship) |
For more information on the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit season, visit WSOP.com. Also, be sure to follow our live updates from the WSOP Circuit Choctaw Durant in our Live Reporting Section.
*Photos courtesy of WSOP.com.
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