WSOP-C Indiana Day 2: Moore Atop Final Table
After the dust settled from Day 1 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event at Caesar's Indiana, 27 players returned to the felt to move closer to the $223,041 first-place prize, plus a seat at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, to be held next summer at the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Among the notable players returning to the field on Day 2 were former Louisville Cardinals basketball coach Denny Crum and 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider.
With 18 spots paying, one table would be eliminated before the money bubble burst. Mark Smith was the first to head to the rail on Day 2 when his 9♦8♦ couldn't outrun Chris Moore's A♥K♥, especially after Moore picked up an ace on the turn. Denny Crum coached the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team to six NCAA Final Fours and two national championships, but he couldn't make it to the final table at the WSOP Circuit Main Event. On a board of J♣7♣9♦, Crum went all in over the top of Vito Cassulo. Cassulo called and tabled Q♦J♦ for top pair, and Crum revealed 9♣4♣, for a pair with a flush draw. No club or other help arrived for Crum, and the coach was benched just shy of the money.
Not long after he eliminated Crum, Cassulo claimed another scalp. In a three-way pot, Cassulo and Mark Fratter called John Hegele's all-in, pre-flop push, and as the final board showed Q♠Q♦4♣5♠3♣ Fratter and Cassulo checked it all the way down. Cassulo's 10♠10♥ was good against both Fratter's 6♣6♦ and Hegele's A♦10♦, and Hegele was busted in 20th. Steve Miller was the bubble boy shortly afterwards, and the remaining 18 players were in the money.
A rush of eliminations followed the bursting of the bubble, as Keven Stammen, Russell James, Antonio Spansera, Jim Karambinis and Terry Quinn all exited in the next 30 minutes. After the initial flurry, action slowed down as the final table neared. Early chip leader Kou Vang was next to go when he lost a coin flip to Chris Viox. Vang pushed all in pre-flop with 5♣5♥, and Viox called with Q♣J♥. The J♠ in the door left Vang drawing thin, and no five materialized to save him, as he was eliminated in 13th place ($9,637).
After Vang's elimination, several orbits passed before the final flurry of bustouts. Matt Sterling went all in over the top of Terry Ogle's pre-flop raise, and when Ogle turned over K♦K♣ to Sterling's Q♦Q♠, Sterling's tournament hopes were looking paltry. They looked even worse when the board brought the K♠ on the flop, and Sterling went to the rail in 12th ($11,014). Wilbur Futhey busted in 11th ($11,014), then Bryan Sapp became the final table bubble boy when he came out on the short end of a hand with Carlos Uz. All the money went in pre-flop, and Sapp's A-7 led Uz's Q♠10♠ slightly, until the board came 10-4-4-7-K, and Sapp was busted in 10th ($11,014).
Tom Schneider ended Day 2 on the short stack, taking only 26,000 to the final table. Chris Moore is atop the leaderboard, with the final-table chip counts as follows:
Chris Moore – 475,000
Terry Ogle – 339,000
Carlos Uz – 329,000
Vito Cassulo – 150,000
Mark Fratter – 100,000
James Lindsey – 70,000
Chris Viox -55,000
Thomas Hover – 46,500
Tom Schneider – 26,000
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