WSOP-Circuit Harrah's St. Louis Ring Event Update
Earlier this week we previewed the World Series of Poker Circuit's latest stop at Harrah’s St. Louis with recaps of the first two ring events. As the week progressed, the WSOP Circuit continued with eight more ring events, which culminated in the Main Event. As always, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team is providing coverage of the Main Event, but here's a look at how the events leading up to the Main Event played out.
Ring #2 for Jewell
Many may remember 25-year old Kurt Jewell for his victory in the $1,600 Main Event at the Horseshoe Hammond circuit stop back in October, for which he earned $242,909 and secured his spot in the National Championship. In February, Jewell final tabled another Main Event at Harrah’s Tunica, but had an epic meltdown when he busted in eighth place after holding nearly half the chips in play with nine left. Lucky for him, he managed to redeem himself in St. Louis by winning his second ring and $13,206 by taking down Event #3, which just so happened to be his first Omaha 8 tournament ever. “I was literally googling Omaha 8 to see what the optimal starting hands were and to get some tips,” Jewell said after the win.
WSOP Circuit St. Louis Ring Event #3 Omaha High Low Eight or Better
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$45 | 181 | $50,794 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kurt Jewell | Frankfort, KY | $13,206 |
| 2 | Eliot Spiro | St. Louis, MO | $8,158 |
| 3 | Tom Franklin | Gulfport, MS | $5,891 |
| 4 | Jim Rye | Laurie, MO | $4,326 |
| 5 | Nathan Hogan | Chesterfield, MO | $3,232 |
| 6 | Kristopher Tong | Costa Meda, CA | $2,456 |
| 7 | La Sengphet | Carrollton, TX | $1,897 |
| 8 | Alexander Hoff | Wentzville, MO | $1,490 |
| 9 | Thomas Henry | Jackson, MO | $1,189 |
Basketball Player Turns WSOP Circuit Ring Winner
Ben Logan, a 26-year-old from Tiverton, Rhode Island, is nearly seven feet tall and once played D1 basketball at Brown University. While he was the 2002-2003 Lindys Sports pre-season rookie of the year, Logan adds another title to his resume, that of WSOP Circuit ring winner. He accomplished the feat after besting a field of 138 players in Event #4 $345 buy-in H.O.R.S.E., worth $10,755 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.
WSOP Circuit St. Louis Ring Event #4 H.O.R.S.E.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$45 | 138 | $28,406 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin Logan | Bristol, RI | $10,755 |
| 2 | Ryan Tepen | Chesterfield, MO | $6,647 |
| 3 | Martin Warren | Rolla, MO | $4,798 |
| 4 | Kristopher Tong | Costa Mesa, CA | $3,525 |
| 5 | Samuel Barnhart | Benton, AR | $2,635 |
| 6 | Shaun Burnett | Lacona, IA | $2,004 |
| 7 | Michael Mann | Westerly, RI | $1,549 |
| 8 | Andrew Barber | Rocklin, CA | $1,217 |
Casino Champ in the Making?
The WSOP-C Harrah’s St. Louis stop had an early points leader in Hugh Jordan Drummond, who managed to notch a third-place finish in Event #1 and followed that up with a victory in Event #5. Between the two final tables, Drummond eliminated twelve opponents and amassed enough WSOP Circuit points to put him atop the casino-points leaderboard. An online poker pro from Vancouver, Canada, who is used to playing $100-$1,000 sit-and-go’s, Drummond outlasted 393 players to claim the $24,611 first-place prize. “I’m pretty elated,” he said after the win. “I never expected to win when I came out here.”
WSOP Circuit St. Louis Ring Event #5 No Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$45 | 138 | $38,406 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hugh Jordan Drummond | Vancouver, Canada | $24,611 |
| 2 | Richard Roberts | Moore, OK | $15,209 |
| 3 | Bobbie Talbot | Hernando, MS | $11,113 |
| 4 | Timothy Reedy | Saint Ann, MO | $8,251 |
| 5 | Matt Lawrence | Tulsa, OK | $6,222 |
| 6 | Paul Giles | St. Louis, MO | $4,762 |
| 7 | Nikolaj Poulsen | Manchester, MO | $3,698 |
| 8 | Michael Souza | San Deigo, CA | $2,913 |
| 9 | Aaron Massey | Ft. Myers, FL | $1,884 |
Nguyen-ing Again!
Huy Nguyen, a 25-year-old accountant from Norman, Oklahoma, claimed his second WSOP Circuit ring at Harrah’s St. Louis by outlasting 204 players to claim the Event #6 NLHE Six-Handed title and the accompanying $25,241 first-place prize. If you recall, Nguyen won his first ring in January when he beat 807 players at the WSOP Circuit Main Event at Choctaw, good for $232,706.
While this field was much smaller, it was no less impressive. Nguyen entered heads-up play against Jim Mink with a 2-1 chip advantage and eventually grew it to a 7-1 lead. In the last hand, Nguyen moved all-in with A♦6♦ and Mink called with the A♥3♦. The board ran out J♣2♠4♠9♣10♣ and the rest is history.
WSOP Circuit St. Louis Ring Event #6 NLHE Six-Handed
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$55 | 205 | $97,081 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huy Nguyen | Norman, OK | $25,241 |
| 2 | Jim Mink | Houston, TX | $15,592 |
| 3 | Jeffery Welch | Greenfield, IN | $11,258 |
| 4 | Jonathan Dahlberg | Saint Charles, MO | $8,268 |
| 5 | Cory Drury | Florissant, MO | $6,177 |
| 6 | Jennifer Reel | Du Quoin, IL | $4,694 |
Woernle a Winner in Event #7
Event #7, a $555 NLHE tournament, drew 276 players and drew a familiar face at the final table in Las Vegas pro Ari Engel, who went on to finish third. In the end, it was Keith Woernle who prevailed and claimed the $31,477 prize and his first WSOP-C gold ring. Woernle made an impressive comeback in heads-up play, down 5-1 to opponent Joel Shulruf, in a battle that lasted over two hours. On the final hand, both players were all in on a board reading A♦K♦4♠10♦ with Shulruf, the player at risk, holding 10x10x for a set, but behind the 9♦7♦ flush of Woernle. The J♦ river blanked and that was that.
WSOP Circuit St. Louis Ring Event #7 NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$55 | 276 | $131,171 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keith Woernle | Montgomery, AL | $31,477 |
| 2 | Joel Shulruf | Buffalo Grove, IL | $19,455 |
| 3 | Ari Engel | Las Vegas, NV | $14,117 |
| 4 | Gary Welch | Perryville, MO | $10,415 |
| 5 | Don Norman | Marion, IL | $7,811 |
| 6 | Shawn Arnold | Tulsa, OK | $5,953 |
| 7 | Noah Nodine | Oklahoma City, OK | $4,607 |
| 8 | Jovan Sudar | Omaha, NE | $3,620 |
| 9 | Darren Dwyer | Salem, IL | $2,888 |
You can check out our live coverage of the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Main Event (which is happening now) in our live reporting section, which will include updates on the likes of Greg Raymer, Dennis Phillips, Josh Brikis, and Amarillo Slim Preston. In the meantime, don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship and your shot at the $1 million freeroll. There are still plenty of opportunities to play, including any of the remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule.
Remaining 2010/2011 WSOP Circuit Schedule
| Event | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s St. Louis | March 31-April 13, 2011 |
| Circuit Event | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) | April 14-30, 2011 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Chester | April 27-May 9, 2011 |
| Regional Championship | Harrah’s New Orleans | May 9-May 22, 2011 |
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