WSOP Circuit National Championship Day 2: Poche Leads Final Table
The second day of the World Series of Poker Circuit National Championship returned to Caesars Palace as the remaining players looked to earn a spot not-only in the prize money-earning top ten, but on the televised final table of nine!
With 35 players returning to battle it out for a piece of the $1,000,000 prize pool, early play was intense as short stacks looked to gather some momentum while the big stacks looked to accumulate more chips.
From the start, two-time gold ring holder La Sengphet continued her strong form from Day 1, keeping kept her spot amongst the leaders throughout the day, having no qualms in battling one-time Day 1 chip leader Jonathan Poche when their tables combined.
For two of the most successful players in WSOP Circuit history, their chase at adding a gold bracelet to their collection of three gold rings fell short. After relinquishing a pot on the river, Kyle Cartwright committed the remainder of his chips holding Q♠10♠ against an opponent’s kings. Although flopping a pair and turning a shared two-pair wasn't enough, and Cartwright was ushered out the door in 27th place.
Just a few moments later, Dwyte Pilgrim would be unable to add to his 23 WSOP-Circuit cashes when his pocket sixes went unimproved against pocket aces. Curt Kohlberg and Bernard Lee followed those two players out the door and we were left with our final two tables after just over three hours of play.
Play understandably stalled, but eventually a few double ups kick-started a flow of eliminations. Chris Klodnicki, Traci Brown, Allen Kessler and Stanley Quinn all fell short of the money. Unfortunately for Doug “Rico” Carli, he earned the moniker of bubble boy when his K♠Q♥ for top pair was no match for the A♠A♦ of Adam Hui.
Although the money had been reached, one more elimination was needed so a televised final of nine could be met, and when Huy Nguyen exited in 10th for a $27,500 payday, the final table was set.
Final Table Lineup
| Seat | Player | Chip Count | BBs | Chip % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Moore | 65,500 | 13 | 3.3% |
| 2 | Adam Hui | 239,000 | 48 | 11.9% |
| 3 | Drazen Ilich | 118,000 | 24 | 5.9% |
| 4 | Jonathan Poche | 534,000 | 107 | 26.7% |
| 5 | Josh Evans | 222,500 | 45 | 11.1% |
| 6 | La Sengphet | 245,000 | 49 | 12.3% |
| 7 | Sam Barnhart | 166,000 | 33 | 8.3% |
| 8 | James Anderson | 235,000 | 47 | 11.8% |
| 9 | Matthew Lawrence | 140,000 | 28 | 7% |
As he did for most of the day, WSOP Circuit New Orleans Main Event Champion Jonathan Poche will hold the mantle of chip leader after amassing over a quarter of the chips in play with 534,000 – nearly 200,000 more then his nearest rival.
That rival is overnight chip leader La Sengphet who retains her spot atop the leaderboard. Adam Hui (239,000), James Anderson (235,000) and Josh Evans (222,500) will all be well placed on Sunday and you can never count out the short stacks such as Charlie Moore and Drazen Ilich as everyone will have their eye on the $300,000 first prize and coveted gold bracelet .
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will again be on the floor of the Caesars Palace Poker Room providing continuous live updates of all the final table action as we look to crown the inaugural WSOP Circuit National Championships winner from 1200 PDT (1900 GMT).
Be sure to stay tuned right here to PokerNews.com for every turn card, heart-beating river and lucky outdraw as the first gold bracelet of the 2011 summer is awarded!
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