Previewing the 2012-2013 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Hammond
The fourth stop of the 2012-2013 World Series of Poker Circuit presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof has been taking place all week at the Horseshoe Hammond, which is situated just outside of Chicago. The stop, which will feature 12 rings events, culminates this weekend with a $1,675 buy-in main event.
The stop, which tends to be the biggest on the schedule every year, kicked off in a big way with Event #1: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry. It saw an astounding 2,498 players take to the felt over two starting days, creating a prize pool of $749,000, a first-place prize of $110,535, and made it the third largest Circuit event ever.
In that tournament, 310 players advanced to Day 2, of which 58 still needed to go before the money was reached at 252. Once the money bubble burst, a steady stream of eliminations flowed out the door, and by the end of the night, 15 players remained. When the final table of nine was reached, 32-year-old Milwaukee cash-game pro Tom Rogers had captured the chip lead and never looked back.
One by one, Rogers’ opponents hit the rail until he was heads-up with David Backstrom. The pair battled for a solid 90 minutes before Rogers seized victory in his first WSOP Circuit cash. “I just want to say hi and that I love my girlfriend Kyle and my son Ethan,” a gracious Rogers told WSOP officials after the win.
Here’s a look the final hand of Event #1:
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #1: No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 2,498 | $749,400 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Rogers | Milwaukee, WI | $110,535 |
| 2 | David Backstrom | Crestwood, IL | $69,544 |
| 3 | Paul Morash | Greer, SC | $52,151 |
| 4 | Brett Schwertley | Omaha, NE | $40,160 |
| 5 | Cristian Ciortea | Chicago, IL | $31,198 |
| 6 | Zal Irani | Chicago, IL | $24,356 |
| 7 | Gary Lindesmith | Lowell, IN | $19,185 |
| 8 | David Kappel | Downers Grove, IL | $15,288 |
| 9 | Stephen Harrison | Chicago, IL | $12,388 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #2: No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$80 | 678 | $339,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millard Hale | Portage, MI | $69,505 |
| 2 | Michael Frazin | Deerfield, IL | $43,002 |
| 3 | Steven Skowronski | Hammond, IN | $31,541 |
| 4 | Heath Muzslay | Kalamazoo, MI | $23,455 |
| 5 | John Castillo | Orland Park, IL | $17,679 |
| 6 | Eric Guth | Waukesha, WI | $13,502 |
| 7 | Stephan Johnson | Madison, WI | $10,448 |
| 8 | Kristofer Sens | Chicago, IL | $8,190 |
| 9 | Junior Montalvo | Chicago, IL | $6,502 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #3: No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000+$125 | 164 | $164,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Ochana | Elgin, IL | $44,281 |
| 2 | James Lenaghan | Mobile, AL | $27,365 |
| 3 | Corey Cutrell | Seattle, WA | $19,698 |
| 4 | Jon Ferraro | Menomonee Falls, WI | $14,437 |
| 5 | Haresh Jethani | Houston, TX | $10,768 |
| 6 | Claudia Crawford | Brookhaven, MS | $8,172 |
| 7 | Mandeep Narang | Hoover, AL | $6,307 |
| 8 | Jospeh Russo | Elk Grove Village, IL | $4,948 |
| 9 | Michael Meyers | Shelby Township, MI | $3,946 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #4: Pot-Limit Omaha w/ $100 Rebuys
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 166 | $49,800 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donald Walsh | Park Ridge, IL | $38,046 |
| 2 | Peter Daher | Chicago, IL | $23,511 |
| 3 | Mike Leah | Las Vegas, NV | $16,923 |
| 4 | Jeffrey Mcgee | Bowie, MD | $12,403 |
| 5 | Oleg Badmayev | Hoffman Estates, IL | $9,251 |
| 6 | Ngoc Nguyen | Wichita, KS | $7,021 |
| 7 | Michael Vallone | Hilliard, OH | $5,419 |
| 8 | Yossi Azulay | Chicago, IL | $4,251 |
| 9 | Scott Bohlman | Glenview, IL | $3,390 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #5: No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 730 | $219,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blake Barousse | Lafayette, LA | $43,805 |
| 2 | Kenneth Felten | Island Lake, IL | $27,003 |
| 3 | John Holley | Destin, FL | $19,907 |
| 4 | Mike Leah | Las Vegas, NV | $14,837 |
| 5 | Carter Myers | Breckenridge, MI | $11,206 |
| 6 | Imran Sajwani | Chicago, IL | $8,574 |
| 7 | William Luciano | Lombard, IL | $6,642 |
| 8 | Pavlin Karakikov | Harwood Heights, IL | $5,210 |
| 9 | William Robbins | Plainwell, MI | $4,137 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #6: NLHE Six-Handed
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$80 | 313 | $156,500 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanislav Barshak | Buffalo Grove, IL | $39,123 |
| 2 | Gary Lindesmith | Lowell, IN | $24,176 |
| 3 | Lloyd Mandel | Fort Myers, FL | $16,778 |
| 4 | Matthew Wolfe | Windsor, ON | $11,786 |
| 5 | Douglas Mackinnon | Buffalo, NY | $8,377 |
| 6 | Jonathan Taylor | Phil Campbell, AL | $6,024 |
| 7 | Joel Casper | Chicago, IL | $4,380 |
| 8 | Mark Maletic | Canton, MI | $4,380 |
| 9 | Boulos Estafanous | Darien, IL | $3,222 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #7: H.O.R.S.E.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 277 | $83,100 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Droeger | Chicago, IL | $20,725 |
| 2 | Yung Hwang | Sugar Land, TX | $12,844 |
| 3 | Adam Zimowski | Racine, WI | $9,431 |
| 4 | Yuval Bronshtein | Tel Aviv, Israel | $6,992 |
| 5 | Frederic Winter | La Grange, IL | $5,233 |
| 6 | Dan Heimiller | Las Vegas, NV | $3,953 |
| 7 | Richard Barry | Hinsdale, IL | $3,014 |
| 8 | David Nicholson | Perkinston, MS | $2,320 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Ring Event #8: No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000+$125 | 222 | $222,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ari Engel | Las Vegas, NV | $55,503 |
| 2 | Darren Rabinowitz | Mercer Island, WA | $34,303 |
| 3 | Corey Burbick | Davie, FL | $24,966 |
| 4 | Jeffery Winchell | Joliet, IL | $18,464 |
| 5 | Gregory Jennings | Overland Park, KS | $13,868 |
| 6 | Matthew Colvin | Dallas, TX | $10,578 |
| 7 | Joel Casper | Chicago, IL | $8,192 |
| 8 | Ngoc Nguyen | Witchita, KS | $6,438 |
| 9 | Corrie Wunstel | Baton Rouge, LA | $5,135 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion is undetermined. 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 be able to buy in to the National Championship:
WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rex Clinkscales | 110 | 0 | 4 | $28,874 |
| Caufman Talley | 107.5 | 2 | 4 | $79,544 |
| Charles “Woody” Moore | 105 | 0 | 6 | $30,275 |
| Aaron Massey | 105 | 1 | 4 | $24,300 |
| John Dolan | 100 | 1 | 4 | $63,916 |
| Austin Buchanan | 0 | 5 | $40,964 | |
| Ashly Butler | 87.5 | 1 | 2 | $21,534 |
| Chris Conrad | 85 | 0 | 3 | $16,077 |
| Somphone Sengsouvanh | 77.5 | 0 | 3 | $13,042 |
| Benjamin Reason | 72.5 | 1 | 2 | $17,214 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond stop.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
| Date | Event Location |
|---|---|
| Oct. 27 - Nov. 7, 2012 | River Rock (Vancouver, Canada) |
| Nov. 8-19, 2012 | Harveys Lake Tahoe |
| Nov. 29 - Dec. 10, 2012 | Harrah’s Atlantic City |
| Dec. 6-17, 2012 | Harrah’s Rincon |
| Jan. 3-14, 2013 | The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles) |
| Jan. 10-21, 2013 | Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma) |
| Jan. 24 - Feb. 4, 2013 | Harrah’s Tunica (Mississippi) |
| 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 | Horseshoe Cleveland |
| 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.
*Photos courtesy of WSOP.com.
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