Previewing the 2012-2013 World Series of Poker Circuit River Rock
The fifth stop of the 2012/2013 World Series of Poker Circuit is currently taking place north of the U.S. border for the first time ever. The River Rock Casino Resort located in Richmond, British Columbia — just a short distance from Vancouver — is hosting 12 rings events, culminating this weekend with the $1,675 Main Event.
River Rock’s Main Event features three Day 1s — Nov. 2 through 4 — each day beginning at 12 p.m. local time. Players will be given the opportunity to re-enter twice, allowing one entry per starting day. For example, players eliminated on Day 1a can re-enter on Day 1b and/or Day 1c, and players eliminated on Day 1B can re-enter on Day 1C.
Aside from being the first-ever WSOP Circuit event in Canada, the stop has also made headlines by offering two online ring events in partnership with PlayNow.com. Events 11 ($320 buy-in) and 12 ($530 buy-in) are open to residents of British Columbia and Quebec and will take place Nov. 18 and 25, respectively.
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit River Rock events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit River Rock Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 410 | $123,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Kim | Surrey, BC | $27,059 |
| 2 | Charles “Woody” Moore | Las Vegas, NV | $16,722 |
| 3 | Glenn Land | Coquitlam, BC | $12,219 |
| 4 | Chen Yong | Richmond, BC | $9,072 |
| 5 | Evan Thomas | Victoria, BC | $6,841 |
| 6 | Jeremy Howe | Delta, BC | $5,236 |
| 7 | Nguyen Phan | Vancouver, BC | $4,066 |
| 8 | Curtis Berntsen | Vancouver, BC | $3,203 |
| 9 | David Rogue | Vancouver, BC | $2,558 |
WSOP Circuit River Rock Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$80 | 296 | $148,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flemming Lund | Vancouver, BC | $35,523 |
| 2 | Glen Ho | Coquitlam, BC | $21,951 |
| 3 | Shannon Glenesk | Vernon, BC | $15,928 |
| 4 | Louis Lam | Saint-Leonard, QC | $11,751 |
| 5 | Brant Taylor | Delta, BC | $8,813 |
| 6 | Joanne Lewis | Burnaby, BC | $6,716 |
| 7 | George Zawadzki | Bowen Island, BC | $5,198 |
| 8 | Jason McLean | Mile Rance, BC | $4,085 |
| 9 | Mark Fraser | Mission, BC | $3,259 |
WSOP Circuit River Rock Ring Event #3 Pot-Limit Omaha
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 205 | $61,500 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adina Mazzucco | Coquitlam, BC | $15,989 |
| 2 | Andrew Wan | Vancouver, BC | $9,878 |
| 3 | Bryan Anderson | Langley, BC | $7,132 |
| 4 | Dan Denghel | Brunaby, BC | $7,132 |
| 5 | Ayaz Amiani | Campbell River, BC | $3,913 |
| 6 | Hugh Jordan Drummond | Vancouver, BC | $2,974 |
| 7 | Janis Campbell | Dawson City, YT | $2,297 |
| 8 | Taras Kripps | Naramata, BC | $1,804 |
| 9 | Dilovan Hussein | Edmonton, AB | $1,439 |
WSOP Circuit River Rock Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000+$125 | 354 | $354,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew O’Brien | Ottawa, ON | $81,422 |
| 2 | Charles Shapiro | West Vancouver, BC | $50,335 |
| 3 | Keith Wintermans | North Vancouver, BC | $36,720 |
| 4 | Duck-Sin Jong | Burnaby, BC | $27,327 |
| 5 | Shane Sandhu | New Westminster, BC | $20,518 |
| 6 | Douglas Lamson | Abbotsford, BC | $15,693 |
| 7 | Adam Cummings | Victoria, BC | $12,178 |
| 8 | Andy Le | Mount Lake Terrace, WA | $9,586 |
| 9 | Anthony Kook | North Vancouver, BC | $7,653 |
WSOP Circuit River Rock Ring Event #5 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$80 | 347 | $173,500 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dean Engemoen | Chilliwack, BC | $39,903 |
| 2 | Carson Wong | Vancouver, BC | $24,670 |
| 3 | Lillian Chan | Vancouver, BC | $17,997 |
| 4 | Sang Hyo Park | Vancouver, BC | $13,349 |
| 5 | Braden Hall | Abbotsford, BC | $10,056 |
| 6 | Bashar Ramahi | Sturgeon Country, AB | $7,691 |
| 7 | Paul Vassallo | White Rock, BC | $5,968 |
| 8 | Philip Elliott | Vancouver, BC | $4,698 |
| 9 | Andre Groulx | Richmond, BC | $3,751 |
WSOP Circuit River Rock Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 381 | $114,300 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor Chen | Vancouver, BC | $25,143 |
| 2 | Terry Chen | Vancouver, BC | $15,539 |
| 3 | SandraWong | Burnaby, BC | $11,355 |
| 4 | Ian Modder | North Vancouver, BC | $8,431 |
| 5 | Tony Fazeli | Richmond, BC | $6,357 |
| 6 | Richard Getty | Burnaby, BC | $4,866 |
| 7 | Wipada Butwong | Vancouver, BC | $3,779 |
| 8 | Ping Huang | Coquitlam, BC | $2,976 |
| 9 | Liying Zhang | Vancouver, BC | $2,377 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit River Rock 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 be able to buy-in to the National Championship:
WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles “Woody” Moore | 150 | 0 | 7 | $46,997 |
| Caufman Talley | 142.5 | 2 | 5 | $82,963 |
| Ashly Butler | 112.5 | 1 | 4 | $25,415 |
| Rex Clinkscales | 110 | 0 | 4 | $28,874 |
| Ari Engel | 105 | 1 | 4 | $68,762 |
| Aaron Massey | 105 | 1 | 4 | $24,300 |
| Blake Barousse | 102.5 | 2 | 3 | $59,916 |
| John Dolan | 100 | 1 | 4 | $63,916 |
| Austin Buchanan | 92.5 | 0 | 5 | $40,964 |
| Chris Conrad | 85 | 0 | 3 | $16,077 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit River Rock stop.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
| Date | Event Location |
|---|---|
| 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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