James Dorrance Wins WSOP Circuit's Largest-Ever Main Event for $418,526
The fifth stop on the 2013/2014 World Series of Poker Circuit schedule wrapped up its $1,675 Main Event on Monday night at the Horseshoe Hammond. The tournament attracted 1,717 entries — making it the largest Main Event in WSOP Circuit History — and after a long weekend of play, James Dorrance of Hershey, Pennsylvania emerged victorious to capture the $418,425 first-place prize and secure a spot in the season-ending National Championship.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | James Dorrance | $418,526 |
| 2nd | David Cossio | $260,100 |
| 3rd | Diane Dines | $193,832 |
| 4th | Steve Maniaci | $146,855 |
| 5th | Scott Anderson | $112,498 |
| 6th | Kevin Eyster | $87,103 |
| 7th | Steven Hensley | $68,173 |
| 8th | Millard Hale | $53,905 |
| 9th | Michael Oshana | $43,088 |
According to the WSOP live blog, 15 players returned to the third and final day of action, which began in Level 28 with the blinds at 25,000/50,000/500. Six players had to hit the rail before the final table was set, and over the course of the next level and a half Austin Buchanan (15th - $28,382), Amalim Onyia (14th - $28,382), Maurice Sessum (13th - $28,382), Kenny Nguyen (12th - $34,795), Michael Skomac (11th - $34,795), and Bryan Moon (10th - $34,795) all took their leave.
The first elimination of the final table happened in Level 29 (30,000/60,000/10,000) when Steve Maniaci opened for 130,000 from late position and received a call from Diane Dines. Michael Oshana then three-bet all in for 190,000 in the dark, and both Maniaci and Dines called before checking down the J♣9♠7♥5♥10♣ board. Oshana rolled over the 6♦5♥ for a pair of fives, which bested Dines’ A♥Q♥ but couldn’t overcome Maniaci’s A♣9♥. Oshana, who won a ring earlier in the series, exited in ninth place and took home $43,088 for his efforts.
After Millard Hale (8th - $53,905) and Steven Hensley (7th - $68,173) were eliminated, well-known poker pro Kevin Eyster joined them on the rail. It happened in Level 30 (40,000/80,000/10,000) when Dorrance opened for 200,000 in late position, Scott Anderson called from the small blind, and Eyster moved all in from the big. Dorrance isolated by moving all in over the top, and Anderson got out of the way.
Dorrance: J♣J♥
Eyster: 4♣4♥
It was a bad spot for Eyster as he ran his pair into an even bigger pocket pair. According to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Dorrance was an 81.38% favorite while Eyster would come from behind 18.10% of the time. The 8♠5♣3♠ flop dropped Eyster’s chances of survival down to 13.23%, but he got a little hope when the 6♣ turn gave him an open-ended straight draw and increased his chances to 22.73%. Unfortunately for Eyster, the river bricked and he was out in sixth place for $87,103.
In Level 31 (50,000/100,000/10,000), Anderson shoved all in from late position and Dorrance moved all in over the top from the small blind. The big blind folded and Dorrance rolled over the J♦J♠, which was well out in front of Anderson’s 8♦7♥. The 10♣9♣4♦ flop made things interesting by giving Anderson an open-ended straight draw, but neither the 7♠ turn nor A♠ river would complete it. Anderson took home $112,498 for his fifth-place finish.
Four-handed play lasted quite a while, but eventually Maniaci fell in fourth place. It happened in Level 33 (80,000/160,000/20,000) when David Cossio opened for 400,000 under the gun and then called Maniaci’s all-in shove of 1.41 million.
Cossio: 8♥8♦
Maniaci: Q♥10♥
It was a flip, but Maniaci would come up empty handed as the board ran out J♣6♣5♥K♠5♣. Maniaci made his way to the payout desk in fourth place to collect $146,855.
Not long after, Diane Dines opened for 500,000 from the button and then called off when Dorrance moved all in from the big blind. “You’ve got some of my outs,” Dines said upon seeing Dorrance’s 10♥10♣. Dines then tabled the K♣10♦. Dines was in need of a king, but she would find no help as the board came a dry Q♦6♥5♠8♣Q♣. Dines, who got her seat into the tournament for free through a Hammond Horseshoe poker room promotion, took home $193,832 for finishing third.
Cossio began heads-up play with a more than 2-1 chip lead over Dorrance, but a double in Level 34 (100,000/200,000/30,000) changed that. A short time later, a preflop raising way saw Cossio get his chips in holding the A♥9♦ only to run into the A♦K♦ of Dorrance. The K♣7♦4♦ flop was gin for Dorrance and left Cossio drawing to running nines. The 10♠ turn took away any chance of that happening, and after the 2♣ was put out on the river, Cossio exited in second place for $260,100 while Dorrance captured the title and $418,526 first-place prize.
Two more stops on the 2013/2014 WSOP Circuit schedule — River Rock in Vancouver and Harvey’s Lake Tahoe — are happening right now. You can find Main Event recaps from both right here on PokerNews.com upon their completion.
*Photos courtesy of WSOP.com.
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