Bryan Campanello Wins World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's New Orleans for $175,459
The last stop on the 2013/2014 World Series of Poker Circuit wrapped up its $1,675 Main Event on Monday at Harrah’s in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the last chance for players to accrue points for this weekend’s National Championship in Atlantic City, so those on the bubble of qualifying turned out in full force.
The tournament attracted 557 entries to create a prize pool of $835,500. After three days of play, WSOP bracelet winner Bryan Campanello walked away with the $175,459 first-place prize and a seat into the 2014 National Championship. The victory marked Campanello’s third Circuit ring win, which came after he won a gold bracelet in a razz event last summer.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryan Campanello | Southlake, TX | $175,459 |
| 2 | Gary Friedlander | Houston, TX | $108,523 |
| 3 | Alan Ramkhalawan | Clearwater, FL | $79,356 |
| 4 | Daniel [Removed:376] | Opelousas, LA | $58,886 |
| 5 | Eric Blair | Las Vegas, NV | $44,307 |
| 6 | John Kloch | Rochester, NY | $33,796 |
| 7 | James Henson | Lake Jackson, TX | $26,134 |
| 8 | Agustin Berumen | San Antonio, TX | $20,486 |
| 9 | Fadi Massaad | Austin, TX | $16,276 |
Notable finishes: Jamie Kerstetter (11th - $13,101), Tim West (16th - $8,815), Joe Hebda (20th - $7,386), Ashly Butler (21st - $7,369), Ting Ho (22nd - $6,241), Charles “Woody” Moore (24th - $6,214), Rex Clinkscales (40th - $3,258), Andrew Seidman (50th - $2,966)
According to the WSOP Blog, the final day began with 10 players returning to action, and the first elimination came on just the second hand. It happened in Level 26 (15,000/30,000/5,000) when a short-stacked John Parten moved all in for around 200,000 and Campanello called from the big blind.
Campanello: A♣K♣
Parten: A♥10♣
The K♥Q♣7♣ flop extended Campanello’s lead by giving him top pair and a flush draw, but all hope was not lost for Parten, who picked up a Broadway straight draw. Unfortunately for him, neither the 9♥ turn nor 8♦ river would complete it. Parten exited in 10th place for $13,101, and the official final table of nine was set.
From there, Fadi Massaad and Agustin Berumen were eliminated in ninth and eighth place, respectively, and then James Henson followed them out the door in seventh.
In Level 27 (20,000/40,000/5,000), Campanello raised to 100,000 from the small blind, and Eric Blair, who was fresh off winning the WSOP Circuit Main Event at the Lodge Casino in Blackhawk, Colorado, three-bet to 265,000 fro the big blind. Campanello responded by four-betting all in and Blair called off for 1.1 million.
Campanello: A♥4♠
Blair: 10♣10♠
Blair was well out in front and just needed to dodge an ace or some other shenanigans, but that proved easier said than done as the flop fell A♦K♥8♣. Campanello found an ace and took a hammerlock on the hand. The Q♦ turn have Blair a straight draw, but the 2♣ would blank on the river. Blair, who already has a seat in the National Championship, took his leave in fifth place for $44,037.
The elimination of Blair also meant that Tim West locked up the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s New Orleans Casino Champion honors, which awards him a coveted seat into the National Championship.
After Danny [Removed:376] was felled in fourth place, Gary Friedlander sent Alan Ramkhalawan home in third. Ramkhalawan fell when his A♥J♥ failed to overcome the 10♦10♣ of Friedlander. That set up a heads-up match between Campanello and Friedlander.
Campanello held a slight chip lead, but it turned out to be a lengthy roller-coaster affair. Over the course of four hours, the chip lead switched hands several times, but eventually Campanello would emerge victorious. The final hand took place in Level 31 (50,000/100,000/10,000) when Campanello opened for 200,000 only to have Friedlander three-bet to 500,000. Campanello then moved all in and Friedlander called off.
Campanello: Q♠Q♥
Friedlander: Q♣J♠
It was a bad spot for Friedlander, but he found a little help on the J♥6♥4♥ flop. All he needed to do was find another jack, but he didn’t do it on the 4♣ turn. That meant he had two outs on the river, neither of which came when the 7♣ rolled off. Friedlander had to settle for runner-up and $108,523, while Campanello finished as the last man standing.
"It feels good! I'm tired...we played heads up for four hours, a really long time. Winning these mains is insane,” Campanello said after the win. “There's so many people, 557 entrants here. I had a chance at Choctaw to do it a year and a half ago... to get the opportunity to finally close the deal and sneak my way into the National Championship as, literally, the last person in, feels pretty awesome to manage to do that. Sometimes things just fall your way and this week they happened to do that, so it's really cool."
Congratulations to Bryan Campanello, winner of the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s New Orleans Main Event for $175,459, a gold ring, and a seat into the 2014 National Championship.
The 2013/2014 WSOP Circuit concludes with the National Championship in Atlantic City this weekend. You will be able to find daily Main Event recaps right here on PokerNews.com.
Photos and data courtesy of the WSOP.
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