Jake Bazeley Wins WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Main Event for $239,096
The 2014/2015 World Series of Poker Circuit recently completed its $1,675 Main Event at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina, a tournament that attracted 797 entries and created a prize pool of $1,195,500. After three days of play, long-time circuit pro Jake Bazeley emerged victorious to capture the $239,096 first-place prize, the gold championship ring, and a seat into the season-ending National Championship.
“I never really go by leaderboards and points and stuff like that,” said the 31-year-old man from Cincinnati. “I’m just more about making money and at the same time having fun and being competitive with it. Winning is winning. I don’t really do it to get points or a ring or anything. I just want to win.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Bazeley | Cincinnati, OH | $239,096 |
| 2 | Chad Deberry | Fleming Island, FL | $147,405 |
| 3 | Caleb Brown | Oakwood, GA | $108,671 |
| 4 | Raymond Walton | Cartersville, GA | $80,995 |
| 5 | Daniel Gilmer | Ashland, OH | $61,174 |
| 6 | Abdoul Kazerouni | Roswell, GA | $46,804 |
| 7 | Hai Le | Wake Forest, NC | $36,260 |
| 8 | Corey Bierria | Atlanta, GA | $28,441 |
| 9 | Mark Dumonski | Greensboro, NC | $22,583 |
Notable finishes: Darryll Fish (11th - $18,148), Kyle Cartwright (21st - $10,126), Paul Sokoloff (29t - $6,2676), Scott Davies (33rd - $5,475), Sean Small (63rd - $3,527), Jared Jaffee (69th - $3,240)
According to WSOP.com, the first elimination of the final table came in Level 26 (15,000/30,000/5,000) when Bazeley opened for 65,000 and then called Mark Dumonski’s shove for 240,000.
Dumonski: A♥Q♣
Bazeley: A♠J♦
Dumonski got it in good, but Bazeley pulled ahead when he paired his kicker on the J♣6♦2♦ flop. Neither the 8♣ turn nor 7♠ river helped Dumonski, and he exited in ninth place for $22,583.
Corey Bierria and Hai Le followed him out the door in eighth and seventh places, respectively, and then Ray Kazerouni fell in sixth when his A♠J♠ failed to hold against the K♣Q♥ of Dan Gilmer after the board ran out Q♣J♥2♣6♠4♥.
In Level 28 (25,000/50,000/5,000), Gilmer raised to 100,000 on the button and was met by a three-bet to 275,000 from Chad Deberry in the small blind. Gilmer proceeded to four-bet all in, Deberry called, and it was off to the races.
Gilmer: 9x9x
Deberry: A♠Q♣
Gilmer was looking to hold, but that proved easier said than done as the A♣Q♠6♣ flop delivered Deberry two pair. The 7♠ turn meant Gilmer needed a nine on the river to stay alive, but it was not meant to be as the 2♠ blanked. Gilmer took home $61,174 for his fifth-place finish.
After Trey Walton fell in fourth — a result of his K♠Q♠ failing to get there against the A♥J♥ of Bazeley — Caleb Brown exited in third after a cooler. It happened after a preflop raising war saw Brown get his stack all in holding the Q♠Q♦ only to run into Bazeley’s K♠K♣ buzz saw. No lady would appear and Brown had to settle for third and $108,671 in prize money.
Bazeley began heads-up play with a nearly 3-1-chip lead, and he would seal the deal in Level 20 (40,000/80,000/10,000). In what would be the final hand, Deberry opened for 175,000 from the button and Bazeley three-bet him to 505,000. Deberry responded with a four-bet jam for 3.33 million and Bazeley made the call.
Deberry: K♠Q♠
Bazeley: 4♥4♠
It was another flip, but Bazeley solidified his lead when the A♦9♣4♦ flop delivered him a set. The 3♦ turn left Deberry drawing dead, and he officially finished as runner-up for $147,405.
“It hasn’t even set in yet,” Bazeley told WSOP officials after his win. “I’ve been working so hard to get a win and been so close. Poker, you can get close and you still get paid well, but you don’t get that fully satisfied feeling until you win. Hopefully when this sets in I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished what I wanted to.”
It’s also worth nothing that Trey Walton captured the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Champion title with 90 points following two cashes, two final tables and one gold ring. As a result, he also earned a seat into the spring’s National Championship.
The 2014/2015 WSOP Circuit will continue at Harrah’s Resort Southern California (formerly Rincon) from now through Dec. 15. PokerNews will have a recap of the stop's Main Event once it concludes.
*Photos and data courtesy of the WSOP.
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