On Your Bike: Gevork Kasabyan Wins WSOP Circuit at Bicycle Casino for $205,720
The latest World Series of Poker Circuit $1,675 Main Event wrapped up on Tuesday at Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California. The stop, which featured 12-ring events, saw 669 entrants turn out to the keystone event, which created a prize pool of over $1 million. It took three full days of play, and in the end it was Los Angeles resident Gevork Kasabyan who won the $205,720 first-place prize, his first gold ring, and a seat into the season-ending National Championship.
Prior to the win, Kasabyan only had two WSOP-related cashes. Back in 2010, he finished 40th in Event #13: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the WSOP for $8,925, and in June of 2014 he placed 135th in Event #55: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em for $3,881.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gevork Kasabyan | Los Angeles, CA | $205,720 |
| 2 | Adam Weinraub | Orange, CA | $127,295 |
| 3 | Martin Cohen | Westlake Village, CA | $93,365 |
| 4 | Robert Suer | Dana Point, CA | $69,430 |
| 5 | Richard Munro | Bell Canyon, CA | $52,335 |
| 6 | Hermilo Vargas | - | $39,970 |
| 7 | Nick Phoenix | Venice, CA | $30,930 |
| 8 | Brett Murray | Santa Rosa, CA | $42,245 |
| 9 | Joshua Jackson | San Diego, CA | $19,245 |
The tournament attracted some notables who managed to walk away with a payday, including Jeremy Kottler (15th - $12,595), Jason Les (17th - $10,375), Shane Schleger (19th - $8,650), Ashton Griffin (41st - $3,715), Maria Ho (52nd - $3,350), Chris DeMaci (53rd - $3,350), and Danny Illingworth (72nd - $2,810).
According to WSOP updates, Kasabyan sat fifth in chips among the 14 players who returned for the third and final day of action. By the time the final table rolled around, he sat in eighth place. Kasabyan was treading water, and then his fortunes shifted on Hand #61 of the final table. It happened in Level 28 (25,000/50,000/5,000) when Richard Munro raised under the gun and Martin Cohen called from the button. Kasabyan came along from the big blind and it was three-way action to the Q♣J♥5♥ flop.
Kasabyan proceeded to move all in for 190,000, Munro raised to 490,000, and Cohen three-bet to 1.1 million. Munro ended up folding the A♦Q♠ face up, and he no doubt regretted it as it was ahead of Cohen's K♦Q♦, which in turn was ahead of Kasabyan's J♦10♣. The dealer then burned and turned the 10♠ to give Kasabyan the lead with two pair. The 4♠ river didn't change a thing, and Kasabyan tripled to the top of the counts.
Kasabyan went on to make it to heads-up play against Adam Weinraub, who dominated Day 2 action and bagged over 25 percent of the chips in play. However, when it was down to just the two of them it was Kasabyan who held a massive chip lead of 13 million to 600,000. Still, it wasn't easy going as Weinraub managed to claw his way up to 5 million.
In Level 33 (80,000/160,000/20,000), on Hand #247 of the final table, Weinraub opened for 480,000 on the button and then called off his stack after Kasabyan moved all in from the big blind.
Kasabyan: K♣Q♥
Weinraub: A♣5♠
Weinraub got it in good, and he stayed in the lead on the J♦9♦5♣ flop. However, the K♠ spiked on the turn to give Kasabyan the lead with a pair of kings. Weinraub needed either an ace or five on the river to stay alive, but it wasn't in the cards as the 8♦ blanked. Weinraub took home $127,295 for his runner-up finish while Kasabyan took the title and $205,720 in prize money.
Here's a look at some of those that captured gold rings at the WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino:
| Event | Winner | # of Entries | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 $365 No-Limit Hold'em Reentry | Maxwell Lineberger | 1,177 | $62,685 |
| #2 $580 No-Limit Hold'em | Edward Liu | 92 | $13,800 |
| #3 $365 Omaha Hi-Lo | AJ Fernandes | 131 | $11,005 |
| #4 $365 No-Limit Hold'em | William Donnelly | 185 | $14,505 |
| #5 $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em | Scott Stewart | 85 | $27,205 |
| #6 $365 No-Limit Hold'em | Jeff Murphy | 164 | $13,280 |
The 2014/2015 WSOP Circuit will continue at Horseshoe Council Bluffs April 9-20. PokerNews will have a recap of the Main Event upon its conclusion.
*Photos and data courtesy of the WSOP.
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