Sean Berrios Wins WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood Main Event for $347,192
The latest World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas was full of highlights, from Brandon West topping a huge field in the opening event to Joe Kuether capturing the High Roller title. Most recently, Sean Berrios took down the WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood Main Event – a tournament that attracted 1,304 entrants and created a prize pool of $1,956,000 – for a hefty $347,192 payday and a seat into the season-ending 2016 WSOP Global Casino Championship.
Prior to the win, Berrios had just $113,636 in live tournament earnings, with his best cash being $57,536 for a fourth-place finish in the 2014 WSOP Event #43: $1,500 Limit Hold'em. He also finished 70th in that year's Millionaire Make for $18,091.
"I'm just ecstatic right now," Berrios told WSOP officials after the win. "I just stayed patient and I waited to pick my spots."
Berrios considers himself an amateur player, due in no small part to the fact that he is an active duty member of the Air Force.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Berrios | St. Croix, Virgin Islands | $347,192 |
| 2 | Peter Hengsakul | Pasadena, CA | $215,160 |
| 3 | Antonios Roungeris | Los Angeles, CA | $157,908 |
| 4 | Davis Aalvik | Long Beach, CA | $119,316 |
| 5 | Ben Palmer | Las Vegas, NV | $91,052 |
| 6 | Brian Hansen | Las Vegas, NV | $70,083 |
| 7 | Dennis Stevermer | St. Paul, MN | $54,572 |
| 8 | Jonathan Chehanske | Brigantine, NJ | $42,993 |
| 9 | Ali Fazeli | Houston, TX | $34,269 |
Notable Finishes: Shawn Rice (11th - $27,619), Maurice Hawkins (30th - $9,545), Ben Yu (37th - $6,474), Barry Hutter (48th - $5,809), Carlos Mortensen (67th - $4,812), Ryan Riess (84th - $4,068), and Kathy Liebert (106th - $3,443)
According to updates from the event, 22 players returned for the third and final day of action, but it didn't take too long for the field to play down to the final table of nine. However, Berrios didn't score his first elimination until six-handed play.
It happened in Level 34 (100,000/200,000/30,000) when Berrios opened for 500,000 under the gun and Brian Hansen defended the big blind to see a flop of 10♦7♣3♣. Hansen checked, Berrios bet 750,000, and Hansen check-raised all in for 2.205 million. Berrios snap-called with the A♠10♥ for top pair, top kicker, which was ahead of Hansen's Q♥10♠. Neither the 9♦ turn nor A♣ river helped Hansen, and he hit the rail in sixth place for $70,083.
Berrios then eliminated Ben Palmer in fifth place – the result of his A♦9♥ holding against Palmer's K♣J♦ – and followed that up by knocking out Davis Aalvik, who shoved from the small blind with the J♦8♦ only to run into the K♣Q♦ of Berrios in the big. The board ran out Q♣7♥3♠A♦5♠ and that was all she wrote for Aalvik, who took home $119,316 for his fourth-place finish.
Peter Hengsakul then eliminated Antonios Roungeris in third place, which set up a heads-up match between Berrios and Hengsakul with the former holding a 2:1 chip lead. Then, in Level 36 (200,000/400,000/40,000), the final hand of the tournament took place.
It began when Hengsakul limped the button, Berrios checked his option, and the flop came down Q♥6♦5♠. Hengsakul bet 400,000, Berrios called, and the 2♠ appeared on the turn. Berrios checked for a second time, Hengsakul bet 800,000, and Berrios check-raised all in. Hengsakul called with the Q♦3♦ for top pair with a gutshot straight draw, and he was in bug trouble as Berrios had turned a straight with the 3♠4♣. The 5♥ river was of no consequence, and Hengsakul finished as runner-up for $215,160.
"I stayed patient, and I got really good cards," Berrios said of heads-up play. "He played great. I just ran well at the right time."
Here's a look at all those who won rings at the latest stop:
| Event | # of Entrants | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 $580 No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry | 1,162 | Brandon West | $106,303. |
| #4 $365 No-Limit Hold’em | 144 | Jason Schwartz | $12,095 |
| #5 $365 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo | 127 | AJ Thompson | $10,866 |
| #6 $365 No-Limit Hold’em | 276 | Rick Austin | $19,875 |
| #7 $365 Pot-Limit Omaha | 120 | Jim Juvancic | $10,801 |
| #8 $580 No-Limit Hold’em | 218 | Brian Shugart | $27,253 |
| #10 $365 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | 632 | Venkataramana Ganne | $38,874 |
| #12 $365 No-Limit Hold’em | 306 | Cory Waaland | $21,571 |
| #13 $1,675 Main Event | 1,304 | Sean Berrios | $347,192 |
| #14 $365 No-Limit Hold’em | 147 | Doron Gamliel | $12,349 |
The 2015/2016 WSOP Circuit will now head Harrah's Cherokee in North Carolina from Nov. 26 through Dec. 7.
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