Jake Bazeley Wins WSOPC Harrah’s Cherokee for $311K; Dan Statman Casino Champ
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On Monday night, Jake Bazeley won the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee Main Event for the second time in five years. Back in 2014, he won his first ring by topping a 797-entry field to win the $1,675 Main Event for $239,096, and more recently bested 1,127 entrants to win the $1,700 Main Event for $311,616 and his second ring.
“This I was more prepared for. That last time was my first huge win,” Bazeley told WSOP officials. “I was comfortable today, coming in… been here before.”
The win was another six-figure notch on Bazeley’s belt and marked the fifth-largest score of his career. He is now closing in on $4.4 million in lifetime earnings, which puts him fourth on Ohio’s all-time money list behind only David Peters ($23,397,477), Byron Kaverman ($14,766,597), and Keven Stammen ($5,807,770).
In addition to the big payday and a second gold ring, Bazeley secured a seat into the 2019 Global Championship.
WSOPC Harrah's Cherokee Main Event Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Bazeley | Cincinnati, OH | $311,616 |
| 2 | Kyle Cartwright | Bartlett, TN | $192,459 |
| 3 | Toby Boas | Gainesville, FL | $143,012 |
| 4 | Ian Holt | Raleigh, NC | $107,567 |
| 5 | Ranjuan Chaitib | Durham, NC | $81,904 |
| 6 | Virgil Beddingfield | Alpharetta, GA | $63,106 |
| 7 | Ken Baime | Glenview, IL | $49,190 |
| 8 | James Striker | Chattanooga, TN | $38,775 |
| 9 | David Shaw | Taylors, SC | $30,904 |
WSOPC Harrah's Cherokee Main Event Final Table Action
The tournament paid out the top 117 players including Jean “Prince” Gaspard (36th - $6,522), Will Givens (52nd - $5,156), Keven Stammen (73rd - $3,910), Ralph Massey (92nd - $3,312), and John “Farmboy” Kurfman (107th - $3,309).
Day 3 of the tournament saw 15 players return to action. Among those to fall short of the final table were Allen Kessler (12th - $24,911), Nghia Le (11th - $24,911), and Michael Kaczmarek (10th - $24,911).
David Shaw was the first to bust the final table after running pocket nines into Kyle Cartwright’s aces. Jim Striker then took his leave after losing ace-eight to Bazeley’s Big Slick all in preflop.
MSPT Season 5 Majestic Star champ Ken Baime bowed out in seventh place after flopping both an open-ended straight and diamond flush draws but failing to get there against Cartwright’s top pair of nines. Virgil Beddingfield then followed him out the door in sixth place after running ac-jack smack dab into Bazeley’s ace-king.
Mai Chaitib took her leave after three-bet jamming nine-eight suited and failing to get there against the pocket queens of Toby Boas, and Ian Holt fell in fourth place when his king-ten did not improve against Bazeley’s ace-queen.
A queens-into-kings cooler saw Boas bust to Bazeley, who took a big chip lead into heads-up play against Cartwright. In what would be the final hand of the tournament, Cartwright got it in holding ace-queen and was racing against Bazeley’s pocket tens. The latter flopped a set and ultimately denied Cartwright his eighth gold ring.
Other Gold Ring Winners at WSOPC Cherokee Stop
Bazeley wasn’t the only player to win a ring at Harrah’s Cherokee. On the contrary, there were 13 gold ring events including Event #4: $400 NLH Six-Max, a tournament that drew 539 runners. Daniel Statman, 53, emerged victorious in that event, and three other cashes, including a runner-up finish in Event #11: $400 NLH Turbo BB Ante, gave him 100 points on the Casino Champion Leaderboard.
That was enough to win the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Champ title, which also gave him a seat into the 2019 Global Championship.
Meanwhile, Martin Ryan topped a 1,166-entry field in Event #8: $400 Monster Stack for a career-high $70,226 and his eighth gold ring. Amazingly, they’ve all come in a two-year period.
Others to capture rings were Tom Gouveia, who bested a 2,273-entry field to win Event #1: $400 NLH Re-Entry for $104,807, and Blake Whittington, who prevailed in a 406-entry field in Event #3: $600 NLH Big Blind Ante for $46,000 and his third gold ring.
The next stop on the 2018/19 WSOP Circuit schedule is already underway on the other side of the country. The WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino has already awarded several rings and will hold its $1,700 Main Event this weekend.
Images courtesy of the WSOP.
