Dr. Pauly, of the #1 World Series of Poker Blog, Tao of Poker, files his WSOP Circuit Championship Event report from Caesars Palace…Flipchip photos–Ed.
Action resumed in the tournament room at Caesar’s Palace for Day 2 of the WSOP Circuit event. 336 players bought in for $5K each on Monday with their minds on the $500K first place prize. Only 75 players remained and there were only a handful of notable pros left in the tournament.
The Buzz
The starting field was 336 players and by the end of Day 1, 77% of the field busted out. Only 75 began Day 2 and when it was over, nine players remained. Those nine lucky players advanced to the final table which included Chad Brown and David “The Dragon” Pham.
More after the jump…
The Back Story
Would any of the remaining pros go deep? Or would it be a less-known players making it to the final table? Those were two questions on everyone’s mind. Plus, Peter “Nordberg” Feldman was chasing history. He was trying to become the first player to win three WSOPC events. Most of the pros busted out early such as Erick Lindgren, Layne Flack, and Miami John Cernuto. And Nordberg went home just before the dinner break.
Quote of the Day
“I made my fucking straight, but I guess it doesn’t matter around here,” David Plastik was overheard shouting as he left the tournament area.
Hand of the Day
In the biggest hand of the tournament (up until that point), Cory Carroll won a pot worth close to 540K after he busted Mikael Thuritz from Sweden. On a flop of Ad-6d-5h, Carroll bet, Thuritz pushed all in and Carroll quickly called. Thuritz flipped over Ac-6c for top two pair. Carroll showed 5d-5s for a set. The turn and river could not help Thuritz and he busted out. That hand was huge because both players had around 270K each before the hand began. Carroll had Thuritz covered by a few grand as he scopped a monster pot. Carroll took the chiplead at that point and never looked back. He ended Day 2 with 713K.
Online Players Roundup
ZeeJustin and tsoprano both busted out before the money bubble burst. ZeeJustin went out with A-K versus Cory Carroll’s A-A. Tsoprano was the bubble biy as he busted out in 37th place after his Jacks were outflopped by David “The Dragon” Pham’s A-4o. Nick “Takeover” Schulman went deep and finished in 16th place.
Final Table Chipcounts
Cory Carroll 713K
Steve Wong 573K
David “The Dragon” Pham 491K
Vasile Buboi 349K
Paul Kitsos 327K
Justin Pechie 307K
Eric Davis 272K
Michelle Law 192K
Chad Brown 136K
Day 2 Money Winners
Here’s who cashed in the event:
10 Mark Wilds $19,565
11 Fred Berger $19,565
12 Eugene Todd $19,565
13 Toshiki Goto $16,298
14 Pat Atchison $16,298
15 Phil Matthews $16,298
16 Nick Schulman $13,037
17 Chris McCormack $13,037
18 Tom Macey $13,037
19 Sonny Lee $9,778
20 Roland Isra $9,778
21 Shannon Shorr $9,778
22 Mikael Thuritz $9,778
23 Arnold Spee $9,778
24 W. Chang $9,778
25 Peter “Nordberg” Feldman $9,778
26 Doug Carli $9,778
27 Toto Leonidas $9,778
28 Boulos Estafanous $6,518
29 Jonathan Job $6,518
30 Brian Somerville $6,518
31 John Gordon $6,518
32 James Hoeppner $6,518
33 David Kim $6,518
34 Chuck Schulze $6,518
35 Jesse Hollander $6,518
36 Michael Chow $6,518
Noteworthy Bustouts
Players who busted out before the money included Erick Lindgren, Layne Flack, David Plastik, Miami John Cernuto, Erica Schoenberg, Rhett Butler, and Jordan Morgan.