By Todd Lamansky
Huy Nguyen topped a field of 520 to capture the main event of the fifth annual Caesars Palace Poker Classic. The victory, the second largest payday of his Nguyen’s career, was good for $97,349.
A year ago this month Nguyen had his career-best cash, a $232,706 victory in the $1,600 main event of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Okla. He’s also cashed five times in the WSOP, most recently Event 36 ($2,500 NLHE) last June.
The series, which ran Oct. 21-Nov. 7, featured a variety of NLHE tournaments, including six-max, heads-up, double-stack turbo, ladies and seniors events as well as PLO and Omaha/8.
Newcomer Wallace Jordan won two NLHE events, a $100 and a $300, along with two more cashes, including a 30th in the $1K main event, for a total score of $19,311.
• The Venetian concluded the fourth and final installment of its 2011 Deep Stack Extravaganza series two weeks later on Nov. 22.
Seasoned pro and Epic Poker League member Scott Clements took home top honors in the $2,500 main event for $145,775, bringing his lifetime earnings to $4,840,852. Clements’ career includes several first-place titles, including a $1.5 million World Poker Tour Championship, 50 final tables and an 18th-place finish in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.
Other notable champions include WSOP bracelet-winner Eric Baldwin, who won $36,736 after besting a field of 141 in the $1,070 NLHE event, bringing his lifetime tournament earnings to $3,665,684.
Claudia Roberts won two events, the $340 NLHE and $230 ladies event, the only cashes of her career on Hendon Mob. She topped a field of 351 in the $340 event and 128 in the ladies event, earning $31,834.
The first installment of the Venetian’s 2012 Deep Stack Extravaganza kicks off Jan. 26.
HISTORIC BAD BEAT: On Dec. 2 the first tournament progressive bad-beat jackpot hit at Santa Fe Station, paying more than $41K. Playing the $50 nightly, Al Smith (A-A) and Terry Putman (J-J) got it all-in preflop. The flop came J-J-6, and the players at the table started yelling for an ace. The turn brought a queen and the cheering died down a bit. But then the dealer dealt an ace and the players at the table erupted with high-fives and hugs. The six players at the table not in the hand each received $2,056; Smith earned $12,336 and Putman won $16,450.
Deep Stack Extravaganza IV, Venetian, Oct. 27-Nov. 22
Event 1 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 751 • Prize Pool: $217,414
WINNER: Chance Kornuth, $47,829
Event 2 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 197 • Prize Pool: $57,032
WINNER: Dominic Kay, $15,396
Event 3 • $550 NLHE
Entries: 117 • Prize Pool: $56,452
WINNER: Blake Kelso, $16,937
Event 4 • $340 Omaha/8
Entries: 103 • Prize Pool: $29,818
WINNER: Jorge Walker, $8,946
Event 5 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 189 • Prize Pool: $54,715
WINNER: Daniel Dizenzo, $14,774
Event 6 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 189 • Prize Pool: $54,715
WINNER: Danard Petit, $14,774
Event 7 • $340 PLO
Entries: 94 • Prize Pool: $27,213
WINNER: Randy Ohel, $8,708
Event 8 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 213 • Prize Pool: $61,663
WINNER: Sal Dicarlo, $14,802
Event 9 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 245 • Prize Pool: $70,928
WINNER: Gary Bolden, $17,023
Event 10 • $340 H.O.R.S.E.
Entries: 112 • Prize Pool: $32,434
WINNER: Murray Deutchman, $9,078
Event 11 • $550 NLHE
Entries: 169 • Prize Pool: $81,542
WINNER: Adam Chalupnicek, $22,017
Event 12 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 357 • Prize Pool: $103K
WINNER: Eric Johnoff, $24,810
Event 13 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 259 • Prize Pool: $74,981
WINNER: Brett Morash, $17,994
Event 14 • $340 PLO-PLO/8
Entries: 87 • Prize Pool: $25,186
WINNER: Tyson Marks, $8,060
Event 15 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 318 • Prize Pool: $92,061
WINNER: Joseph Koether, $22,098
Event 16 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 334 • Prize Pool: $96,693
WINNER: Harlen Jenkins, $23,203
Event 17 • $340 PLO-Stud/8
Entries: 87 • Prize Pool: $25,186
WINNER: Stephen Metzler, $8,563
Event 18 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 337 • Prize Pool: $97,561
WINNER: David Patterson, $23,417
Event 19 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 309 • Prize Pool: $89,455
WINNER: Stephen Graner, $21,473
Event 20 • $230 Ladies
Entries: 128 • Prize Pool: $24,832
WINNER: Claudia Roberts, $7,448
Event 21 • $550 NLHE
Entries: 267 • Prize Pool: $129K
WINNER: Shahaf Hadaya, $30,920
Event 22 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 424 • Prize Pool: $122K
WINNER: Brent Hanks, $28,850
Event 23 • $1,070 NLHE
Entries: 141 • Prize Pool: $136K
WINNER: Eric Baldwin, $36,736
Event 24 • $340 H.O.R.S.E.
Entries: 102 • Prize Pool: $29,529
WINNER: Ken Kavowras, $8,268
Event 25 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 324 • Prize Pool: $93,798
WINNER: Lytle Allen, $22,514
Event 26 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 351 • Prize Pool: $101K
WINNER: Claudia Roberts, $24,386
Event 27 • $550 PLO
Entries: 96 • Prize Pool: $46,320
WINNER: Phil Boucher, $14,823
Event 28 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 372 • Prize Pool: $107K
WINNER: Tom Braband, $25,850
Event 29 • $340 NLHE
Entries: 406 • Prize Pool: $117K
WINNER: Dale Beaudoin, $27,619
Event 30 • $340 PLO
Entries: 91 • Prize Pool: $26,345
WINNER: Dmitri Valouer, $8,430
Event 31 • $550 NLHE
Entries: 288 • Prize Pool: $139K
WINNER: Brandon Piha, $33,347
$2,500 Main Event
Entries: 265 • Prize Pool: $607K
WINNER: Scott Clements, $145,775
Caesars Palace Poker Classic, Oct. 21-Nov. 7
Event 1 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 371 • Prize Pool: 35,987
WINNER: Wallace Jordan, $7,121
Event 2 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 55 • Prize Pool: $5,335
WINNER: Jacob Clark, $1,547
Event 3 • $240 NLHE
Entries: 199 • Prize Pool: $38,606
WINNER: Marco Falchi, $8,870
Event 4 • $130 Omaha/8
Entries: 48 • Prize Pool: $4,656
WINNER: Dom Pizziferri, $1,769
Event 5 • $560 NLHE
Entries: 113 • Prize Pool: $60,000
WINNER: Praveen Lokam, $17,400
Event 6 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 66 • Prize Pool: $6,402
WINNER: Rob Menake, $1,857
Event 7 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 274 • Prize Pool: $26,578
WINNER: Darren Miches, $5,393
Event 8 • $240, Omaha/8
Entries: 29 • Prize Pool: $5,626
WINNER: Dan Dizenzo, $2,813
Event 9 • $350 NLHE
Entries: 85 • Prize Pool: $24,735
WINNER: Nicholas Nadeau, $7,172
Event 10 • $130 6-Max
Entries: 120 • Prize Pool: $11,640
WINNER: Paul Gibbons, $3,668
Event 11 • $350 NLHE
Entries: 188 • Prize Pool: $54,708
WINNER: David Il, $12,586
Event 12 • $350 Heads-up
Entries: 51 • Prize Pool: $14,841
WINNER: Vikram Vijay, $5,342
Event 13 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 179 • Prize Pool: $17,363
WINNER: Fabio Coppola, $3,995
Event 14 • $130 PLO
Entries: 56 • Prize Pool: $5,432
WINNER: Alan Levin, $1,574
Event 15 • $130 Seniors
Entries: 103 • Prize Pool: $9,991
WINNER: Gary Martens, $2,897
Event 16 • $240 NLHE
Entries: 140 • Prize Pool: $30K
WINNER: Jian Li, $6,900
Event 17 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 36 • Prize Pool: $3,492
WINNER: John Hayward, $1,397
Event 18 • $240 NLHE
Entries: 205 • Prize Pool: $39,770
WINNER: Willem Izeboud, $9,148
Event 19 • $240 PLO
Entries: 22 • Prize Pool: $4,268
WINNER: Ross Fabrizio, $2,134
Event 21 • $350 NLHE
Entries: 135 • Prize Pool: $40K
WINNER: Wallace Jordan, $9,200
Event 22 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 76 • Prize Pool: $7,372
WINNER: Jamie Vega, $2,139
Event 23 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 173 • Prize Pool: $16,781
WINNER: Ido Alon, $3,857
Event 24 • $240 NLHE
Entries: 155 • Prize Pool: $30,070
WINNER: Marco Falchi, $6,916
Event 25 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 43 • Prize Pool: $4,171
WINNER: Robert Afoa, $1,669
Event 26 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 166 • Prize Pool: $16,102
WINNER: Doug Garman, $3,705
Event 27 • $240 PLO
Entries: 52 • Prize Pool: $10,088
WINNER: Ben Palmer, $2,925
$1,100 Main Event
Entries: 520 • Prize Pool: $504K
WINNER: Huy Nguyen, $97,349
Event 29 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 143 • Prize Pool: $13,871
WINNER: Monique Fisher, $3,191
Event 30 • $130 NLHE
Entries: 225 • Prize Pool: $21,825
WINNER: Con Martin, $4,435
