Traditionally, it takes three long, grueling days to win a World Series of Poker Circuit event. That is, unless you are Freddy Deeb.
Deeb bought into the WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Main Event on Day 2, starting with a stack of 20 big blinds, and rode it all the way to the $171,810 top prize and his first WSOPC championship ring.
The first WSOPC event in Los Angeles attracted 549 players, and of those, only 17 made it to the start of Day 3. It didn’t take long to reach a final table as eight players were eliminated during the first two levels of the day. When the final table began, this is what the stacks looked like:
Seat | Name | Count |
1 | Tsung Lu | 508,000 |
2 | Vince Cardella | 291,000 |
3 | Tong Le | 2,033,000 |
4 | Leroy Spires | 1,967,000 |
5 | Freddy Deeb | 2,349,000 |
6 | David Singontiko | 872,000 |
7 | Julie Fransk | 1,558,000 |
8 | Alex Masek | 469,000 |
9 | Brandon Crawford | 939,000 |
Vince Cardella the first to fall, went out in ninth place. Facing a raise to 70,000 and a call, Cardella shoved in the small blind with . Unfortunately for him, local favorite Tong Le was holding , and Cardella wasn’t able to catch up as the board ran out .
Julie Franks went out in eighth place. Her bust-out hand was proof of just how brutal poker can be. After a raise from Freddy Deeb, Franks moved all-in and Deeb made the call to put her at risk. Franks showed and Deeb tabled . The flop was a monster for Franks, coming . Deeb picked up some outs with the on the turn, and the river brought the to give Deeb a bigger full house, eliminating Franks.
Deeb continued his onslaught by eliminating Tsung Lu in seventh place. Lu shoved with preflop and Deeb made the call with . The board ran out and Lu was sent to the rail.
Despite beginning Day 3 as the chip leader, Brandon Crawford wasn’t able to get much going and ultimately bowed out in sixth place. Once again, it was Deeb who did the damage. Crawford open-shoved under the gun with and Deeb called with . The board ran out queen high, and Deeb strengthened his chip lead.
Five-handed play lasted through the dinner break and into Level 30 when Tong Le was sent packing in fifth place. Le had been crippled in a previous hand and was forced to open shove with . Deeb was once again the man to do the deed as he called with . The board ran out , giving Deeb yet another knockout.
The youngest player at the table, 21-year-old David Singontiko, was knocked out in fourth place. Singontiko and Leroy Spires saw a flop of , and Spires bet 500,000. Singontiko called, and the fell on the turn. Spires moved all-in, and Singontiko made the call with . Spires had , and his queens held, as the river brought the .
Spires held the chip lead at that point but lost a few pots before busting in a huge pot to Deeb. The two players got all the money in on the turn with the board reading . Deeb held for a flopped set, but Spires had for a turned flush. Needing the board to pair to win, Deeb found what he need as the hit the river. The massive pot gave Deeb a 2-to-1 lead going into heads-up play against four-time WSOPC ring winner Alex Masek.
Deeb applied constant pressure throughout the heads-up battle, and Masek was never able to build a stack to pose a threat. The 56-year-old Deeb won a race on the final hand of the match to secure the title, bringing his career live tournament earnings to nearly $7.5 million.
Here’s a look at the final table results of the WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Main Event:
Place | Player | Prize |
1 | Freddy Deeb | $171,810 |
2 | Alex Masek | $106,185 |
3 | Leroy Spires | $77,570 |
4 | David Singontiko | $57,505 |
5 | Tong Le | $43,245 |
6 | Brandon Crawford | $32,900 |
7 | Tsung Lu | $25,520 |
8 | Julie Franks | $20,025 |
9 | Vince Cardella | $15,935 |
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