The 2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Palace Las Vegas Main Event concluded late on Monday night with David Tuthill winning the title and $223,197 in first-place prize money. Along with his victory, Tuthill secured a spot in the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit National Championship presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof in New Orleans.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Tuthill | $223,197 |
| 2 | AP Phahurat | $137,603 |
| 3 | Shaun Suller | $101,444 |
| 4 | Fabio Coppola | $75,609 |
| 5 | Brian Kay | $57,106 |
| 6 | Jeff Fielder | $43,691 |
| 7 | Ping Liu | $33,848 |
| 8 | Steve Goldbert | $26,550 |
| 9 | Salvatore Dicarlo | $21,018 |
When the day began, 15 players remained. All eyes were on start-of-the-day chip leader Jeff Fielder as he aimed for his second WSOP Circuit title in less than one month’s time. Back on January 21, Fielder won the WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event for for $312,080.
Daniel Harmetz was first to go (15th place) and earned $13,783. He was followed to the payout desk by David Stefanski in 14th place ($13,783), Anthony Di Stefano in 13th ($13,783), Daniel Quick in 12th ($16,941) and Blake Barousse in 11th ($16,941) before the unofficial final table was formed.
When players circled the final 10-handed table, Janelle Jacobson was the shortest on chips. Then, in Level 28 with the blinds at 15,000/30,000/5,000, Jacobson was sent to the rail by Fabio Coppola on the official final-table bubble.
According to the WSOP live reporting staff, Coppola raised from middle position, and Jacobson called out of the big blind to see the flop come down 
. Jacobson moved all in, and Coppola made the call holding the 
. He was well ahead of Jacobson’s 
and held after the 
hit the turn and the 
landed on the river. Jacobson finished in 10th place and earned $16,941.
At this point, Fielder was still the big chip leader, holding approximately 1.3 million more than Coppola did in second place. From there, it would take nearly two hours to eliminate the first player, Salvatore Dicarlo, in ninth place ($21,018). To follow, Steve Goldberg finished in eighth place ($26,550), and Ping Liu was bounced to the rail in seventh place ($33,848). Then, during Level 32 with the blinds at 40,000/80,000/10,000, Fielder’s hopes of a another title were cut short.
Fielder began to lose several pots to see his chip stack dwindle before his final hand came up. Action folded to Shaun Suller in the small blind, and he completed the bet before Fielder raised to 200,000 from the big blind. Suller reraised to 360,000, and Fielder called. The flop came down 
, and Suller moved all in. Fielder called to put himself at risk and tabled the for middle pair and a flush draw. Suller had him pipped in both regards with the 
for a better pair and a better flush draw. The turn was the 
and the river the 
, eliminating Fielder in sixth place for $43,691.
Brian Kay then fell in fourth place ($57,106), and Coppola hit the rail in fourth place ($75,609), setting up three-handed play between Tuthill, AP Phahurat and Suller.
During Level 33 with the blinds at 50,000/100,000/10,000, Suller was eliminated in third place, taking home $101,444 and setting the stage for a heads-up duel between Tuthill and Phahurat. At the start of the match, Phahurat held a slight lead with 7.95 million in chips to Tuthill’s 7.19 million, but it was still anybody’s ball game.
Right from the start, Tuthill took the lead and began to pull away from Phahurat. Phahurat was able to double back, though, just before the start of Level 34 in order to get back to 7.07 million in chips with Tuthill holding the other 8.07 million. After Tuthill took the first hand of the new level, things ended shortly thanks to a big cooler of a flop.
With the blinds at 60,000/120,000/10,000, Tuthill raised on the button to 250,000. Phahurat three-bet to 600,000, and Tuthill called to see the flop come down 
. Phahurat led for 450,000, and Tuthill raised things up to 975,000. Phahurat moved all in, and Tuthill called.
When the cards were tabled, Tuthill revealed that he held the 
for a royal flush draw. Phahurat held the 
for a smaller flush draw and his own straight draw. The 
on the turn left Phahurat needing a four on the river that wasn’t a club, but the 
couldn’t do it. Phahurat was eliminated in second place and earned $137,603 — the largest score of his career.
For the victory, Tuthill claimed the top prize of $223,197, the gold championship ring and a spot in the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit National Championship presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof in New Orleans at the end of the season. For Tuthill, this is the largest score of his career, with the previous one coming from a fourth-place finish in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event at the 2010 WSOP for $160,650.
The next stop on the WSOP Circuit schedule is at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in Palm Beach, Florida. The series is already underway with preliminary events, and the Main Event will kick off Saturday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. ET. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand for live updates as the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit continues.
*Lead photo courtesy of the WSOP.
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