For the past week, the Horseshoe Hammond has played host to the World Series of Poker Circuit. The stop features 12 ring events, culminating the $1,600 Main Event that begins Friday, Oct. 20. The stop has proved to be a tremendous success thus far, with record fields and massive prize pools, and has even attracted pros like Owais Ahmed, Josh Brikis, Chris Tryba, and Dennis Phillips.
This weekend, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be making its way to the venue to provide coverage of the Main Event. Here’s a look at the preliminary events of WSOPC Hammond in a bit more detail.
Event #1 Breaks Attendance Record
The WSOP Circuit Hammond is notorious for drawing large fields. With a huge player base to draw from throughout the Midwest, the stop has been among the most successful every year. Historically, the first event of the stop has kicked off with a bang. In 2009, Event #1 drew 1,412 players, and almost 200 entries more in 2010. This year, those numbers were blown out of the water when an astonishing 3,001 players forked over the $350 buy-in for a shot at a gold ring.
The event was a reentry, meaning players who busted on Day 1a were allowed to buy in again on Day 1b, and after three long days of play, Aaron Bieck (25) emerged victorious and laid claim to the $124,438 first-place prize. Bieck, who resides in Plymouth, Wisconsin, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2008 with a degree in finance and had the following to say after winning the largest WSOP Circuit event in history:
“Amazing. I’ve only played like 10 live tournaments so to take one down with 3,000 runners is something very special. It’s the first live tournament I’ve ever won and it’s very important that it was a WSOP Circuit event. To win something that big, that prestigious. To have the opportunity to even play in a tournament that big, and to take it down — it’s amazing.”
Regarding his plans for the money, Bieck explained: “I don’t exactly know what I’m going to do with it. Like everything else, like poker, you analyze it, you make a decision and you take things as they come.”
WSOP Circuit Hammond Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 3,001 | $873,291 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Bieck | Plymouth, WI | $124,438 |
| 2 | David Schonback | Geneva, IL | $76,911 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Manza | Naperville, IL | $58,982 |
| 4 | Peter Nigh | St. Louis, MO | $45,691 |
| 5 | Javier Figueroa | Chicago, IL | $35,875 |
| 6 | Jason Zeller | Peoria, IL | $28,129 |
| 7 | Daniel Acevedo | Belvidere, IL | $22,208 |
| 8 | Leo Whitt | Louisville, KY | $17,649 |
| 9 | Jenchwen Chang | Atlantic City, NJ | $14,200 |
More Winners from Hammond
Here’s a look at the rest of the WSOP Circuit Hammond results through the first five ring events. Keep in mind, there are 12 events total, including the $1,600 Main Event:
WSOP Circuit Hammond Ring Event #2 NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$60 | 648 | $314,280 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Costain | St. Clairsville, OH | $64,416 |
| 2 | Andrew Barfield | Mt. Sterling, IL | $39,866 |
| 3 | Alin Cotolan | Chicago, IL | $29,241 |
| 4 | Joel Casper | Chicago, IL | $21,745 |
| 5 | Thomas Matteucci | Berwyn, IL | $16,390 |
| 6 | Joshua Pender | Rockhill, SC | $12,518 |
| 7 | Joseph Stark | Lawrenceville, GA | $9,686 |
| 8 | Michael Sarmiento | Chicago, IL | $7,593 |
| 9 | Scott Carroll | Pekin, IL | $6,028 |
WSOP Circuit Hammond Ring Event #3 NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000+$100 | 202 | $195,940 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Vornicu | San Diego, CA | $50,943 |
| 2 | Duy Tran | Brentwood, TN | $31,470 |
| 3 | Michael Souza | San Diego, CA | $22,723 |
| 4 | Scott Schwalich | West Carrollton, OH | $16,688 |
| 5 | Nachman Berlin | Brooklyn, NY | $12,468 |
| 6 | Mark Kroon | Madison, WI | $9,474 |
| 7 | Kyle Cartwright | Bartlett, TN | $7,318 |
| 8 | Chad Hahn | Westfield, IN | $5,747 |
| 9 | Pradeep Buddharaju | Houston, TX | $4,585 |
WSOP Circuit Hammond Ring Event #4 Pot-Limit Omaha w/$100 Rebuys
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 153 | $139,123 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Tonne | China, MI | $37,560 |
| 2 | Michael Schneider | Covington, GA | $23,214 |
| 3 | Zachary Estes | Alton, IL | $16,710 |
| 4 | Nick Guagenti | Westerville, OH | $12,247 |
| 5 | Richard Hoffman | Chicago, IL | $9,135 |
| 6 | Joshua Field | Villa Park, CA | $6,932 |
| 7 | Frederic Winter | La Grange, IL | $5,351 |
| 8 | Mark Provenzano | Melrose Park, IL | $4,197 |
| 9 | Gary Lisowski | Not Available | $3,347 |
WSOP Circuit Hammond Ring Event #5 NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 728 | $211,848 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Navin Kamal | Naperville, IL | $42,369 |
| 2 | Michael Warrington | Chipley, FL | $26,121 |
| 3 | Nicholas Ferro | Winnebago, IL | $19,257 |
| 4 | Bradley Lipsey | Franklin, TN | $14,353 |
| 5 | Eric Edelman | Hammond, IN | $10,850 |
| 6 | Bill Varga | Paris, KY | $8,294 |
| 7 | Alexander Safin | Highland, IN | $6,425 |
| 8 | Francesco Barbaro | Willow Springs, IL | $5,040 |
| 9 | Corey Souther | Biloxi, MS | $4,002 |
With seven events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Hammond Casino Champion is wide open. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. That event is limited to 100 players, and so far only four have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Player | Qualified |
|---|---|
| David Nicholson | Horseshoe Bossier City Main Event Winner |
| Chris Gamboa | Horseshoe Bossier City Casino Champion |
| Robert Castoire | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner |
| Mark “Pegasus” Smith | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner |
In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy-in to the National Championship:
WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Schwalich | 80 | 1 | 3 | $34,846 |
| Robert Newman | 77.5 | 1 | 3 | $29,930 |
| Thomas Cronin | 77.5 | 0 | 3 | $18,891 |
| Felicia Johnico | 77.5 | 1 | 2 | $16,060 |
| Kevin Davis | 70 | 1 | 3 | $16,831 |
| Matthew Chang | 70 | 1 | 3 | $9,724 |
| Russell Ivy | 65 points | 0 | 2 | $49,948 |
| Jennifer Parrish | 65 points | 0 | 5 | $20,098 |
| Gregory Joslyn | 62.5 | 1 | 3 | $24,345 |
| Oran Haynes | 62.5 | 0 | 2 | $19,747 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Hammond stop.
Don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are still plenty of opportunities to play, including any of the remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule.
Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule
| Event | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Event | IP Casino Resort & Spa Biloxi | Oct. 27 – Nov. 7, 2011 |
| Circuit Event | Harveys Lake Tahoe | Nov. 10 – 21, 2011 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Atlantic City | Dec. 1 – 12, 2011 |
| Circuit Event | Choctaw Durant | Jan. 12 – 23, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) | Jan. 19 – 30, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Tunica | Feb. 2 – 13, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Palm Beach Kennel Club | Feb. 16 – 27, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Caesars Atlantic City | March 1 – 12, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Rincon | March 15 – 26, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Horseshoe Council Bluffs | March 29 – April 9, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s St. Louis | April 12 – 23, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Chester | April 26 – May 7, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s New Orleans | May 10 – 21, 2012 |
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! In the meantime, see who qualifies for the National Championship this weekend by following our Live Reporting Team’s coverage from Hammond.
