Recap of the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Events
April 28 2011, Chad Holloway
On Thursday, April 28, 2011, the World Series of Poker Circuit kicked off its latest $1,600 Main Event, this time right in poker’s backyard at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The winner of that event, along with the overall “Casino Champion,” will qualify for the upcoming $1 Million Freeroll National Championship. What’s the best way to capture the latter title? Play the preliminary ring events.
Each WSOP-Circuit stop hosts ten gold-ring events. Players can earn National Leaderboard points, based upon their performance in those events, and hopefully accumulate enough to qualify for the National Championship in May (coincidentally, that event will also be held at Caesars Palace). The player who earns the most points at each stop (AKA the "Casino Champion") automatically qualifies for that event. You can find a summary of the ring events (shown below) leading up to the Main Event, along with the current standings on the Event Leaderboard.
As always, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team is providing coverage of the Main Event, but here's a look at some of the ring events leading up to the Main Event.
Ring Opener has 16-Percent Increase
Last year, the first ring event at the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace drew 384 players. This year, 448 players forked over the $350 buy-in for a 16 percent increase in attendance. After two days of play, two Europeans outlasted a field, comprised mainly of Americans, to square off in heads-up action. In the end, Italian Giuseppe Biancoviso claimed victory and the $28,398 first-place prize.
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $300+$50 | 448 | $129,065 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Giuseppe Biancoviso | Catania, Italy | $28,398 |
| 2 | Leonid Ryadynskyy | Kharkov, Ukraine | $17,546 |
| 3 | Josh Evans | Plano, TX | $12,821 |
| 4 | George Ash | Carmel, CA | $9,520 |
| 5 | Scott Davies | Las Vegas, NV | $7,179 |
| 6 | Dmitry Shamilov | Brooklyn, NY | $5,494 |
| 7 | Blake Kelso | Las Vegas, NV | $4,267 |
| 8 | Phillip Dagger | Sidney, BC | $3,361 |
| 9 | Sheila Olsen | Jacksonville, FL | $2,685 |
Event #2 Numbers Up
The second ring event proved that the attendance increase in the opening event wasn’t a fluke. In fact, the $560 NLHE ring event drew 247 players, a 26 percent increase over last year’s field of 195 players. Combined, the first two ring events of the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace saw 695 entrants, up 18 percent from the same events in 2010.
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $500+$60 | 247 | $118,560 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Randy Huberty | La Grange, KY | $29,047 |
| 2 | Brian Hunt | Pearland, TX | $17,948 |
| 3 | Brandon Bowyer | Corona, CA | $12,967 |
| 4 | Akio Ishii | Tokyo, Japan | $9,543 |
| 5 | Barry Clapp | Calgary, AB | $7,149 |
| 6 | Richard Jackson | Key West, FL | $5,448 |
| 7 | Raju Jawalekar | Las Vegas, NV | $4,221 |
| 8 | Neil Webber | Austin, TX | $3,323 |
| 9 | Darren Michels | Henderson, NV | $2,658 |
Event #3 Plays Let’s Make a Deal
The final six players in the $350-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better Event opted to strike a deal that saw Terry Crowe named the victor, for which he earned his first WSOP-Circuit ring. Crowe is no stranger to poker, having worked for the World Poker Tour. Now he specializes in endorsements and sponsorships. With 19 major cashes and two tournament victories, Crowe may be in need of some endorsements himself.
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #3 Limit Omaha Eight or Better
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $300+$50 | 113 | $32,555 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| *1 | Terry Crowe | Los Osos, CA | $9,766 |
| *2 | David Jackie | Las Vegas, NV | $6,036 |
| *3 | Brian Bumpas | Long Beach, CA | $4,298 |
| *4 | Terry Stady | Albuquerque, NM | $3,122 |
| *5 | Faud Koubi | Van Nuys, CA | $2,313 |
| *6 | Brian Wilke | Colorado Springs, CO | $1,746 |
| 7 | Joseph Mitchell | Not Listed | $1,343 |
| 8 | Christopher Zurawski | Glen Ellyn, IL | $1,052 |
| 9 | Bruce Hoyt | Gilbert, AZ | $839 |
*Denotes six-way deal
“It’s About the Ring”
Nhu “Taylor” Nguyen, a 28-year-old business owner from Houston, Texas, topped a field of 500 to take down Event #4 at the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace. After the win, she stated: “I played really well, but I also caught some cards. I think I made the most of the situations where I had advantages and also did not ever give up, even when I lost a few big hands.” She went on to elaborate as to why she declined an offer to chop the prize money: “It was an easy decision for me. I was not going to settle for (one of the lower places). It’s not just about pride. It’s about the ring. I wanted to win the WSOP Circuit gold ring.”
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $300+$50 | 500 | $144,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Nhu “Taylor” Nguyen | Houston, TX | $30,962 |
| 2 | Joel Nimmo | Pasco, WA | $19,142 |
| 3 | Kennii Nguyen | Chicago, IL | $13,984 |
| 4 | Jeremiah Degreef | Sandy, Utah | $10,367 |
| 5 | Paul Balzano | Sunrise, FL | $7,796 |
| 6 | Craig Goddard | Bognor Regas, UK | $5,947 |
| 7 | Mehmet Karsli | Istanbul, Turkey | $4,601 |
| 8 | Vincent Maglio | Revere, MA | $3,610 |
| 9 | Raymond Lam | Vancouver, BC | $2,873 |
A Look at the Rest of the Ring Events . . .
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #5 Pot Limit Omaha
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $300+$50 | 123 | $35,424 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Jessie Bryant | Conway, AR | $9,919 |
| 2 | Blake Kelso | Las Vegas, NV | $6,130 |
| 3 | Jordan Stone | Fayetteville, GA | $4,425 |
| 4 | Gregory Aversa | Las Vegas, NV | $3,252 |
| 5 | Ryan Mcclain | Warrensburg, MO | $2,431 |
| 6 | James Cavanaugh | Santa Rosa, CA | $1,848 |
| 7 | Richard Cresiski | Cambridge, MA | $1,492 |
| 8 | Eric Froehlich | Springfield, VA | $1,122 |
| 9 | Hoang Nguyen | Chicago, IL | $896 |
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $500+$60 | 306 | $146,880 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Robert Whalen | Cudahy, WI | $34,517 |
| 2 | Daniel Eichhorn | Henderson, NV | $21,342 |
| 3 | Daniel Sindelar | Las Vegas, NV | $15,500 |
| 4 | Christopher Felix | Las Vegas, NV | $11,449 |
| 5 | Michael Holm | Woodridge, IL | $8,595 |
| 6 | Zachary King | Henderson, NV | $6,555 |
| 7 | Vincent Maglio | Revere, MA | $5,078 |
| 8 | Saeed Sotendeh | Toronto, ON | $3,992 |
| 9 | Norihisa Okada | Gumma, Japan | $3,186 |
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #7 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $300+$50 | 530 | $152,640 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Todd Chew | Nowhere, IL | $32,809 |
| 2 | Jeff Sluzinski | Las Vegas, NV | $20,290 |
| 3 | Thomas Alex Hult | Borlange, Sweden | $14,823 |
| 4 | Michael Wasserman | Las Vegas, NV | $10,989 |
| 5 | Justin Kruger | Denison, TX | $8,264 |
| 6 | Thomas Pletzer | Aurach, Austria | $6,304 |
| 7 | Joe Wailor | Seattle, Washington | $4,877 |
| 8 | Adam Hui | Markham, ON | $3,827 |
| 9 | James Glenn | Redding, CA | $3,045 |
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #8 NLHE Six-Handed
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $500+$60 | 306 | $146,880 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Michael Souza | San Diego, CA | $27,001 |
| 2 | Christopher Amaral | Fall River, MA | $16,688 |
| 3 | Mohammad Abedi-Arani | Las Vegas, NV | $15,500 |
| 4 | Blake Kelso | Las Vegas, NV | $8,982 |
| 5 | Peter Lockwood | Arlington, TX | $6,747 |
| 6 | Hiroaki Harada | Costa Mesa, CA | $5,146 |
| 7 | Rick Troendly | United States | $3,985 |
| 8 | Jay Hong | Riverside, CA | $3,132 |
| 9 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | $2,498 |
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #9 No-Limit Hold'em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|
| $1,000+$90 | 230 | $220,800 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Miller Dao | Maricopa, AZ | $55,202 |
| 2 | Melvin Skeeles | Farmerville, LA | $34,118 |
| 3 | Neal (Wallace) Jordan | Excello, MO | $24,831 |
| 4 | Adam Hui | Markham, ON | $18,364 |
| 5 | Sang Nguyen | San Jose, CA | $13,793 |
| 6 | Barry Clapp | Calgary, AB | $10,521 |
| 7 | Kasra Khadayarkhani | Dallas, TX | $8,148 |
| 8 | Sonja Jurkovich | Las Vegas, NV | $6,403 |
| 9 | Thomas Winters | San Angelo, TX | $5,107 |
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace “Casino Champion” Leaderboard
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|
| *Miller Dao | 50 | 1 | 1 | $55,202 |
| Blake Kelso | 85 | 0 | 3 | $19,379 |
| Jessie Bryant | 60 | 1 | 2 | $11,489 |
| Robert Whalen | 50 | 1 | 1 | $34,517 |
| Todd Chew | 50 | 1 | 1 | $32,809 |
| Nhu Nguyen | 50 | 1 | 1 | $30,962 |
| Randy Huberty | 50 | 1 | 1 | $29,047 |
| Giuseppe Biancoviso | 50 | 1 | 1 | $28,398 |
| Michael Souza | 50 | 1 | 1 | $27,001 |
| Terry Crowe | 50 | 1 | 1 | $9,766 |
*Dao has already clinched his seat in the National Championship with a final-table appearance at the West Regional Championship at Harrah's Rincon.
You can check out our live coverage of the WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Main Event (which is happening now) on our Live Reporting page. In the meantime, don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship and your shot at the $1 million freeroll. There are still a few opportunities left on the WSOP Circuit schedule.
Remaining 2010/2011 WSOP Circuit Schedule
| Event | Location | Dates |
|---|
| Circuit Event | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) | April 14-30, 2011 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Chester | April 27-May 9, 2011 |
| Regional Championship | Harrah’s New Orleans | May 9-May 22, 2011 |
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