WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Southern Indiana: Final Table Set; Aaron Massey Leads
After 14 hours of action, Day 2 of the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event came to a close. Play began with 170 players, and the final table of 10 was reached just seconds before the clock expired on the last level of the day. Aaron Massey will return on Day 3 as the chip leader with 1.07 million.
Aaron Massey catapulted to the chip lead after spending most of the evening at the bottom of the counts. In the last hour of play, he won a few key pots that gave him some wiggle room. But, with only minutes left on the clock he flopped a straight against Thang Nguyen and doubled up to 1.07 million.
Joining Massey at the final table are Mark “Pegasus” Smith (877,00), Bernard Lee (664,000), David Hengen (696,000), Robert Castoire (788,000), Jacob Bazely (844,000), Donovan Darland (561,000), Sameer Al Dbhany (433,000), Khang Luu (209,000) and Thang Nguyen (119,000).
Last year’s mark of 289 players was eclipsed with a total of 313 entrants. The prize pool also improved, and first place will take home $107,022. The money bubble was burst on Sunday and was a quick affair. Two players were eliminated moments apart and hand-for-hand play wasn’t needed. Another key point in the tournament when the action was almost too fast to cover was when the field was reduced to two tables. Within five minutes, three players were eliminated before action slowed to crawl. The remaining 15 players all had decent stacks and dreams of making the final table, so they took their time.
Mark “Pegasus” Smith played all day with a full head of steam, rarely leaving the top of the leaderboard. He was winning so many hands that at one point, a player at the table said, “Quit smashing that table Mark.”
Bernard Lee found a key double-up with three tables left when his A♦ K♦ held against Thang Nguyen’s A♠ 9♠. With that hand, Lee moved up among the leaders and kept that momentum through the end of play.
Kevin Calenzo, who finished second in this event last year, fell just short of making back-to-back final tables. He was eliminated in 13th place when his A♣ 10♦ couldn’t catch up to Jacob Bazely’s pocket queens.
Many notables did not survive the day, including Kevin Saul, Chad Batista, Aaron Steury, Brian Yeager, Harold Dennis and Miguel Borrero were among those who fell.
The final table will get under way at 1300 EST (1800 BST), so be sure to follow all the action live on Pokernews.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Name | Chipcount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Hengen | 696,000 |
| 2 | Aaron Massey | 1,070,000 |
| 3 | Donovan Darland | 561,000 |
| 4 | Robert Costoire | 788,000 |
| 5 | Mark "Pegasus" Smith | 877,000 |
| 6 | Khang Luu | 209,000 |
| 7 | Bernard Lee | 664,000 |
| 8 | Thang Nguyen | 119,000 |
| 9 | Sameer Al Dbhany | 433,000 |
| 10 | Jacob Bazely | 844,000 |
Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
