Recapping the 3rd Annual Chicago Poker Classic
For the past couple of weeks, the Horseshoe Hammond played host to the Third Annual Chicago Poker Classic, a tournament series that has established itself as one of the most prestigious in the country. This year’s event, which had $500,000 in added prizes, proved to be a tremendous success with attendance up in the prelims 50 percent from last year, while the Main Event was up 20 percent.
A full schedule of tournaments, plus a $50,000 cash bonus to the overall points leader of the 12-day series, and a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro V8 to the turbo series champion, appealed the masses and drew some of Chicagoland’s best poker players to the felt. While Ryan Leng managed to win both of those bonuses, it was Anthony Marsico who captured the headlines by winning the championship event.
Chicago Poker Classic Event #8 Main Event
The Main Event was a $3,125 buy-in that drew 360 entrants and created a prize pool of $1,107,600. The tournament attracted top pros like Chad Brown, Robert Chow, Kurt Jewell, Aaron Steury, Kevin Saul, and 2011 CPC Main Event champion Thomas Koral.
After three days of play, nine players secured seats at the 2012 Chicago Poker Classic final table:
3rd Annual Chicago Poker Classic Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Schwertley | 453,000 |
| 2 | Matthew Rosen | 1,070,000 |
| 3 | Scott Seville | 1,109,000 |
| 4 | John Jovanovich | 1,281,000 |
| 5 | Timothy Chang | 1,467,000 |
| 6 | Edward Ochana | 1,520,000 |
| 7 | Shon Alexander | 695,000 |
| 8 | Elliott Hebden | 1,069,000 |
| 9 | Anthony Marsico | 2,154,000 |
It didn’t take long for action to heat up as five players were eliminated from the final table in just a level and a half. The first elimination came when short-stacked Brett Schwertley lost a flip with A♠Q♥ to JxJx. The 28-year-old poker pro from Omaha, Nebraska, earned $23,266 for his ninth-place finish.
After 23-year-old poker dealer Elliott Hebden exited in eighth place, Shon Alexander followed was eliminated in seventh. In Alexander's last hand, he moved all in for 243,000 with K♥J♦ and was called by A♠9♥ of Scott Seville. An ace on the flop spelled the end for Alexander, who collected $36,152. Timothy Chang and John Jovanovich were the next two to go in sixth and fifth place, respectively, leaving just four players competing for the title.
At this point, Seville was sitting with nearly three million in chips and was primed for victory. However, Seville lost a few key pots before getting his stack all in with JxJx on a 3♣6♥5♣ flop against Matthew Rosen’s 10♣7♣. The 7♥ kept Seville out in front, but the 8♣ river gave Rosen a winning flush. Seville, a 37-year-old “computer guy” from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, was eliminated in fourth place for $75,793.
A short time later, Edward Ochana, a professional poker player from Illinois who placed 34th in the 2010 WSOP Main Event for $255,000, succumbed in third place for $108,268, leaving Rosen to play heads up against Anthony Marsico. The latter had began the final table as the chip leader and slowly chipped up throughout the day.
Rosen ended up losing a big pot after running into Marsico’s rivered set of sevens, which left him with just 1.5 million to Marsico’s 9.5 million. Coincidentally, Rosen’s demise came when Marsico hit another set, this time a flopped set of eights. Rosen, a 28-year-old mortgage broker from Des Plaines, Illinois, finished as the runner-up for $164,279.
“This feels good. I’m a little bit tired, but it feels good,” Marsico said after the eight-hour final table. “I was pretty confident. I told someone before today that if I didn’t get to the top three I’d be pretty disappointed.”
Marisco, a 26-year-old professional poker player, had previously attended Lewis University where he was an All-American soccer player. He studied business administration and primarily plays high-limit pot-limit Omaha cash games in the Chicago area. Marisco, who finished Days 2 and 3 as the chip leader and was never all in for his tournament life until play reached three handed, became the 2012 Chicago Poker Classic Main Event champion and was awarded $265,825.
“I’m definitely going to go blow some money for sure. First on my buddies and then back at the poker table,” Marsico said after his win.
Chicago Poker Classic Event #8 Main Event
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $3,125 | 360 | $1,107,600 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Marsico | Bloomingdale, IL | $265,825 |
| 2 | Matthew Rosen | Des Plaines, IL | $164,279 |
| 3 | Edward Ochana | Elgin, IL | $108,268 |
| 4 | Scott Seville | Schaumberg, IL | $75,793 |
| 5 | John Jovanovich | Lombard, IL | $56,166 |
| 6 | Tomothy Chang | Woodbury, NY | $43,927 |
| 7 | Shon Alexander | Roselle, IL | $36,152 |
| 8 | Elliot Hebden | Perry, MI | $31,234 |
| 9 | Brett Schwetley | Omaha, NE | $28,266 |
Here’s a look at the other winners from the Third Annual Chicago Poker Classic:
Chicago Poker Classic Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $240 | 2,621 (1,806 true players) | $525,349 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Gibbons | Middleton, WI | $97,192 |
| 2 | David Lindquist | Benton Harbor, MI | $59,843 |
| 3 | Michael Kamenjarin | Chicago, IL | $39,664 |
| 4 | Christopher Campbell | Romeoville, IL | $27,843 |
| 5 | Robert Piovesan | Peru, IN | $20,751 |
| 6 | Frank Cerminara | Kenosha, WI | $16,391 |
| 7 | Jose Serratos | Detroit, MI | $13,607 |
| 8 | David Roemer | Mukwonago, WI | $11,873 |
| 9 | David Peistrup | Arlington Heights, IL | $10,875 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #2 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $350 | 868 | $264,463 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Han | Urbana, IL | $56,861 |
| 2 | Zachary Mohn | Davenport, IA | $35,144 |
| 3 | Dominic Giorango | Oak Park, IL | $23,022 |
| 4 | Christopher Ferris | Carpentersville, IL | $15,937 |
| 5 | Josh Williams | South Bend, IN | $11,623 |
| 6 | Eugene Suk | Long Beach, CA | $8,907 |
| 7 | John Moe | Cincinnati, OH | $7,156 |
| 8 | Harvey Mathews | Mount Morris, MI | $6,017 |
| 9 | Eugene Ovsyanik | Des Plaines, IL | $5,281 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #3 No-Limit Hold’em w/ $100 Rebuys
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $240 | 196 (726 rebuys) | $115,321 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Musa Taher | Tinley Park, IL | $30,559 |
| 2 | Niel Mittelman | Libertyville, IL | $18,913 |
| 3 | Nick Jivkov | Des Plaines, IL | $12,524 |
| 4 | Nicholas Manganaro | Omaha, NE | $8,937 |
| 5 | Luke Williams | Crown Point, IN | $6,677 |
| 6 | Jeffrey Bull | Chicago, IL | $5,328 |
| 7 | Stuart Marshak | Chicago, IL | $4,486 |
| 8 | Cory Brettner | Chicago, IL | $3,979 |
| 9 | Jason Crews | Pleasant Hill, Iowa | $3,713 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #4 Seven Game Mix
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $560 | 159 | $93,990 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David To | Hoffman Estates, IL | $26,317 |
| 2 | Pawel Andrzejewski | Des Plaines, IL | $16,267 |
| 3 | Benjamin Scholl | Trappe, PA | $10,767 |
| 4 | Scott Bohlman | Homer Glen, IL | $7,602 |
| 5 | Robert Rusak | Norridge, IL | $5,701 |
| 6 | Charles Tonne | China, MI | $4,527 |
| 7 | David Droeger | Chicago, IL | $3,794 |
| 8 | Richard Smaniotto | Black River, MI | $3,347 |
| 9 | Renan Sugarman | Lincolnwood, IL | $2,554 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #5 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $240 | 530 | $109,695 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael “Carwash” Schneider | Covington, GA | $25,230 |
| 2 | Jose Serratos | San Antonio, TX | $15,587 |
| 3 | Daniel Halley | Chicago, IL | $10,224 |
| 4 | John Kukan | Lisle, IL | $7,116 |
| 5 | Nick Jivkov | Des Plaines, IL | $5,219 |
| 6 | Anthony Sansone | Bolingbrook, IL | $4,029 |
| 7 | Thad Florence | Chicago, IL | $3,266 |
| 8 | Robert Richmond | Chicago, IL | $2,773 |
| 9 | Dustin Panoff | Waukesha, WI | $2,462 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em Heads Up
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,100 | 220 | $250,275 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin McColgan | Douglasville, PA | $70,082 |
| 2 | Christopher Campbell | Romeoville, IL | $43,315 |
| 3 | Ryan Leng | Sun City, AZ | $24,457 |
| 4 | Hao Sun | Milwaukee, WI | $24,457 |
| 5 | Kevin Saul | Warrenville, IL | $11,563 |
| 6 | Ghaleb Zayed | Mokena, IL | $11,563 |
| 7 | Jeffrey Manza | Naperville, IL | $11,563 |
| 8 | Ryan Austin | Westerville, OH | $11,563 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #7 Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys
| Buy-in | Entrants | Rebuys | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| $350 | 126 | 955 | $141,176 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Massey | Elmwood Park, IL | $40,940 |
| 2 | Hussain Sajwani | Chicago, IL | $25,412 |
| 3 | Nachman Berlin | Brooklyn, NY | $16,941 |
| 4 | John Lovejoy | La Vista, NE | $12,282 |
| 5 | Kenneth Daciolas | Chicago, IL | $8,753 |
| 6 | Paul Han | Urbana, IL | $6,918 |
| 7 | Robert Coventry | Chicago, IL | $5,647 |
| 8 | James Anderson | Wooster, OH | $4,800 |
| 9 | Ari Engel | Las Vegas, NV | $4,094 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #9 Six-Handed NLH
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $350 | 402 | $131,982 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Loewenthal | Indianapolis, IN | $34,316 |
| 2 | Philip Fahey | Chicago, IL | $21,200 |
| 3 | Carson Fry | Rockford, IL | $13,750 |
| 4 | Ping Liu | Grand Blanc, MI | $9,331 |
| 5 | Kyle Adams | Schaumburg, IL | $6,615 |
| 6 | Jeffrey Pecs | Marina Del Rey, CA | $4,890 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #10 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $240 | 432 | $93,808 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Brownell | Chicago, IL | $22,036 |
| 2 | Jeffrey Massie | Medina, OH | $13,626 |
| 3 | David McDermott | Flossmoor, IL | $8,965 |
| 4 | Evan Lukowski | Orland Park, IL | $6,262 |
| 5 | Robert Williams | McHenry, IL | $4,620 |
| 6 | Fabian Bump | Marshfield, WI | $3,593 |
| 7 | Richard Sharp | Elkhart, IN | $2,940 |
| 8 | Trevor Deeter | Philadelphia, PA | $2,522 |
| 9 | John Albright | Aurora, IL | $2,265 |
Chicago Poker Classic Event #11 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $240 | 353 | $78,482 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philip Russo | Elmhurst, IL | $18,832 |
| 2 | Seungjin Lee | Ann Arbor, MI | $11,640 |
| 3 | Patrick Brady | Chicago, IL | $7,672 |
| 4 | Michael Burns | Oshkosh, WI | $5,371 |
| 5 | David Kim | Glenview, IL | $3,980 |
| 6 | Douglas Mackinnon | East Amherst, NY | $3,113 |
| 7 | Scott Goldstein | Chicago, IL | $2,562 |
| 8 | Robert Richmond | Chicago, IL | $2,213 |
| 9 | Ben Sagan | Chicago, IL | $2,003 |
CPC Overall Point Standings Top Ten
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Ryan Leng | 38.5 |
| Jose Serratos | 37.5 |
| Paul Gibbons | 37.5 |
| Christopher Campbell | 36 |
| Paul Han | 36 |
| Nick Jivkov | 34 |
| Pawel Andrzejewski | 34 |
| Michael “Carwash” Schneider | 33.75 |
| Matthew Rosen | 32 |
| Niel Mittelman | 32 |
CPC Turbo Overall Point Standings Top Ten
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Ryan Leng | 21.5 |
| Derek Monson | 20.25 |
| Ronald Cummings | 15 |
| Frederick Adams | 13.5 |
| Anastas Mukoski | 12.5 |
| David Droeger | 12.5 |
| Michael Younan | 12.5 |
| Paul Gibbons | 12.5 |
| Kevin Bohling | 12 |
| Martin Derbyshire | 11.5 |
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
