Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs
The 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit continued in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on March 29. The Horseshoe Council Bluffs will host 12 ring events, many of which have already been completed. On Saturday, April 7, the stop will culminate in a $1,600 Main Event, which the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will live report.
Keep reading for an update on completed ring events thus far, including Event #2: $350 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry. That event drew 585 players over two starting days, making it the largest poker tournament ever held in the greater Omaha area.
After three days of play, 29-year-old professional poker player Stephen Kats emerged victorious and captured the $35,745 first-place prize. Kats, a graduate from University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in business, is no stranger to Council Bluffs; in fact, it’s the venue where he captured his first gold ring.
“I’m happy I won,” Kats said after claiming his second WSOP Circuit ring. “It was a long session with a lot of grinding . . . Whatever happens, happens. It’s all about thinking positive in this game.”
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #1: No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 355 | $103,305 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Glantz | Lincoln, NE | $23,764 |
| 2 | Michael Nellis | Omaha, NE | $14,689 |
| 3 | Douglas Hutcheson | Council Bluffs, IA | $10,716 |
| 4 | Brendan Waite | Lincoln, NE | $7,948 |
| 5 | James Pursley | Denver, CO | $5,988 |
| 6 | Derek Betka | Wahoo, NE | $4,580 |
| 7 | Mark “Pegasus” Smith | Georgetown, KY | $3,554 |
| 8 | Gary Lambert | Quincy, IL | $2,797 |
| 9 | Quang Pham | Omaha, NE | $2,233 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #2: No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 585 | $170,235 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Kats | Omaha, NE | $35,745 |
| 2 | Brett Humphus | San Antonio, TX | $22,112 |
| 3 | Timothy Nimitz | Caldwell, KS | $16,169 |
| 4 | Brandon Fish | Kearney, NE | $11,998 |
| 5 | Mark Fink | Sioux Falls, SD | $9,028 |
| 6 | Phil Stelzer | Columbia, MO | $6,886 |
| 7 | Bruce Schlichting | Rockford, IL | $5,325 |
| 8 | Charles Hanson | Sioux Falls, SD | $4,174 |
| 9 | Edward Marick | Salina, KS | $3,316 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #3: No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 211 | $61,401 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Kellogg | Monona, WI | $15,348 |
| 2 | Jason Mayfield | Cabot, AR | $9,488 |
| 3 | Dale Beaudoin | Las Vegas, NV | $6,905 |
| 4 | Ryan Hartmann | Minneapolis, MN | $5,107 |
| 5 | Longlith Boutchantharaj | Fort Worth, TX | $3,836 |
| 6 | Michael Holm | Woodridge, IL | $2,926 |
| 7 | Kevin Mclaughlin | Omaha, NE | $2,266 |
| 8 | Joseph Cappuccio | Hammonton, NJ | $1,781 |
| 9 | Roland Israelashvili | Forest Hills, NY | $1,420 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #4: H.O.R.S.E.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 119 | $34,629 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Kerrigan | Omaha, NE | $10,390 |
| 2 | Michael Sanders | London, AR | $6,421 |
| 3 | Ari Engel | Las Vegas, NV | $4,572 |
| 4 | Christopher Conrad | Tampa, FL | $3,321 |
| 5 | Daniel Hakimian | Northbrook, IL | $2,460 |
| 6 | Jamal Taylor | Denver, CO | $1,857 |
| 7 | Matthew Solberg | Watertown, SD | $1,428 |
| 8 | Kirk Flom | Meriden, KS | $1,119 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #5: No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 197 | $57,327 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Hanner | Bellevue, NE | $15,765 |
| 2 | Michael Nellis | Omaha, NE | $9,739 |
| 3 | Kyle Golden | Lincoln, NE | $6,882 |
| 4 | Lorraine Jones | Denham Springs, LA | $4,890 |
| 5 | Jacob Phillips | Ozark, MO | $3,495 |
| 6 | Mark Bonsack | Cle Elum, WA | $2,513 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #6: Limit Omaha Eight or Better
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 128 | $37,248 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duane Gerleman | Ridgeway, IA | $10,428 |
| 2 | Terry Stork | Omaha, NE | $6,446 |
| 3 | Steven Rock | Salina, KS | $4,653 |
| 4 | Michael Lynch | Appleton, WI | $3,419 |
| 5 | Kelly Vandemheen | Omaha, NE | $2,566 |
| 6 | David Nicholson | Perkinston, MS | $1,943 |
| 7 | Eric Varnado | Topeka, KS | $1,502 |
| 8 | Paul Sokoloff | Toronto, ON | $1,180 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #7: No Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 255 | $74,205 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Boyanovsky | Albert City, IA | $18,178 |
| 2 | Leo Whitt | Louisville, KY | $11,233 |
| 3 | Cameron Shonka | Lincoln, NE | $8,116 |
| 4 | Drew Dumanski | Richardson, TX | $5,973 |
| 5 | Shawn Meyer | Davenport, NE | $4,475 |
| 6 | Walter Gardner | Auburn, KS | $3,410 |
| 7 | Giacomo Parisi | Iowa Falls, IA | $2,642 |
| 8 | Daniel Blakeman | Houston, TX | $2,080 |
| 9 | David Cummins | Austin, TX | $1,664 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #8: No Limit Hold’em Turbo
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 178 | $51,798 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Ruppert | Norman, OK | $13,983 |
| 2 | Scott Sharpe | Leawood, KS | $8,643 |
| 3 | Sarah Hale | Las Vegas, NV | $6,221 |
| 4 | Jeff Eades | Omaha, NE | $4,560 |
| 5 | Joel Merwick | Lincoln, NE | $3,401 |
| 6 | Bruce Hoyt | Gilbert, AZ | $2,581 |
| 7 | Amanda Musumeci | Philadelphia, PA | $1,992 |
| 8 | John Comito | Des Moines, IA | $1,563 |
| 9 | Kou Vang | St. Paul, MN | $1,246 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #9 No Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000+$80 | 147 | $142,590 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darrell Prevail | Sioux City, IA | $39,925 |
| 2 | Joel Merwick | Lincoln, NE | $24,677 |
| 3 | Ryan Tepen | Chesterfield, MO | $17,812 |
| 4 | Jamie Kerstetter | Jersey City, NJ | $13,088 |
| 5 | James Russell | Chesterfield, MI | $9,785 |
| 6 | Paul Sokoloff | Toronto, ON | $7,439 |
| 7 | Matt Lawrence | Tulsa, OK | $5,751 |
| 8 | Jovan Sudar | Omaha, NE | $4,517 |
| 9 | Bryan Moon | Chicago, IL | $3,606 |
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Ring Event #10 Pot-Limit Omaha w/ $100 Rebuys
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 58 | $16,878 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Carter | Oak Park, IL | $21,135 |
| 2 | Tim Burt | Grenada, MS | $13,075 |
| 3 | David Nicholson | Perkinston, MS | $8,566 |
| 4 | Kevin O’Donnell | Seward, NE | $5,917 |
| 5 | Adam Laskey | Fargo, ND | $4,339 |
| 6 | Joseph Antelo | St. Augustine, FL | $3,325 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino Champion is undecided. 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 a handful of players 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 Casino Champion |
| Bob Chow | Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner |
| Drazen Ilich | Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion |
| Gene Dudek | IP Biloxi Casino Champion |
| Jerry Monroe | IP Biloxi Main Event Winner |
| Michael Rosenbach | Lake Tahoe Casino Champ |
| Bryan Schultz | Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion |
| Tuan Phan | Harrah’s AC Main Event Winner |
| Hao Le | Harrah’s AC Casino Champ |
| Freddy Deeb | Bicycle Casino Main Event Winner |
| Huy Quach | Bicycle Casino Champ |
| Raja Kattamuri | Choctaw Casino Champ |
| Abraham Araya | Choctaw Main Event Champion |
| Gary Bolden | Caesars Palace Casino Champ |
| Kevin Calenzo | Caesars Palace Main Event Winner |
| Matthew Weber | Harrah’s Tunica Casino Champ |
| Kurt Jewell | Harrah’s Tunica Main Event Winner |
| Charles Flett | Palm Beach Casino Champ |
| James Harnden | Palm Beach Main Event Winner |
| Tuan Phan | Harrah’s AC Main Event Winner |
| Hao Le | Harrah’s AC Casino Champ |
| Joseph Kuether | Harrah’s Rincon Main Event Winner |
| Jonas Mackoff | Harrah’s Rincon Casino Champ |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Clark | 202.5 | 1 | 8 | $74,868 |
| Alexandru Masek | 162.5 | 1 | 8 | $135,308 |
| Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon | 157.5 | 1 | 7 | $62,973 |
| Daniel Blakeman | 150 | 1 | 6 | $141,388 |
| Chris Parsons | 150 | 0 | 7 | $74,942 |
| Benjamin Kramer | 150 | 1 | 10 | $52,354 |
| Stephen Kats | 140 | 1 | 10 | $52,354 |
| Michael Cooper | 135 | 0 | 8 | $55,659 |
| Dan Natarelli | 135 | 1 | 6 | $44,646 |
| Rex Clinkscales | 135 | 0 | 9 | $39,780 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs stop.
Don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are still a few opportunities to play, so be sure to check out one of the remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule.
Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule
| Event | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
*Photos courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
