The tournament floor here at Harrah's St. Louis is basically located in two halves, one on either side of the giant bar that divides the gaming floor (yes, the tournament area has been incorporated right on the gaming floor). As it happens, the far side of the room, which is usually reserved for overflow, has been completely broken and all the remaining players are now playing in the the main area.
Today's field officially drew 449 players (we put the over/under at 450), generating a prizepool of $646,762, and will pay out 45 spots as follows:
1st: $142,290
2nd: $87,927
3rd: $64,249
4th: $47,705
5th: $35,973
6th: $27,533
7th: $21,382
8th: $16,842
9th: $13,453
10th-12th: $10,891
13th-15th: $8,938
16th-18th: $7,438
19th-21st: $6,267
22nd-24th: $5,349
25th-27th: $4,624
28th-30th: $4,049
31st-33rd: $3,590
34th-36th: $3,221
37th-45th: $2,923
Many may remember 25-year old Kurt Jewell for his victory in the $1,600 Main Event at the Horseshoe Hammond circuit stop back in October, for which he earned $242,909 and secured his spot in the National Championship. In February, Jewell final tabled another Main Event at Harrah’s Tunica, but had an epic meltdown when he busted in eighth place after holding nearly half the chips in play with nine left. Lucky for him, he managed to redeem himself in St. Louis by winning his second ring and $13,206 by taking down Event #3, which just so happened to be his first Omaha 8 tournament ever. “I was literally googling Omaha 8 to see what the optimal starting hands were and to get some tips,” Jewell said after the win.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$45 | 181 | $50,794 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kurt Jewell | Frankfort, KY | $13,206 |
| 2 | Eliot Spiro | St. Louis, MO | $8,158 |
| 3 | Tom Franklin | Gulfport, MS | $5,891 |
| 4 | Jim Rye | Laurie, MO | $4,326 |
| 5 | Nathan Hogan | Chesterfield, MO | $3,232 |
| 6 | Kristopher Tong | Costa Meda, CA | $2,456 |
| 7 | La Sengphet | Carrollton, TX | $1,897 |
| 8 | Alexander Hoff | Wentzville, MO | $1,490 |
| 9 | Thomas Henry | Jackson, MO | $1,189 |
Jean "Prince" Gaspard raised preflop and received calls from two players. He proceeded to bet 2,000 in the 
flop and received just one caller. Surprisingly, Gaspard checked the turn in the dark, which ended up being the 
. His opponent moved all in for 12,600, Gaspard thought for awhile before declaring he thought his opponent had tens, and made the call.
Gaspard: 
Opponent: 
Gaspard let out a excited shout when the 
river blanked and he sent his opponent to the rail. The man known as "Prince" is up to 54,000.
Mark "Pegasus" Smith raised to 850 from middle position and received a call from a player in late position. It was heads up to the 
flop and Smith led out for 1,200, which his opponent called.
The dealer proceeded to burn and turn the 
and this time Smith checked, prompting the late-position player to bet 6,000. Smith snap-called and then checked the 
river. His opponent moved all in for 9,600 and Smith made the call holding 
. It was good and Smith clapped his hands and let loose a celebratory "Yeah" as he collected the pot and increased his stack to 50,000.
Don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship and your shot at the $1 million freeroll. There are still plenty of opportunities to play, including any of the three remaining stops on the 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 |
Level: 6
Blinds: 150/300
Ante: 25
Keith Woernle, who won Event #7 here at the WSOP-C Harrah's St. Louis to claim his first ring, raised to 600 only to be reraised to 1,600 by Aaron Massey. Woernle popped it to 4,300, Massey called, and the two watched the flop come down 
.
Woernle was first to act and led out for 4,200, which Massey snap-raised to 8,500. The bet was enough to force Woernle off the hand as he dropped to 11,500. Meanwhile, Massey is up to 48,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
55,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
50,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
42,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |
|
|
34,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
32,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
|
||
|
31,500
11,500
|
11,500 |
|
|
30,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
29,000 | |
|
28,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |
|
||
|
28,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
||
|
|
27,500
12,200
|
12,200 |
|
|
27,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
25,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
25,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
21,000
2,500
|
2,500 |
|
|
20,500
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
15,000
-5,000
|
-5,000 |
|
13,500
-2,900
|
-2,900 |
|
|
||
Four players saw a flop of 
and action checked to Dennis Phillips in the cutoff. He bet 500, the small blind called, and the other two players got out of the way. The small blind then checked the turn, Phillips bet 1,100, and the small blind called.
When the 
hit the river, the small blind check-called Phillips' 2,100 bet and was left shaking his head after Phillips turned over 
for a flopped flush. Phillips is up to 55,000.
