We found some new faces in the field on our last walkabout. Actually, all of these players are re-entries, with the exception of Shawn Rice (or at least we didn't see him play on Day 1a).
Jesse Capps was all in and at risk holding on a flop of . His opponent held for a pair of aces and a flush draw, and the turned giving him two pair. The completed the board, giving the player a full house for kicks and giggles, and Capps was eliminated.
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You may know Mario Silvestri as by his online aliases, "Pwnasaurus" and "Deuce2High", and by the fact that he was a member of the well-known Ship It Holla Ballas, a group of young up-and-coming poker players back in 2006. Silvestri, who hails from Texas, is in today's field.
In a recent hand, a player limped in middle position and inspired the small blind to do the same. Silvestri then raised to 600 from the big, only the middle-position limper called, and the flop fell . Silvestri continued for 700, and it was enough to get the job done as his opponent sent his cards to the muck.
It wasn't much of a hand, but with that win Silvestri is just about back to the starting stack.
The turnout here in Choctaw has been amazing. Registration is still open, but already this Main Event is the third largest in WSOP Circuit history. Here's a look at the top five:
Michael Hahn won Choctaw Event #5. Picture courtesy of WSOP.
Over the course of the past two days, we've been updating you on the preliminary ring events that took place earlier this week here in Choctaw. In case you missed the ones we've covered thus far, here they are again for your reading pleasure:
Michael Hahn brought 717,000 chips to Day 2 of Event 5, a $365 No-Limit Hold’em tournament. Morey Green trailed him closely with 640,000 but the pair set themselves apart from the rest of the field, as the next closest stack belonging to Weldon Hyman who held 364,000.
Hahn rode his lead stack to the final table and began the tournament’s finale with almost 900,000 chips, or more than 100 big blinds. Green remained close behind, holding 777,000.
The pair embarked on a roller-coaster ride that saw Hahn relinquish the chip lead, but keep his cool and close the book on his first Circuit victory. Green finished third, recording his first WSOP-related cash. Hahn won $22,276, a WSOP Circuit gold ring and 50 points toward the Casino Championship.
“It changed pretty quickly,” Hahn said of the dynamic at the final table. “[Austin Buchanan] kind of got some chips early so it changed a little bit. Once the short stacks busted it was always changing and I went up and down quite a bit.”
The ups far outweighed the downs and Hahn donned his first WSOP Circuit ring with his friend, railbird and four-time Circuit champion, Kurt Jewell by his side.
The tournament’s second place finisher was Lynn Achey. Achey was the only player at the final table to have won a WSOP Circuit gold ring. He first won gold in 2008 at Grand Casino Tunica in a $500 buy-in event.
Achey began the heads-up battle Tuesday night with the chip advantage but eventually succumbed to Hahn’s solid play. He was awarded $13,774 for second. Hahn is a 27-year-old poker professional from Indianapolis. He attended Indiana University and received a degree in marketing management and entrepreneurship.
WSOP Circuit Choctaw Durant Ring Event #5 No-Limit Hold’em
Yesterday, AP Phahurat of Team Run Good managed to make a deep run, but failed to make it through to Day 2. Phahurat fired a second bullet here on Day 1b, but he has met an early demise here in Level 4.
We saw Phahurat rise from the table, put on his backpack, and exit the tournament floor, so we quickly made out way over. When we arrived, Phyllis Blanton was being pushed the pot with the laid out in front of here. Phahurat's hand had already been mucked, but Matt Chang was kind enough to inform us that he had gotten his last 1,700 all in preflop with and failed to improve.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
on a flop of 
. His opponent held 
for a pair of aces and a flush draw, and the 
turned giving him two pair. The 
completed the board, giving the player a full house for kicks and giggles, and Capps was eliminated.
but your opponent plays, then you watch him play in real-time hoping he loses because every dollar he loses is a dollar you win!
. Silvestri continued for 700, and it was enough to get the job done as his opponent sent his cards to the muck.
, Randolph Lanosga called. The 
completed the board, and Lanosga's opponent led out for 1,600. He called.
laid out in front of here. Phahurat's hand had already been mucked, but Matt Chang was kind enough to inform us that he had gotten his last 1,700 all in preflop with 