Main Event
Day 1 Started
Main Event
Day 1 Started
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Lodge Casino in Black Hawk Colorado for Day 1 of the Lodge Casino WSOP Circuit Main Event! Over the last week, poker players from around the country have flocked to the mountains of Colorado with hopes of getting a WSOP Circuit Ring. Well today starts the quest for the most coveted ring of all, the Main Event.
There are three Day 1 flights for this tournament. Today, we will be playing Day 1a and 1b. The players who are fortunate enough to survive today will have tomorrow off, as we will be playing Day 1c. The survivors from all these pools will come together on Sunday, and we will know the next Circuit Main Event champion on Monday!
The players are making their way into the casino, and the cards will be in the air shortly. Each Day 1 flight will play 12 levels today before bagging and tagging for the night. We will be here all day providing you the action, so kick back, put the NCAA Tournament games on the TV, and follow all the action here at Pokernews!
The tournament staff has made their announcements, and the cardsare now in the air!
Level: 1a
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
We just completed our first run through of the tables, and everyone of them is short handed. The most players we saw at one table was six, even though the tables have 10 seats available. We will hold off on posting a list of notables until more players have filed in.
As expected, we've seen a few circuit grinders at the tables so far. Phillip Hui has a ring and came oh so close to his second in Caesars Atlantic City, where he finished 2nd in a $365 event. We also have Ryan Reiss, who is fresh off a 4th place finish in a $365 event earlier this series. There's also Raymond Dandrea, who bubbled the final table of the Main Event in Rincon March of 2012.
In addition to those players, we also spotted Chris Tryba and Justin Gardenhire. We did see Jeffrey Fielder walking around, but he has yet to sit down at a table. Fielder has been on fire recently, winning the Main Event in Choctaw for over $310,000, then finishing 6th at the Caesars Main Event in Las Vegas less then a month later.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Phillip Hui
|
20,000 | 20,000 |
Ryan Riess
|
20,000 | 20,000 |
Raymond Dandrea | 20,000 | 20,000 |
Chris Tryba
|
20,000 | 20,000 |
Justin Gardenhire | 20,000 | 20,000 |
Level: 2a
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
We just filled our first table of late registration, and as you would expect in an event like this, we recognized a few of the players at the table. Allen Kessler is in the one seat, talking to the table as he is prone to do. We also have Kevin Boudreau, who's big break came when he finished 2nd in a $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha at the WSOP in 2010. Lastly, we have Nathan Bjerno, who final tabled the Circuit Main Event in Los Angeles earlier this year, finishing in 8th place.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Allen Kessler | 20,000 | 20,000 |
Kevin Boudreau | 20,000 | 20,000 |
Nathan Bjerno | 20,000 | 20,000 |
Action started with a raise to 350 from early position, and Chris Tryba was one of two callers on the button. The flop came down , and the original raised fired out 375. Tryba was the lone caller, as the small blind folded, and the two went heads up to the turn.
That card was the , and the original raised made it 600 this time. Tryba sprung to action with a raise to 1,400, and he was called. The river brought the , which was about as scary as a deuce on the river could be can be. After it was checked to Tryba, he fired out 2,600, and his opponent folded. After collecting hte pot, Tryba is now up to 23,000 early in the day.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Chris Tryba
|
23,000 | 3,000 |
Los Angeles based poker pro Ray Henson hadn't been seen much on the WSOP Circuit before this year, but he is playing more events, and is reaping the benefits from it. Last December, Henson barely missed out on the final table at Harrah's Rincon, finishing 11th. However, he made up for that when he won the $1,000 buy in event in Los Angeles a month later, taking home over $42,000 for his efforts.
He hasn't show any signs of slowing down here in Colorado. Just yesterday, Henson won his 2nd ring, winning a $365 event, pocketing $16,128 in that one. Henson has taken his seat at the second late registrants table, and he will be one to keep our eyes on today.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Ray Henson | 20,000 | 20,000 |