$1,700 Main Event
Day 3 Completed
2020 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Tunica
$1,700 Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2020 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Tunica
Buy-in
$1,700
Prize Pool
$743,865
Entries
491
Level
30
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000
Lytle Allen Captures First WSOP Circuit Ring in Horseshoe Tunica Main Event
Level 30
: 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
It only took less than four hours on the final day of the World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Tunica $1,700 Main Event before a champion was crowned. Coming through one of the toughest final tables of the circuit, Lytle Allen captured his first-ever WSOP Circuit ring along with a payday of $144,313.
Allen came into the day as one of the shorter stacks but after a double up on the first hand of the day, Allen never relinquished the chip lead as he soared to a comfortable victory, topping some of the best players on the circuit. It only took one hand for Allen to defeat Bryan Piccioli heads-up who earned over $89,000 for his efforts. Coming into heads-up play with only 17 big blinds, Piccioli jammed all-in with ace-eight suited only to run into the pocket kings of Allen.
Allen was asked what it meant to finally get his first WSOP Circuit ring and he was a little bit shocked, to be honest. "It means a lot to me! I've been working hard to get to this point and to beat the field that I was playing with, they were tough. I feel really good about it."
Allen had to battle his way through the likes of Scott Stewart, defending champion Kyle Cartwright, and a formidable heads-up opponent in Piccioli who all have a long list of accomplishments at the poker table. "My strategy was to come in and just play my game. I figured I was the underdog so I just wanted to get it in with some good cards and they held up. Everything just worked out for me. Everything just went my way."
This will go down as Allen's second-largest score of his poker career after a third-place finish in the WSOP Circuit Hammond Main Event back in 2015 netted him over $161,000. Going forward, Allen said that he will continue playing professional poker but plans on staying in the mid-west area for the most part. "Definitely going to be in Vegas for the summer but I'll try to stay in this area where I can drive to events."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lytle Allen | United States | $144,313 |
| 2nd | Bryan Piccioli | United States | $89,191 |
| 3rd | Kyle Cartwright | United States | $65,574 |
| 4th | Matthew Higgins | United States | $48,840 |
| 5th | James Todd Osborne | United States | $36,857 |
| 6th | Scott Stewart | United States | $28,187 |
| 7th | Blake Barousse | United States | $21,849 |
| 8th | Greg Jennings | United States | $17,170 |
| 9th | Hyun Lee | United States | $13,681 |
Day 3 Action
The action kicked off at 12 p.m. local time with the final six players returning to their seats and as mentioned above, the chips got in the middle in a hurry. Allen picked up pocket aces in the very first hand and James Todd Osborne was the unfortunate player to hold ace-king. Allen scored a double up into the chip lead which left Osborne on the short stack.
Osborne managed to battle back, including a couple of double-ups, one against Stewart. It turned out to be a tough day at the table for Stewart who struggled to win pots and eventually found himself below ten big blinds. He finally shoved all-in with ace-nine suited but Cartwright woke up with ace-king. A full house for Cartwright sent Stewart to the payout desk in sixth place.
Five-handed play continued for an hour before Osborne eventually saw his stack dissipate as well. With less than big blinds as well, Osborne moved the last of his chips in the middle with king-eight and found a call from Matthew Higgins with a weaker king. However, Higgins paired his kicker and Osborne was forced to settle for fifth place. It was a good comeback for Osborne who was sitting on just two big blinds during hand-for-hand on the money bubble yesterday.
With four players remaining, Allen continued to pad his lead while the other three jockeyed for position. As the other three players fell to around 20 big blinds, Allen started picking up premium holdings and went on a tear. His first victim was Higgins who jammed ace-seven suited only to be called by Allen's ace-queen. A clean board for Allen boosted his stack to over 10 million chips with just three players left.
Cartwright was looking to go back-to-back in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica Main Event and his odds were looking good as the chip leader when the day began. One bad beat that saw Allen flop a set of deuces against Cartwright's pocket kings meant Cartwright had to battle from the short stack. He picked up a suited ace in the big blind but it was no match for Allen's ace-queen once again. Allen turned a straight and Cartwright bowed out in third place.
That left Allen to battle with Piccioli heads-up, a matchup that wouldn't last very long. Piccioli entered the final day as the shortest stack but managed to stay out of the way of Allen who was steamrolling the final table. Piccioli scored some key pay jumps but was ultimately a huge underdog entering heads-up play. Allen's hot streak continued when he picked up pocket kings in the first hand and eliminated Piccioli in second place.
Aaron Gamino Casino Champ
Aaron Gamino, a 31-year-old economics professor, claimed the WSOPC Horseshoe Tunica Casino Champion title with four cashes including three final tables and one victory, worth 107.5 points. That means he too will receive a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.
“It's nice. I think I’ve cashed like half of the tournaments I’ve played recently and I’ve final tabled the fourth of them,’’ Gamino said after his win in Event #4: $400 NLH One-Day, which was good for $16,194 and his second gold ring.
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $400 NLH Double Stack | 339 | $111,870 | Chris Nunnally | $23,984 |
| Event #2: $400 NLH (One-Day) | 271 | $89,430 | Blake Whittington | $19,786 |
| Event #3: $400 NLH Multi-Flight | 1,005 | $331,650 | Michael Lech | $53,320 |
| Event #4: $400 NLH One-Day | 207 | $68,310 | Aaron Gamino | $16,194 |
| Event #5: $400 NLH 6-Handed | 238 | $78,540 | Bryan Salerno | $18,438 |
| Event #6: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 124 | $40,920 | Grant Hart | $11,209 |
| Event #7: $400 Monster Stack | 738 | $243,540 | Walker Miskelly | $43,209 |
| Event #8: $600 NLH | 238 | $122,570 | Sam Washburn | $28,101 |
| Event #9: $250 NLH One-Day | 303 | $60,600 | Neil Patel | $13,354 |
| Event #10: $1,700 Main Event | 491 | $743,865 | Lytle Allen | $144,313 |
| Event #11: $400 NLH One-Day | 219 | $72,270 | Brandon Smith | $16,971 |
| Event #12: $400 NLH One-Day | 184 | $60,720 | Jenneth Norman | $14,925 |
| Event #13: $400 Double Stack | 256 | $84,480 | Brian Green | $18,945 |
While things have wrapped up here in Tunica, Mississippi, the WSOP Circuit will head off to their next stop in Potawatomi followed by another stop in Tampa Bay. That brings an end to the coverage here for PokerNews but stay tuned for updates from the next live events happening in the poker world.
Bryan Piccioli Eliminated in 2nd Place ($89,191)
Level 30
: 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
In the first hand of heads-up play, Bryan Piccioli and Lytle Allen got all of their chips in the middle preflop. Piccioli came into heads-up action as a massive underdog, having only 17 big blinds to work with.
Lytle Allen: 
Bryan Piccioli: 
The flop came 
to give Piccioli a pair of eights but Allen was still out front with his pocket kings. The 
on the turn left Piccioli drawing to just five outs and the 
on the river was not one of them. Piccioli was eliminated and Allen claimed his first WSOP Circuit ring along with booking a ticket to the 2020 Global Casino Championship.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
14,730,000 | 1,830,000 |
|
Busted |
Kyle Cartwright Eliminated in 3rd Place ($65,574)
Level 30
: 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Lytle Allen opened to 250,000 on the button and was called by Bryan Piccioli in the small blind. Kyle Cartwright jammed all in for 1,845,000 in the big blind and Allen confirmed the count before making the call. Piccioli got out of the way and the two remaining hands were tabled.
Lytle Allen: 
Kyle Cartwright: 
Allen once again found himself in a dominating position and the flop of 
left him in the lead. The 
on the turn gave Allen a straight and the 
on the river sent Cartwright home in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,900,000 | 2,075,000 |
|
|
1,690,000 | -910,000 |
|
Busted |
Matthew Higgins Eliminated in 4th Place ($48,840)
Level 30
: 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Matthew Higgins was down to around 16 big blind and he shipped all in on the button. Lytle Allen looked down at his cards in the big blind and made a quick call to put Higgins at risk.
Lytle Allen: 
Matthew Higgins: 
Higgins found himself dominated but the flop of 
gave him a flush draw. The was no help on the turn and the 
paired the board on the river. Allen's ace-queen high was good to enough to win the hand and Higgins was eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,825,000 | 3,625,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 30
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 100,000
Higgins Lays One Down
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Matthew Higgins raised to 175,000 on the button and Lytle Allen defended from the big blind. The flop came 
and Allen check-called a bet of 150,000 from Higgins.
The turn was the and Allen checked it again. Higgins fired out another bet of 225,000 and Allen still called. The river was the 
and Allen led out for 425,000 this time. Higgins mulled it over for a minute and eventually decided to lay his hand down.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,200,000 | 290,000 |
|
|
2,260,000 | -440,000 |
Pots for Cartwright and Piccioli
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Kyle Cartwright raised to 160,000 from under the gun and Matthew Higgins called from the big blind. The flop came 
and Higgins check-called a bet of 110,000 from Cartwright.
The turn brought the 
and both players checked to the on the river. Higgins checked again and Cartwright tossed in another bet of 180,000. Higgins looked him up and Cartwright showed 
to earn the pot.
In the next hand, Lytle Allen raised to 200,000 and Bryan Piccioli called on the button. The flop fell 
and both players checked to the on the turn. Allen made a bet of 300,000 and Piccioli stuck around to see the on the river. Allen checked this time and folded when Piccioli pushed out a bet of 560,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,910,000 | -380,000 |
|
|
2,700,000 | -750,000 |
|
|
2,600,000 | 450,000 |
|
|
2,520,000 | 660,000 |
Piccioli Flops a Straight to Double Up
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Kyle Cartwright raised to 160,000 on the button and Bryan Piccioli defended from the big blind. The flop came 
and both players checked to the on the turn.
Piccioli led out with a bet of 130,000 and Cartwright slid out a raise to over 1,000,000. Piccioli instantly called off his stack of 890,000 and turned over for a straight. Cartwright held for top pair but was drawing dead to the on the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,150,000 | 525,000 |
|
|
1,860,000 | -1,050,000 |
Allen Makes It on the River
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Kyle Cartwright limped in from the small blind and Lytle Allen bumped it up to 180,000 from the big blind. Cartwright called and the flop came . Both players checked and the 
landed on the turn.
Cartwright led out for 210,000 and Allen stuck around to see the on the river. Cartwright fired out another bet of 345,000 and Allen quickly called. Cartwright showed 
for ace-high and was disappointed to see that Allen rivered a pair with 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,290,000 | 410,000 |
|
|
2,910,000 | -115,000 |