World Series of Poker Circuit Event, Lake Tahoe - Day 1

November 17, 2007

John Hartness

World Series of Poker Circuit Event, Lake Tahoe - Day 1 0001

Day 1 of the 2007 World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event at Harvey's Lake Tahoe saw 142 players take to the felt, including some of the biggest names in tournament poker. Joining the field were 2000 World Champion Chris Ferguson, 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider, Kathy Liebert, J.C. Tran, Kirk Morrison and other top pros. All of them had their attention focused on one thing – the WSOP Circuit Ring and the $203,649 first place prize money.

To win the big prize, the players first had to survive Day 1, which is never easy at a major poker event. And with a field that included 'The Stunning One' Bill Edler, Scott Clements and Ciaran O'Leary, all of whom are 2007 WSOP bracelet winners, the challenge was even greater. J.J. Liu was an early elimination, when she ran her pocket sixes into an opponent's pocket queens, and she was followed to the rail soon after by Bill Edler when the Stunning One flopped two pair and got all his money in against an opponent's top pair. The river paired his opponent's kicker, and Edler was done before the dinner break.

Ciaran O'Leary was eliminated when Frank Lee rivered a straight to crack his Kings shortly before the dinner break after all the money went in on the turn of J-7-2-9, and Lee called O'Leary's all in move with 7-8. The 10 on the river sent O'Leary to the rail. Tom Schneider came to Lake Tahoe looking for back to back final tables at WSOP Circuit events, but it wasn't to be when he got his short stack all in with A-6, found a caller with A-Q and was eliminated just before the dinner break.

J.C. Tran was a dominant force in the early rounds, picking off opponents' bluffs with ease, but his luck changed drastically after dinner. Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson started Tran's downhill slide when on a board of 9♥2♥A♠6♦ he called Tran's sizable turn bet. The river brought the A♦ and Ferguson checked to Tran, who checked behind. Ferguson tabled pocket Jacks, good enough to take down the pot. A few hands later an opponent doubled through Tran with pocket Queens against Tran's A-K. Shortly after that, Tran was done for good. In a pot that Tran raised preflop, he check-raised his opponent on a flop of 6♣J♣4♣. When his opponent re-raised, Tran quickly went all in and tabled K♣8♣ for the flopped flush. Tran was drawing a wee bit thin when his opponent revealed A♣Q♣ for the nut flush. No miracle runner-runner straight flush for Tran, and he went from chip leader to railbird in a fairly short span.

Kathy Liebert nursed her short stack along for most of the evening before she got all her chips in preflop with A♦10♦. The flop of K-J-9 gave Michael Beisner top and bottom pair with his K♦9♠, and Liebert was eliminated. Beisner then sent Scott Clements to the rail with quads, after flopping a full house with pocket tens on a board of A♣A♠10♥. Clements was drawing thin with A♥3♥, and the 10♣ on the river gave Beisner the pot and sent Clements to the rail.

As the day drew to a close, Aaron Kanter and Chris Ferguson moved slowly toward the top of the leaderboard, but it was Keith Vanderbeek that finished the day with the big stack. As the play on Day 1 drew to a close, Vanderbeek got his opponent all in preflop with pocket Jacks against Vanderbeek's Queens, and the board of 7♣5♣10♥K♠Q♥ gave Vanderbeek a set and the chip lead as Day 1 ended at Harvey's Lake Tahoe. The chip counts looked like this as the players headed for bed in Tahoe:

Kevin Vanderbeek 88,000

Aaron Kanter 77,000

Vic Campana 76,500

Dustin Fox 75,100

Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson 63,300

Matthew Beisner 61,800

Dennis A. Lane 60,000

NA 56,300

Sinh Nguyen 46,700

Drew Farrar 45,600

Frank Lee 42,400

Nasser Hamedani 42,300