Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's St. Louis

April 21, 2012

The 2011/2012 World Series of Poker Circuit is slowly winding down and will culminate in the National Championship this summer; however, before then there are a few stops to be held, including the one at Harrah’s St. Louis which began on April 12. That stop’s Main Event begins on Saturday, April 21, so we thought it’d be a good idea to recap the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis action thus far, which included the largest tournament in Missouri history.

That tournament was actually Event #4: $355 No Limit Hold’em Re-Entry, which attracted 1,066 players, creating a prize pool of $310,206 and surpassed last year’s field of 843 entries. It took four long days for action to be completed, including a 15-hour final table.

It was there that Roy Riley squared off against Javier Zarco in heads-up action. The two started nearly even in chips, but Riley pulled out to a 3-to-1 chip lead in the first hour of heads-up play. It was at that point that Zarco, a 27-year-old student from Madrid, Spain studying in the U.S., moved all in with 6♥4♥ on an 8♥7♣4♠ flop. Riley made the call with a pair of sevens and held as the Q♠ appeared on the turn followed by the 3♣ on the river.

Zarco finished as runner-up for $35,327, while Riley became the champ and took down the $57,139 top prize. “I have the perfect life right now,” the 26-year-old physical education teacher and star of NBC’s “Ironman World Championship” reality show said after his win. “This was a great victory.”

“I am going to give it a shot,” Riley said of his poker career. “I planned to do this before I won this event. But now, I really think I am ready to take the next step . . . I love poker. I really love to play the game. But to me, it’s important to do something that’s really important and help other people. I love my job just as much.”

Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis events completed thus far:

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #1: No-Limit Hold’em

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Event #2: No-Limit Hold'em

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Event #3: Pot-Limit Omaha

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #4: No Limit Hold’em Re-entry

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Event #5: No-Limit Hold'em Turbo

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #6: No-Limit Hold’em

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #7: No Limit Hold’em Six Handed

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #8: No Limit Hold’em

WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #9: No Limit Hold’em

With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Casino Champion is undecided. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. Here's a look at the players who have qualified:

National Championship Qualifiers

In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy-in to the National Championship:

WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*

*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis stop.

Don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are only a couple of remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule:

Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! In the meantime, see who qualifies for the National Championship this week by following our Live Reporting Team’s coverage from the Harrah’s St. Louis.

_{*Photos courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.}

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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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