partypoker US Network Players Choice Series (Dec.13-20)

Last month, the World Poker Tour (WPT) announced its first U.S.-based online Main Tour event, the $3,500 WPT Online Poker Open Main Event, set for a late December running in New Jersey. That one will also carry a guarantee of $1 million.

The WPT Online Poker Open Main Event will be held Dec. 27-29 on partypoker US Network for players in New Jersey.

The ambitious $1 million guarantee signifies how serious the WPT and partypoker are about making this a premier poker tournament worthy of the WPT name.

“The WPT Online Poker Open brings the most prestigious prize in poker to New Jersey and the partypoker US Network,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska in a presser. “WPT’s continued pivot toward online will continue with another landmark for regulated online poker in the United States.”

Indeed, the WPT has pivoted into a strong series of online offerings, however, all were offered to the dot-com partypoker player pool, a much larger bunch of customers than the prospective New Jersey pool. Drawing the necessary entries to meet the guarantee will require some effort, and the WPT already announced satellites will be available for as little as $5.

In Level 19 with blinds of 5,000/10,000 and an ante of 1,250, heads-up action between Kevin "sofcknsick" Campbell in the big blind and "HodorHodorHodor", who was on the button led to there being 142,000 in the pot on a board of .

First to act, Campbell made a pot-sized bet that was enough to put "HodorHodorHodor" to a decision for the 139,000 that remained in their stack. After spending some time in the tank, "HodorHodorHodor" found a call.

"HodorHodorHodor":
Kevin "sofcknsick" Campbell":

After calling, "HodorHodorHodor" saw their aces up with the nut kicker was no good to Campbell's full house and they were eliminated from the tournament as a result.

Also eliminated at roughly the same time were "bertdoggy" and "SadBigCheese" to bring the number of players remaining in the tournament down to 20. Two more eliminations are needed to make it into the money.

Player	Chips	Progress
Kevin "sofcknsick" Campbell	962,195 -14,618	-14,618
HodorHodorHodor	Busted
bertdoggy	Busted
SadBigCheese	Busted

In Level 20 with blinds of 6,000/12,000 and an ante of 1,500, "richyrich" was just eliminated to bring the field down to 19. Just one more elimination is needed and a few shorter stacks are littered across the four tables still in play.

Player	Chips	Progress
ashylarry	108,376 45,376	45,376
La_Flama_Blanca	67,832 -26,751	-26,751
skip-973	41,798 -102,743	-102,743
richyrich	Busted

In Level 21 with blinds of 7,000/14,000 and an ante of 1,750, "La_Flama_Blanca" and "skip-973" have both found themselves down to one big blind, only to each earn doubles. "La_Flama_Blanca" was the more recent to earn the double, and it was their second double on the bubble as 19 players still remain in the tournament.

Seven players now find themselves below 100,000 as the bubble continues.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jinxy	96,489 -192,475	-192,475
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	83,790 -16,855	-16,855
leoliondog	67,409 -319,012	-319,012
ashylarry	54,126 -54,250	-54,250
La_Flama_Blanca	43,117 -24,715	-24,715
skip-973	19,596 -22,202	-22,202

It's time for another five-minute break as "skip-973" has once again found a way to stay alive after being forced all in from the big blind. When play resumes, "La_Flama_Blanca" will be all in for their last 7,000 in the big blind, while "ashylarry" will be forced all in shortly thereafter should "La_Flama_Blanca" survive as well. "leoliondog" also has less than one big blind and will be in the small blind in the very next hand, meaning they will be forced in shortly as well regardless of what happens.

Complete chip counts from the final 19 have been posted below.

Player	Chips	Progress
MakiNuReload	1,337,194 513,529	513,529
Stanton "Stonniepokes" Tentnowski	1,254,787 680,491	680,491
Kevin "sofcknsick" Campbell	1,235,350 273,155	273,155
GrindUrGearz	1,146,947 -238,519	-238,519
CharlieLucky	835,765 387,275	387,275
Michael "UFOLDIWIN" St. John	548,254 249,845	249,845
Shipit2488	430,350 360,900	360,900
Ryan "TheSims" Hohner	373,338 13,185	13,185
Bigtexas	337,382 236,224	236,224
Chris "rumpthumper" White	209,152 26,866	26,866
l3illal30nG	177,507 -271,760	-271,760
r87996541	101,449 -187,188	-187,188
Jinxy	90,489 -6,000	-6,000
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	53,040 -30,750	-30,750
skip-973	50,788 31,192	31,192
jitney0999	25,306 -108,708	-108,708
ashylarry	22,126 -32,000	-32,000
leoliondog	13,659 -53,750	-53,750
La_Flama_Blanca	7,117 -36,000	-36,000

In Level 22 with blinds of 8,000/16,000 and an ante of 2,000, "La_Flama_Blanca" was all in for their last 5,100 in the big blind. Stanton "Stonniepokes" Tentnowski raised to 40,000 in the cutoff and forced everyone else out to bring about a heads-up showdown.

"La_Flama_Blanca":
Stanton "Stonniepokes" Tentnowski:

The flop gave Tentnowski a pair of Queens but "La_Flama_Blanca" still had outs to a set and a flush. Unfortunately for them, the turn and river left their hand unimproved and they finished in 19th place, bursting the bubble as a result.

All 18 who remain are now officially in the money.

Player	Chips	Progress
Stanton "Stonniepokes" Tentnowski	1,275,904 21,117	21,117
La_Flama_Blanca	Busted

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In Level 24 with blinds of 12,000/24,000 and an ante of 3,000, Chris "rumpthumper" White three-bet shoved for 139,000 on the button over an open from "CharlieLucky" in the hijack and received a call.

Chris "rumpthumper" White:
"CharlieLucky":

"CharlieLucky" made like their name on the flop , leaving White with one immediate out along with backdoor flush- and Broadway outs to stay alive. Those backdoor outs were nixed on the turn , and the one outer failed to come on the river to spell his elimination.

Moments earlier, Don "dhimp20" Himpele was also eliminated, following in the footsteps of "l3illal30ng" who also found the rail shortly after the final two tables were reached. The trio of eliminations brings the field down to nine.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chris "rumpthumper" White	Busted
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	Busted
l3illal30nG	Busted

In Level 24 with blinds of 12,000/24,000 and an ante of 3,000, "r87996541" got the last of their chips into the middle preflop in the cutoff and received action from Kevin "sofcknsick" Campbell in the small blind.

"r87996541":
Kevin "sofcknsick" Campbell:

"r87996541" saw their fives become no good as the flop gave Campbell the nut flush. No running full house outs came as the turn and river completed the runout and Campbell earned the pot and the knockout to bring the number of players left in the tournament down to eight.

Player	Chips	Progress
Kevin "sofcknsick" Campbell	2,154,531 919,181	919,181
r87996541	Busted