Welcome to the Main Event!
This past summer World Series of Poker officials announced a series of changes for the WSOP Circuit’s seventh season including: more television coverage, standardized structures, a cumulative points system, and four Super-Regional tournaments. In addition, a season-ending National Championship tournament for 100 players who automatically qualify via cumulative rankings or performance-based criteria was established. This tournament, which will be played at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, features a $1,000,000 prize pool, awards a WSOP Gold Bracelet, and will be broadcast on national television.
Ty Stewart, Vice President of the WSOP, explained the need for change: "We recognized the WSOP Circuit Events needed a shot in the arm, and we believe we’ve responded with steroids. The new model is exactly what the WSOP is all about, giving poker players of all bankrolls the chance to compete for the kind of fame, fortune and respect that comes only with a WSOP bracelet and a national television audience.“
The 2010/2011 WSOPC opened last month in Council Bluffs, Iowa with Blair Hinkle taking down the Main events for $88,555 and becoming the first National qualifier. Today, the Midwest again finds itself the home to the WSOPC. Since October 2, the Horseshoe Southern Indiana casino, located in Elizabeth, Indiana, just 23 miles southwest of Louisville, Kentucky, has played host to the second of the WSOPC’s 13 stops.
Up until this point, nine ring events have been played at the WSOPC Southern Indiana. Some of the events played thus far, along with the winners, include:
Event #1: $350 No Limit Hold’em—Samuel Serdar ($47,171)
Event #2: $550 No Limit Hold’em—Ghansham Punjabi ($25,545)
Event #3: $350 Six-Handed NLH—Timothy McCarthy ($15,897)
Event #4: $350 NLH Shootout—Kevin Manley ($9,566)
Event #5: $350 H.O.R.S.E.—Scott Clark ($9,313)
Event #6: $350 PLO/PLH—Shiva Dudani ($9,226)
Event #7: $350 No Limit Hold’em—Jeffrey Baker ($24,190)
Today, the $1,600 buy-in Main Event begins and will award the winner first place prize money, a coveted diamond-encrusted gold Circuit Event ring and an automatic entry to the $1 million WSOPC National Championship that will take place in May, 2011 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In addition, a second National Championship entry will be awarded to the player earning the most points throughout all ten ring events at the Horseshoe.
Last year, it was Gabriel Cook, a 33-year-old high school special education teacher from Terre Haute, Indiana, who became the Circuit champion at Horseshoe Southern Indiana and took home the $92,430 first-place prize. This year, there is a mix of amateurs and pros looking to duplicate Cook’s success. T.J. Cloutier and Mark “Poker Ho” Kroon have both been spotted at the Horseshoe, while Dwyte Pilgrim, perhaps the circuit’s biggest success and fresh off his World Poker Tour victory, is also in attendance. Pilgrim is currently ranked on the top ten of the WSOPC National Leaderboard and is in contention in almost every Player of the Year race. With a strong performance here, Pilgrim may be able to pull away from the pack. Below is a look at the top ten players on the WSOPC National Leaderboard heading into today’s Main Event:
1. Shiva Dudani . . . 125 points (one ring, two cashes)
2. Blair Hinkle . . . 100 points (one ring, one cash)*
3. Robert Georato . . . 90 points (one ring, three cashes)*
4. Jeffrey Epstein . . . 87.5 points (one ring, two cashes)
5. Steven Weixel . . . 77.5 points (one ring, three cashes)
6. Scott Clark . . . 75 points (one ring, two cashes)
7. Joel Merwick . . . 72.5 points (four cashes)
8. Matthew Lawrence . . . 65 points (two cashes)
9. Brett Schwertley . . . 65 points (four cashes)
10. Dwyte Pilgrim . . . 60 points (one cash)
*Players have already qualified for National Championship
As you can see, there is plenty at stake in today’s tournament. Action is set to begin at noon, so stay tuned to PokerNews for up-to-the-minute coverage of the WSOPC Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event!