Regional Championship
Day 1a Started
2010-11 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Rincon
Regional Championship
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2010-11 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Rincon
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$950,600
Entries
98
Level
26
Blinds
12,000 / 24,000
Ante
4,000
Regional Goodness
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Welcome back to the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Rincon.
Today is Sunday, a day most poker players reserve for multi-site, multi-table grinding on the virtual felt at home. But there's a $10,000 WSOP-C West Regional Championship today in Southern California, a televised event that figures to steal at least a few of the grinders away from their computers for a little live poker.
There's some amazing value to be had here this week. With the $1,600 Main Event drawing a slender 188 runners, this third Regional Championship figures to smaller than the previous two. The Midwest Regional Championship in Hammond, Indiana drew 226 runners last October, and 136 players turned up for the Eastern Regional Championship in Atlantic City two months later. With about 45 minutes to go before our starting time today, there are just about 50 players registered. We expect that number to grow a bit as people continue to trickle into town this morning, but +/- 100 players looks like a decent line for today's field.
So why play this event? For starters, the satellite action has been particularly robust at this stop. There were three $1,080 satellites yesterday alone, and we know one of them paid out 17 seats. There's television, too -- major television, in fact. Versus will be here this week shooting tape for broadcast later this spring. Even better, the nine players who make it to the TV final table all get their prize money plus an entry into the 100-player, $1 million National Championship freeroll in May too. That's another $10,000 in equity, and that should more than make up for the few extra empty seats in the room.
Overall, we expect to see a pretty homogenous mix of the familiar sharks, up-and-coming grinders, and amateurs looking to kickstart their poker careers in a big way.
We've got a bit of a venue change in store for today, too. The Main Event that finished up yesterday was held downstairs in the Pavilion, but this big-ticket event has moved upstairs to the smaller, cozier, prettier, and much-more-regal-sounding Bordeaux room. The dealers are just sitting down behind their decks and the staff is scurrying around the room tying up all the last-minute loose ends. The cards go in the air at noon local time, just about a half hour from now.
Don't wander off!
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
Go, Go, Go!
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The cards are in the air, and this Regional Championship is a go.
We're off to a bit of a slow start. We count 23 players in their seats so far, with a bunch more coming fashionably late. Only four tables have the requisite three players to begin play, but players are streaming to their seats as we speak.
Notably Here
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
We're seeing a good crew of notables starting to fill in the empty seats. Allen Kessler was the first one here as usual, and he's since been joined by David Baker two seats to his left. Also in the room are Eric Froehlich, Todd Terry, Kathy Liebert, and Matthew Waxman.
The towering Erik Seidel just took his seat, though, so we're pretty much calling this thing over right now. He's joined (for now) by Jonathan Little and Steve Brecher at his table.
Late Arrivals
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The field is filling out, and the board shows 64 players registered so far. A few more latecomers:
Carter King
Scott Montgomery
Lisa Parsons
Three-time Circuit ring winner Alexandru Masek is also in the room, fresh off his ninth-place finish in yesterday's Main Event. Brian Green, who finished in tenth on the final-table bubble is playing too, and yesterday's champion Seneca Easley is lurking around the perimeter of the room with a spying eye on the action.
Cheong
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
November Niner and third-place finisher at the WSOP Main Event, Joseph Cheong jas just joined the field.
E-Fro Loses One to Kellstrom
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
With 400 in the pot, the flop was 
. Dana Kellstrom bet 200 and got two callers including Eric Froehlich. The turn was the 
and everyone checked to see the 
put trips on the board on the river. Kellstrom bet 400 and only Froehlich made the call. Kellstrom tabled the 
for eights full of queens. Froehlich mucked his hand.
Minor League
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
Dwyte Pilgrim is in the building and upon walking into the room, Pilgrim walked by Kathy Liebert's table. Liebert announced, "Watch out, king of the minor leagues is here!" and everyone got a good laugh out of it.
Level: 2
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0