2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit - Horseshoe Hammond

Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit - Horseshoe Hammond

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
j3
Prize
$393,584
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$2,349,825
Entries
1,615
Level Info
Level
35
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000

Main Event

Day 3 Completed

Congratulations to Bob Chow, the WSOP-Circuit Hammond Main Event Champion ($393,584)

Level 35 : 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Bob Chow- WSOP-Circuit Hammond Main Event Champion ($393,584)
Bob Chow- WSOP-Circuit Hammond Main Event Champion ($393,584)

After four long days of poker, the World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Main Event has come to an end with Bob Chow claiming the gold ring and $393,584 first-place prize. The 1,615-player field was the largest in WSOP-Circuit Main Event history, creating a $2,349,825 prize pool, which was a fitting way to conclude a stop that began with Event #1 No Limit Hold'em, the largest field in WSOP-Circuit history with 3,001 players.

The final day of the Main Event saw 20 players return to action with consummate grinder Eric Crain leading the way. The action was fast and furious, and before we knew it, 11 players had hit the rail and we were at the final table.

Here is a look at the other eliminations leading up to the final table:

Pre-Final Table Payouts

PositionPlayerPrize
10thAlan Murphy$32,193
11thEdward Pham$32,193
12thJonathan Job$32,193
13thMichael Hallen$26,318
14thBryan Dillon$26,318
15thLuther Lewis$26,318
16thMark “P0ker H0” Kroon$21,759
17thPawell Andrejewski$21,759
18thChris Wallace$21,759
19thEverett Carlton$18,141
20thDominic Fosco$18,141

By the time the final table rolled around, Chow had seized the chip lead; however, it was still anyone’s game. The first elimination came shortly after the dinner break when Shawn Quinn’s big slick was rundown by the {q-Hearts}{J-Clubs} of Crain. He was followed out the door a short time later by another short stack, Dan Harrington, who finished in eighth place for $50,051. For those wondering, it was not the 1995 WSOP World Champion.

The next to go was Drazen Ilich in seventh place, whose pocket kings were cracked by the {J-Spades}{10-Clubs} of Chow. The chips got all in on a {9-Diamonds}{3-Spades}{8-Hearts} flop, and the turn brought the {7-Diamonds} to fill Chow’s straight. A few hands later, Joe Hebda found himself all in with {A-Hearts}{10-Hearts} against the {J-Spades}{J-Diamonds} of Steury. The board ran out an uneventful {K-Spades}{8-Spades}{6-Spades}{4-Clubs}{10-Diamonds} and Hebda headed to the payout desk in sixth place.

The next elimination was not only thrilling, it happened in a hand that’ll likely go down in WSOP-Circuit lore. It began when Crain opened for 265,000 and Dave Neff shoved all in from the small blind. Crain popped his head up and asked the dealer for a count. Before the dealer could finish - which was somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.1 million - Crain announced call.

Showdown
Neff: {A-Hearts}{2-Hearts}
Crain: {4-Hearts}{4-Spades}

The {10-Clubs}{3-Diamonds}{K-Hearts} flop was not especially exciting, but the turn was a kick in the gut for Crain when it came {A-Spades}. The young pro left the table and steam walked around the stage. He had his hat pulled down low, knowing he needed one of the two remaining fours on the river. The dealer burned . . . {4-Diamonds}! Crain exploded again, this time in excitement. He pulled a Tiger Woods-esque fist pump as he earned the improbable river knockout.

Unfortunately, Crain couldn’t maintain his momentum and was eliminated in fourth place after he played {K-Diamonds}{9-Hearts} aggressively and ran into the {A-Hearts}{K-Hearts} of Steury. He was followed out the door by a short-stacked Erik Roussakis, who got unlucky when his {A-Diamonds}{J-Clubs} got unlucky against Steury’s {K-Hearts}{J-Spades}.

The heads-up battle between Chow and Steury began with the latter holding almost a 2-1 lead (21 million to 11 million). Interestingly, Steury had faced off against another Chow this past summer at the WSOP when he won his first gold bracelet. In the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event in Vegas, Steurry defeated Michael Chow to capture the gold and a $289,283 prize. Quite the coincidence, indeed.

Unfortunately for Steury, he was unable to finish it off. Chow played a resilient game, slowly chipping his way back to even. Chow scored a huge hand off Steury to seize the chip lead, and there was no looking back. Chow dispatched his opponent to become the WSOP-Circuit Hammond Champion and claim a seat in the National Championship!

Final Table Payouts

PositionPlayerPrize
1stBob Chow$393,584
2ndAaron Steury$243,818
3rdErik Roussakis$183,991
4thEric Crain$139,815
5thDave Neff$106,447
6thJoe Hebda$81,774
7thDrazen Ilich$63,680
8thDan V. Harrington$50,051
9thShawn Quinn$39,947

National Championship Qualifiers

PlayerQualified
David NicholsonHorseshoe Bossier City Main Event Winner
Chris GamboaHorseshoe Bossier City Casino Champion
Robert CastoireHorseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner
Mark “Pegasus” SmithHorseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion
Bob ChowHorseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner
TBDHorseshoe Hammond Casino Champion

Tags: Bob Chow

Chow Seizes the Chip Lead

Level 35 : 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante

In the last few hands, the remaining two players have really opened up their game. The result . . . Bob Chow has seized the chip lead. In one hand, Steury opened for 4,000,000 and was called by Chow. When the flop fell {A-Clubs}{3-Spades}{9-Clubs}, Steurry checked, Chow moved all in, and Steurry had to fold.

Tags: Bob ChowAaron Steury

Chow Closing the Gap

Bob Chow opened for 300,000 on the button and Aaron Steury looked him up. Steury proceeded to check-call a bet of 380,000 on the {7-Clubs}{4-Diamonds}{9-Spades} flop, leading to the {4-Hearts} turn. It went check-check to the {J-Diamonds} river, at which point Steury led out for 960,000.

Chow looked suspicious and made the call. "Eight high," Steury admitted as he turned over {8-Spades}{5-Spades}. Chow turned over {Q-Spades}{3-Diamonds} for queen high.

Player Chips Progress
Aaron Steury us
Aaron Steury
17,000,000 -4,000,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Bob Chow us
Bob Chow
15,000,000 4,000,000

Tags: Bob ChowAaron Steury

Sparring Partners

Level 35 : 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante

So far the heads up match between Bob Chow and Aaron Steury has been a series of small pots that have been played to the river. They've been trading back and forth with neither gaining much of an advantage. Their focus has been on post-flop play, in stark contrast to the some of the aggro action we saw earlier.

Level: 35

Blinds: 100,000/200,000

Ante: 30,000

Chow Down

Level 34 : 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante

We found it interesting that Aaron Steury is squaring off against Bob Chow; coincidentally, Steury faced off against another Chow this past summer when he won his WSOP bracelet. In the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event in Vegas, Steurry defeated Michael Chow to capture is first bracelet and a $289,283 prize.

Steury has run against a Chow in the past, so we'll have to wait and see if he can do it again.

Tags: Aaron SteuryBob Chow