That is what we heard shouted from across the room by none other than Dwyte Pilgrim. We made our way over to his table and discovered that he had moved all in for his last 8,000 into a pot of 15,000. The board read , and action was on Pilgrim.
Ever the gentleman, Pilgrim began to make small talk with our reporter, and eventually raked in the pot after his opponent folded. He is up to 23,000.
The 2010 WSOPC Hammond Main Event Winner Kurt Jewell has dipped below his starting stack in the early levels of play. We found him calling a preflop raise of 200 in position and the flop fell . His opponent checked and Jewell bet 300, His opponent called and then checked dark before the turn hit the felt. Jewell checked behind and the river came . His opponent checked and Jewell checked behind him. His opponent tabled for the ace high flush and Jewell mucked his cards.
On our last pass past the tournament clock, we noticed Day 1a already had 844 entrants. That number almost surpasses last year's total field of 872. With late registration still open, and Day 1b yet to come, you can bet your bottom dollar that the WSOP-Circuit Hammond Main Event is going to be huge!
Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon was a Level 1 casualty here at the WSOP-Circuit Hammond. We didn't catch the hand, but his good friend, Steve Verrett, was kind enough to give us the lowdown. He related that Kroon had held and faced off against an opponent with . A king on the flop put Kroon behind, and ultimately led to his elimination.
While it was brutal beat here in the early stages, at least Kroon can re-enter on Day 1b.
The WSOP Circuit Hammond is notorious for drawing large fields. With a huge player base to draw from throughout the Midwest, the stop has been among the most successful every year. Historically, the first event of the stop has kicked off with a bang. In 2009, Event #1 drew 1,412 players, and almost 200 entries more in 2010. This year, those numbers were blown out of the water when an astonishing 3,001 players forked over the $350 buy-in for a shot at a gold ring.
The event was a reentry, meaning players who busted on Day 1a were allowed to buy in again on Day 1b, and after three long days of play, Aaron Bieck (25) emerged victorious and laid claim to the $124,438 first-place prize. Bieck, who resides in Plymouth, Wisconsin, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2008 with a degree in finance and had the following to say after winning the largest WSOP Circuit event in history:
“Amazing. I’ve only played like 10 live tournaments so to take one down with 3,000 runners is something very special. It’s the first live tournament I’ve ever won and it’s very important that it was a WSOP Circuit event. To win something that big, that prestigious. To have the opportunity to even play in a tournament that big, and to take it down — it’s amazing.”
Regarding his plans for the money, Bieck explained: “I don’t exactly know what I’m going to do with it. Like everything else, like poker, you analyze it, you make a decision and you take things as they come.”
WSOP Circuit Hammond Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em
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, and action was on Pilgrim.
. His opponent checked and Jewell bet 300, His opponent called and then checked dark before the 
turn hit the felt. Jewell checked behind and the river came 
. His opponent checked and Jewell checked behind him. His opponent tabled 
for the ace high flush and Jewell mucked his cards.
