Main Event
Day 1a Started
2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit - Horseshoe Hammond
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit - Horseshoe Hammond
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$2,349,825
Entries
1,615
Level
35
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000
Welcome to the Hammond Main Event!
Welcome to the Horseshoe Casino here in Hammond, Indiana! For the past week, the World Series of Poker Circuit has been hosting a series of tournaments here in the riverboat's gigantic theater hall, which will culminate today with Day 1a of the $1,600 Main Event. The stop has already proven a huge success, with the first event ($340 No Limit Hold'em) drawing a staggering 3,001 players. That created a prize pool of $873,291, with a cool $124,438 being awarded to the winner, Aaron Bieck of Plymouth, Wisconsin. In addition, former November Niner Dennis Phillips earned his first piece of WSOP gold by capturing a ring in today's early morning hours. Phillips outlasted 118 players and captured the $55K first-place prize.
Today, we're expecting a huge turnout for Day 1a. We've already heard mumblings among the players that if they bust today, they have every intention of re-entering on Day 1b. All signs suggest that we'll beat last year's field of 872 players, if not blow it out of the water. Joining the field will be a laundry list of poker pros including Phillips, Owais Ahmed, Josh Brikis, Chris Tryba, Mark Kroon, and Kathy Liebert.
Action is set to get underway in about a half an hour, so join us then for all the latest and greatest action from the WSOP-Circuit Hammond.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal!
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The cards are in the air here in Hammond! The plan for the day is to play 15 levels, each lasting 40 minutes. The Venue here at the Horseshoe is already packed, and we're going to do a quick run through and see if we can't spot a few notables.
A Few Notables
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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20,000 |
Familiar Faces in the Crowd
At the start of action we've spotted these players in the field.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
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|
20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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|
20,000 | |
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|
20,000 | |
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20,000 | |
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20,000 |
Event #1 Breaks Attendance Record
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
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
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$50 | 3,001 | $873,291 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Bieck | Plymouth, WI | $124,438 |
| 2 | David Schonback | Geneva, IL | $76,911 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Manza | Naperville, IL | $58,982 |
| 4 | Peter Nigh | St. Louis, MO | $45,691 |
| 5 | Javier Figueroa | Chicago, IL | $35,875 |
| 6 | Jason Zeller | Peoria, IL | $28,129 |
| 7 | Daniel Acevedo | Belvidere, IL | $22,208 |
| 8 | Leo Whitt | Louisville, KY | $17,649 |
| 9 | Jenchwen Chang | Atlantic City, NJ | $14,200 |
Kroon an Early Elimination
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.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Busted |
More Notables
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 50/75
Ante: 0