Main Event Day 1 | 2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Horseshoe Council Bluffs

04-07-2012 17:11 UTC-5

Chip Check

[user66118]

Player	Chips	Progress
Kevin Saul	69,000 15,500	15,500

Mark Kroon	65,000 10,000	10,000
Gary DeBernardi	62,000 22,000	22,000
Chris Bell	54,000 9,000	9,000
Amanda Musumeci	43,000 18,000	18,000
Allen Kessler	31,000 9,000	9,000

Alexandru Masek	27,000 13,000	13,000
Dennis Phillips	27,000 500	500
Jeff Banghart	22,000 -2,000	-2,000
Garry Gates	14,000 -1,425	-1,425
Doug Carli	11,000 -5,000	-5,000
Dennis Meierotto	10,000 -29,000	-29,000

Level: 8

Blinds: 300/600

Ante: 75

04-07-2012 17:35 UTC-5

It had been a while since we'd had eyes on Scott Clements, and we feared for a moment that he might be busto. But that's not the case. His table was broken a while back, and Clements traded in his black sweatshirt for a bright red T-shirt, sitting incognito for a bit before we stumbled back across him. And he was involved in a pot.

Clements was the under-the-gun raiser, making it 1,300 to go. He found three calls before an opponent squeezed all in for 11,300 total. Clements called the extra 10,000, the other three ducked out, and he was heads-up for the knockout.

Showdown
Clements: {Q-Clubs} {Q-Spades}
Opponent: {A-Spades} {K-Hearts}

The board ran out {7-Diamonds} {2-Diamonds} {3-Clubs} {9-Clubs} {8-Spades} , and that was safe for the queens. Clements has earned himself a knockout, chipping up just over 45,000 in the process.

Player	Chips	Progress
Scott Clements	45,000 25,000	25,000

Tags: Scott Clements

04-07-2012 17:50 UTC-5

Chainsaw Mode

[user66118]

We just walked past Allen Kessler to see him sitting with significantly more chips than he had just a moment ago.

"Some guy just gifted me his whole stack," Kessler informed us.

Kessler was the preflop reraiser, and his opponent came along to see a queen-high flop. When Kessler bet, his opponent made a big all-in shove with queen-ten. But The Chainsaw's two aces were the best, and they held fast as the turn and river brought a blank apiece.

Player	Chips	Progress
Allen Kessler	45,000 14,000	14,000

Tags: Allen Kessler

04-07-2012 17:51 UTC-5

Chippies!

[user196975]

Player	Chips	Progress
Doug Hutcheson	127,000 47,000	47,000
Anselmo Villarreal	74,000
Mark Kroon	67,000 2,000	2,000
Chris Bell	52,000 -2,000	-2,000
Gary DeBernardi	41,000 -21,000	-21,000
Scott Clements	40,000 -5,000	-5,000

Allen Kessler	39,000 -6,000	-6,000

Kyle Golden	37,000 -21,000	-21,000
Kevin Saul	35,000 -34,000	-34,000

Donavan Darland	34,000 14,000	14,000
Amanda Musumeci	30,000 -13,000	-13,000
Andy Philachack	27,000 5,000	5,000
Dennis Phillips	22,500 -4,500	-4,500
Garry Gates	18,000 4,000	4,000
Doug Carli	12,000 1,000	1,000
Ron McMillen	11,000

Level: 9

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 100

04-07-2012 18:14 UTC-5

Cavanaugh to the Front

[user66118]

We were aware of a big pot brewing on one of the center tables, but we didn't make it to the action until the river card was already out. The board showed {A-Hearts} {7-Hearts} {3-Clubs} {A-Diamonds} {2-Hearts} , and Casey Cavanaugh was leading the betting. He put out 20,000 into a pot of about 35,000, and his opponent spent some time in the tank before shoving. Cavanaugh called all in for about 46,000 total, and his opponent announced, "Quads."

"Quads," Cavanaugh asked, frightened as he tabled his {7-Spades} {7-Diamonds} . His opponent did not have quads. The {3-Hearts} {3-Diamonds} appeared in front of his stack, and Cavanaugh's full house was the better one.

That's the biggest pot we've seen so far, and it vaults Cavanaugh all the way up into the chip lead with about 130,000 chips now.

Player	Chips	Progress
Casey Cavanaugh	130,000

Tags: Casey Cavanaugh

04-07-2012 18:20 UTC-5

Gates Taking Tolls

[user66118]

We won't tell you about the bad beat that Garry Gates just put on an opponent to double. All right, maybe just a little of it. Gates got himself pot-committed with pocket sevens on a {10-} {10-} {9-} flop, and his opponent put him in a bad spot with a third ten in his hand. Gates managed to find runner-runner hearts to come from behind and double, though, and he's chipped up a bit more since then to find himself sitting pretty with close to 65,000 now.

Player	Chips	Progress
Garry Gates	64,000 46,000	46,000

Tags: Garry Gates

04-07-2012 18:22 UTC-5

Kroon Joins the Big Stacks

[user66118]

"Hey, you want to interview the tournament chip leader?" Mark Kroon asked as soon as we got within four tables of him.

Kroon was dragging a monster pot as we made our way over. As he was talking with his table, he gave us the little bit of info we were craving. "I mean, I had a straight draw to catch, a flush draw to catch... and a plane to catch if I missed."

He apparently did not miss, and he'll have about 120,000 chips after he stacks up. That's almost good enough for the chip lead, but not quite.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Kroon	120,000 53,000	53,000

Tags: Mark Kroon

04-07-2012 18:26 UTC-5

Cavanaugh Surging

[user196975]

We missed the hand but not the outcome. Casey Cavanaugh has drastically changed his tournament in the last 20 minutes. After winning the big pot we wrote about below, Cavanaugh knocked out two players in one hand.

His stack has grown to around 170,000 - but even he isn't sure about that.