2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Foxwoods

Main event
Day: 3
Event Info

2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Foxwoods

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
ak
Prize
$194,178
Event Info
Prize Pool
$924,652
Entries
615
Level Info
Level
32
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000

Main event

Day 3 Completed

Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul Wins WSOP Circuit Foxwoods for $194,178

Level 32 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Champion Kevin Saul
Champion Kevin Saul

After three days of intense play, the 2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Foxwoods Main Event came to an end Monday night. The final 16 players of a 615-player field returned on Day 3 to play down to a winner, and after seven levels of play, Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul emerged victorious to capture his first WSOP Circuit gold ring, the $194,178 first-place prize and a seat in the National Championship.

Action recommenced at noon on Monday with Level 26 (10,000/20,000/3,000), and it didn’t take long for the first elimination of the day to occur. It happened when John McNabola opened from the cutoff seat with a raise to 60,000, and Stephen Dare called the raise from one seat over. It then folded to Eric Blair in the big blind who reraised all in for 245,000 total. McNabola didn't hesitate very long before saying he was calling the shove. Dare then thought a bit before letting his hand go.

Blair: {9-Diamonds}{9-Clubs}
McNabola: {J-Spades}{J-Diamonds}

The flop came {8-Spades}{Q-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}, giving both players straight draws, then the {K-Diamonds} arrived on the turn. Only a jack could save Blair, and his opponent already had two of them. The river then brought the {7-Clubs}, and Blair became the first elimination of Day 3.

From there, Mike Massri (15th — $11,836), Eric Rando (14th — $11,836), Alex Wilson (13th — $11,836), and Chris Schonbach (12th — $14,425) all joined Blair on the rail.

After McNabola was eliminated in 11th place for $14,425, the final table bubble was on. It was then in Level 28 (15,000/30,000/5,000) that a monster 3 million-chip pot developed between Saul and Lall Bharat. It began when the former opened for 65,000 from early position and the latter three-bet to 100,000 from the button. Saul responded with a four-bet to 400,000, and Bharat five-bet all in for just under 1.5 million. Saul snap-called, and the cards were tabled.

Saul: {A-Hearts}{A-Spades}
Bharat: {A-Diamonds}{K-Diamonds}

According to the PokerNews Odd Calculator, Saul was a monster 87.23% favorite to win the hand. That increased to 93.74% on the {9-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}{2-Hearts} flop. "Don't worry, there will be a diamond on the turn," someone at the table said. Sure enough, the {4-Diamonds} peeled off. That increased Baharat's chance from 4.84% on the flop to 20.45% headed to the river with a 6.82% chance of a tie.

Saul was primed to win a monster pot and take a commanding chip lead to the final table, but the dealer burned a final time and put down the {3-Spades}. Both players had made a wheel to chop the pot, and it wouldn't be the last we saw of the two players.

The bubble finally burst when Chris Mintchev was eliminated in 10th place by Paul Snead, and then it took about two hours of play at the final table for Dare to fall in ninth. It happened when he shipped all in for 480,000 from middle position and received a call from Snead, who barely had him covered.

Snead: {A-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}
Dare: {7-Spades}{7-Hearts}

It was a classic flip, and Dare just needed to avoid big cards and diamonds to stay alive. He managed to fade on both the {5-Clubs}{8-Hearts}{K-Hearts} flop and {J-Diamonds} turn, but Snead could still win with either an ace, queen or ten on the river. The dealer burned and delivered what would be the last card Dare would see in the tournament, the {A-Clubs}. Snead hit his ace to eliminate Dare, who took home $18,031 for ninth place.

From there, the pace picked up as Snead eliminated Peter Campo and Ethan Foulkes in eighth place and ninth place, respectively, and then a big hand developed between Saul and local player Bobby Corcione, who you may recall as the 21st-place finisher in the 2012 WSOP Main Event.

The hand, which took place in Level 31 (30,000/60,000/10,000), began with an open-raise to 140,000 by Corcione from under the gun and a call out of the big blind by Saul. The flop came {6-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}{7-Spades}, and Saul led with a bet of 155,000. Corcione responded by raising to 455,000, and after studying the situation for a short while, Saul announced he was pushing all in over the top. As Corcione contemplated what to do next, Saul's stack was counted. By taking a look at Corcione's remaining chips, Saul said it appeared his opponent had him barely covered in the hand.

Finally, Corcione did call, turning over the {A-Diamonds}{A-Spades}. Meanwhile, Saul had the {K-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds} for both straight and flush draws. The turn was the {J-Spades}, meaning Corcione's aces were still hanging on. But the river brought the {J-Diamonds} and shouts from the onlooking crowd. Saul had made a flush, catapulting back up close to 3 million while Corcione was left with but 10,000 in chips — just one single ante.

Corcione managed to survive the next hand, sextupling up to 60,000, but he was soon all in again from the small blind with the {K-Spades}{4-Clubs} versus Cory Waaland's {8-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}. When the board ran out {9-Clubs}{2-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}{J-Spades}{5-Spades}, the river gave Waaland the knockout. Minutes later, Ben Reason followed Corcione out the door in fifth place for $37,356.

While Snead had his fair share of knockouts, his number was called in Level 32 (40,000/80,000/10,000). Bharat opened with a raise to 225,000 from the button, and Snead took a look at his hand in the small blind and said he was reraising all in. At that, Saul leaned forward and Snead soon counted out his chips to show his shove was for 1.455 million total. Saul thought for a while, then said he, too, was all in, letting Bharat know that his bet was for 3.815 million. Bharat gave his hand up, and Snead tabled the {A-Clubs}{Q-Clubs} while Saul had the {8-Diamonds}{8-Hearts}.

The dealer burned a card and spread the flop... {8-Spades}{8-Clubs}{4-Diamonds}! Quads for Saul, making the {2-Spades} turn and {K-Diamonds} river just a couple of trivial items as the hand had been decided. Snead smiled and shook hands with the three remaining players while Bharat revealed he'd folded {9-}{9-}.

"Why didn't you call?!?" said Waaland while a laugh by Saul echoed the same sentiment.

Later on in the same level, Waaland took his leave in third place, and that left Saul and Brahat to battle heads up with the former holding a chip lead of 7.4 million to 4.6 million.

We won't go into all the specifics of the heads-up battle as you can read about it by scrolling down in the blog, but suffice it to say that Saul used the combination of his chips and his tournament experience to seal the deal. While Saul has more than $2.3 million in career earnings, most of which came back in 2007, his win at Foxwoods marked his first WSOP Circuit victory.

Here’s a look at the results from the final day of play:

PlacePlayerPrize
1stKevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul$194,178
2ndLall Bharat$119,742
3rdCory Waaland$87,842
4thPaul Snead$65,096
5thBen Reason$49,007
6thBobby Corcione$37,356
7thEthan Foulkes$28,662
8thPete Campo$22,654
9thStephen Dare$18,031
10thChris Mintchev$14,425
11thJohn McNabola$14,425
12thChris Schonbach$14,425
13thAlex Wilson$11,836
14thEric Rando$11,836
15thMike Massri$11,836
16thEric Blair$9,801

PokerNews’ coverage from Foxwoods may have come to an end, but we’ll soon be at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina for even more great WSOP Circuit action, so stay tuned!

Tags: Kevin Saul

Lall Bharat Eliminated in 2nd Place ($119,742)

Level 32 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Kevin Saul and Lall Bharat after the final hand
Kevin Saul and Lall Bharat after the final hand

Down to about 1.9 million, Lall Bharat had the button, looked down at his cards, and announced he was raising all in. Kevin Saul called instantly.

Bharat: {K-Spades}{5-Spades}
Saul: {A-Spades}{K-Diamonds}

Saul had picked up a monster, and had the big advantage going to the flop. The first three streets came {8-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds}{6-Spades}, and Saul's hand was still in front. The {A-Hearts} then landed on the turn, which meant the {6-Clubs} river card was of no consequence as Bharat was already drawing dead.

The pair shook hands and shared a hug afterwards, with Saul complimenting Bharat for playing well. Bharat earns a cool $119,742 for his finish, while Saul wins his first ever WSOP Circuit ring!

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Saul us
Kevin Saul
WPT 1X Winner
12,300,000 1,900,000
Lall Bharat
Lall Bharat
Busted

Tags: Kevin SaulLall Bharat

Some More for Saul

Level 32 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante

Following a Kevin Saul open for 175,000 from the button, Lall Bharat called and the flop came {10-Spades}{6-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds}. Both checked, the when the turn brought the {4-Diamonds}, Bharat bet 200,000 and Saul called.

The river was the {9-Spades}. This time Bharat checked and when Saul bet 875,000, Bharat called quickly.

Saul tabled {8-Diamonds}{7-Hearts} for the rivered straight, and Bharat flashed his hand quickly, afterwards confirming he'd had {7-}{6-}.

That one knocks Bharat down under 2 million while Saul is now up over 10 million.

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Saul us
Kevin Saul
WPT 1X Winner
10,400,000 1,300,000
Lall Bharat
Lall Bharat
1,900,000 -1,300,000

Tags: Kevin SaulLall Bharat

Back and Forth

Level 32 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Lall Bharat and Kevin Saul heads up.
Lall Bharat and Kevin Saul heads up.

Kevin Saul has been getting the best of Lall Bharat in some small hands as of late. With that said, Bharat just snagged a nice one that wiped out Saul's recent progress.

It began when Saul made it 165,000 from the button and then called Bharat's three-bet to 300,000. Both players checked the {A-Clubs}{4-Diamonds}{9-Clubs} flop, the {Q-Spades} turned, and Bharat led out for 400,000. Saul called and then ended up folding when Bharat fired out 600,000 on the {J-Diamonds} river. "Did you bluff me?" Saul asked. There was no response.

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Saul us
Kevin Saul
WPT 1X Winner
9,100,000 325,000
Lall Bharat
Lall Bharat
3,200,000 -325,000

Tags: Kevin SaulLall Bharat

Full House for Saul

Level 32 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante

Lall Bharat won the first heads-up hand off of Kevin "BeLOWaBOVe" Saul, a small-pot hand that saw Bharat call Saul's button raise, flop top pair of eights, and get Saul to call a couple of small bets on post-flop streets.

The second hand then saw Bharat opening for 215,000 from the button and Saul calling, and the flop coming {2-Spades}{K-Hearts}{8-Clubs}. Saul checked, Bharat bet 225,000, and Saul called.

The turn brought the {Q-Spades} and another check from Saul. This time Bharat bet 250,000, and Saul responded with a check-raise to 800,000 which Saul called fairly quickly.

The river was the {Q-Hearts}, pairing the board. This time Saul led for 875,000, and Bharat didn't wait long again before calling. Saul turned over {Q-Clubs}{2-Clubs} for a full house, queens full of deuces, and Bharat showed {K-Clubs}{7-Clubs} for kings and queens.

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Saul us
Kevin Saul
WPT 1X Winner
8,775,000 1,100,000
Lall Bharat
Lall Bharat
3,525,000 -1,100,000

Tags: Kevin SaulLall Bharat

Cory Waaland Eliminated in 3rd Place ($87,842)

Level 32 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante

It was only a matter of time before Cory Waaland was going to have to go with a hand, and he recently went with two. One gave him a double, but the other send him out the door.

In the first, Waaland shoved all in for 685,000 from the small blind holding the {J-Spades}{J-Diamonds} and received a call from the {J-Clubs}{10-Clubs} of Lall Bharat. The board ran out {k-Clubs}{k-Hearts}{8-Spades}{9-Diamonds}{6-Spades} and Waaland doubled to approximately 1.5 million.

Not long after, Kevin Saul raised to 165,000 from the button and then called when Waaland shipped from the small blind.

Saul: {A-Clubs}{K-Clubs}
Waaland: {6-Diamonds}{6-Hearts}

Waaland got it in good, but he saw his lead evaporate on the {J-Hearts}{3-Spades}{A-Spades} flop. Saul had hit his ace to take a commanding lead in the hand. Neither the {K-Hearts} turn nor {10-Hearts} river was the six Waaland needed, and he shook hands with both his opponents before making his way to the payout desk in third place to collect $87,842.

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Saul us
Kevin Saul
WPT 1X Winner
7,675,000 1,475,000
Lall Bharat
Lall Bharat
4,625,000 -475,000
Cory Waaland us
Cory Waaland
Busted

Tags: Cory WaalandKevin SaulLall Bharat

Saul With the Call

Level 32 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante

After a standard open from Waaland on the button and a call by Kevin Saul in the big blind, the flop came single-suited — {7-Spades}{Q-Spades}{10-Spades} — and Saul checked. Waaland bet 185,000, and after a pause Saul called.

The turn then brought the {10-Hearts}. This time Saul led for 275,000, and Waaland raised to 575,000. Saul leaned forward to inquire what Waaland had left, and a quick count showed he had exactly 1.5 million behind. Saul thought a short longer, then made the call.

The river brought the {2-Hearts} and a check from Saul. Waaland sat quietly for a few seconds, then set out a column of green chips for a bet of 500,000 and Saul called right away.

"Good call," said Waaland. "I have jack-high," he added, turning over {J-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}. Saul then showed {10-Clubs}{6-Clubs} for trip tens, and scooped the large pot.

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Saul us
Kevin Saul
WPT 1X Winner
6,200,000 1,700,000
Cory Waaland us
Cory Waaland
1,000,000 -1,700,000

Tags: Cory WaalandKevin Saul