Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon is a character, and one that's never silent for long. We recently made our way past Table 24 where he is seat next to the current WSOP Circuit National Leaderboard points leader Rex Clinkscales.
"Rex is trying to get me," Kroon boasted. "I'm already predicating that one of us is going to bust the other. You can put that in writing." Consider it done.
Just before the level went up, we stumbled upon a pot with around 7,500 in the middle and a board reading 
. Henry Tran was in the big blind and fired out a healthy bet of 5,000 only to have the player to his direct right raised to 20,000. Tran didn't seem to like his situation and thought for nearly five minutes before folding the 
face up.
Despite losing that pot, Tran is off to a good start and currently sits with 33,000. From what we were told, he got those chips after an opponent made a mistake by betting 12,000 when he meant to bet 2,200.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
33,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
Level: 3
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: 0
A small pot quickly turned into a large one at Table 35. We picked up the action on the flop with two players looking at a board of 
. A player in early position saw his bet raised to 3,000 by Jeff Brin in the small blind. The early-position player announced a raise and placed a gray chip worth 5,000 on the felt. Brin moved all in for 12,175 more. The early-position player tanked for about three minutes before folding.
Brin scooped the pot and showed 
for middle set, saying he didn't want to see any more cards. His opponent said he folded bottom set.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
23,000
23,000
|
23,000 |
With 1,700 in the pot preflop, Allen Kessler bet 400 on a 
flop and was called by the button. The turn brought the 
and Kessler fired out 1,050. The button folded and Kessler showed the before raking in a modest 2,500 chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
18,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
After driving from Wisconsin late last night, Larry Ormson woke up early to play today's mega satellite. He was fortunate enough to win a seat into today's event, but his stay was short lived.
Ormson was crippled after he flopped two pair against Ari Engel, who happened to flop a straight. Not long after, Jeff Tebben opened for 250 from middle position and another player called. Engel then three-bet to 800 from the button, Ormson called from the big blind, and the original raiser called. The limper folded and it was three-way action to the 
flop.
Ormson wasted little time in getting his last 1,450 in the middle, both Tebben and Engel called, and the 
turned. Tebben proceeded to move all in and Engel folded. Ormson tabled the 
for a pair of sevens, but he was drawing dead to Tebben's 
. The river actually gave Tebben quads, and officially put an end to Ormson's Day 1a. We expect he'll be back later tonight.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
46,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
The WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs kicked off on April 11 with Event #1 $365 No-Limit Hold’em, which drew 260 runners and created a $78,000 prize pool. While those numbers aren’t overly impressive, WSOP bracelet winner Nick Jivkov taking down the title was as it marked his third gold ring. Not only that, he earned $19,110 and 50 points toward the Casino Championship.
“I hold the rings and the bracelet in very high regard,” Jivkov told the WSOP after his win. “When I won my bracelet, to be honest with you, the $200,000 that it came with was the largest amount I had won up to that point and I didn’t even realize that until three days later. The overwhelming feeling of winning a WSOP bracelet was so big that the money didn’t even enter into my mind until two or three days later. To some aspect [the trophies] are even more important [than the money], because they validate what I’m doing.”
On his way to victory, Jivkov outlasted some stiff competition including Jose Serratos (27th), Zal Irani (12th), Drew Woodke (8th), Everett Carlton (4th), Jason Mayfield (3rd) and Patrick Dixon.
“I felt that this was destiny for me,” Jivkov said. “When we pulled in the parking lot [last night] my odometer read 33,333 miles and we walked in the hotel room at 3:33 a.m. I told my friend and my wife I thought it was some type of a sign because I was playing for my third ring.”
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 260 | $78,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nick Jivkov | Piovdiv, Bulgaria | $19,110 |
| 2nd | Patrick Dixon | Topeka, KS | $11,808 |
| 3rd | Jason Mayfield | Cabot, AR | $8,531 |
| 4th | Everett Carlton | St. Paul, MN | $6,278 |
| 5th | Fred Walker | Omaha, NE | $4,703 |
| 6th | Raymond Rife | Omaha, NE | $3,584 |
| 7th | Timothy Anstine | Omaha, NE | $2,777 |
| 8th | Drew Woodke | Omaha, NE | $2,186 |
| 9th | William Perpich | Mahtomedi, MN | $1,749 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Over at Table 20, action folded around to Eddie Blumenthal in the cutoff and he opened for 125. The button and both blinds called, the flop came down 
, and three checks put action on the button. He fired out 300, only Blumenthal called, and the dealer burned and turned the . Blumenthal checked and then ended up folding when the button bet 800.
It wasn't much of a hand, but what was of note was that two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Tripp Kirk took his seat at the table shortly thereafter.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
19,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
