Over on Table 26, Alex Masek, the all-time WSOP ring leader, bet 1,675 on a flop consisting of . His opponent made the call, but after the hit the board on the turn, Masek, after betting 3,500, was faced with an all-in reraise. He begrudgingly folded his hand, and that brought his chip count down to 18,000.
Both Days 1a and 1b will play out today, and the latter is about to begin. The 5 p.m. CST start time means that the two fields will overlap. Some news players as well as those who've opted to re-enter from the Day 1a flight are beginning to take their seats, and while we'll certainly include some updates from that tournament's early action, we'll be focusing primarily on the Day 1a field until it's completion.
Thomas Beckstead called an all-in bet of 6,600 pre-flop holding and was up against . Amazingly, the peeled off on the flop to send his opponent home and that lowered the Day 1a field to 189 players.
With 3,000 in the pot and a flop of , the player in the small blind checked and Logan Headley did the same from the big. Two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Mark Bonsack then took the opportunity to bet 1,200 from the hijack, only Headley called, and both players checked the turn.
When the peeled off on the river, Headley fired out 3,500 and it appeared Bonsack called with the , though we're not quite sure. Either way, Headley rolled over the for a rivered full house and the win.
"I let you get there," Bonsack said while shaking his head.
It looks like eight tables or so are being utilized for the Day 1b field, which is taking place on the far side of the Whiskey Roadhouse. Among the players in that field are re-entries such as Larry Ormson, Rex Clinkscales, Kat Bowen, Jason Mayfield and Arkady Tsinis.
There are quite a few players chasing points toward the National Championship here at Council Bluffs, and that's because the stops are winding down on this year's schedule. Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
Ben Smith, known as "Cowboy Ben" for his unmistakable cowboy hat, is a regular at Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells. We caught Smith, moving all in on a flop which allowed him to rake in a 10,000 side pot after an opponent folded. However, there was 16,000 in the main pot. Smith tabled against the of his opponent. The on the turn gave his opponent some outs, but no suck-out would happen this time as the peeled off on the river.