Main Event
Day 1a Started
2019 World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw Durant
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2019 World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw Durant
Buy-in
$1,700
Prize Pool
$1,478,640
Entries
976
Level
35
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Choctaw Casino Resort Hosts First $1,700 Main Event of the WSOP U.S. Circuit Season
The 16th season WSOP U.S. Circuit kicked off at the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma
just hours after Hossein Ensan closed out the 2019 WSOP record-breaking summer with his Main Event win.
The first scheduled stop of the season has already awarded ten rings through nine days and now the seasons first Main Event Ring winner is set to be crowned as Day 1a of Choctaw Casino Resort $1,700 Main Event kicks off today at noon and is the first of two starting days with Day 1b being held Saturday, July 27th with the same starting time. Once the two starting days are completed, the players will combine for Day 2 Sunday, July 28th and will play down to a winner on Day 3 Monday, July 29th.
Choctaw's Defending Champions
Last season, Choctaw Casino and Resort crowned two Main Event Ring winners in Max Young and Dave Alfa. Young was able to claim his fifth Circuit ring along with $263,815 after beating a field of 893 while Alfa battled through 1,161 hopefuls and earned his second gold ring to go with $320,998.
Choctaw 2018/2019 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize | Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Alfa | $320,998 | 1 | Maxwell Young | $263,815 |
| 2 | Dapo Ajayi | $198,265 | 2 | Jared Hemingway | $163,024 |
| 3 | Kevin Rand | $147,327 | 3 | Jonathan Bloyen | $120,083 |
| 4 | Arshin Gamini | $110,812 | 4 | Rolando Lozano | $89,616 |
| 5 | Austin Lewis | $84,375 | 5 | Robert Deleon | $67,753 |
| 6 | Amir Kaikhah | $65,009 | 6 | Nivedan Nasina | $51,884 |
| 7 | Mohammed Arani | $50,674 | 7 | Terry Presley | $40,235 |
| 8 | Brendon O'Neal | $39,945 | 8 | Wayne Lovell | $31,590 |
| 9 | Will Berry | $31,836 | 9 | Charles Johnson | $25,110 |
Larson Claims Two Rings
The 16th season of the WSOP U.S. Circuit has been in full swing awarding eight different players their first gold ring with David Larson being the exception, winning his third and fourth. Larson joined an exclusive club of 55 players that have won four WSOP rings, and has done it in one calendar year after besting 123 entries in Event #7 $400 No-Limit Hold’em and claimed another in less than 24 hours after beating a field of 180 players in Event #9: $250 No-Limit Hold’em. Over that span Larson has bested a total of 303 entries, earning $20,194 and will look to continue his Circuit success.
Day 1a begins today at noon local time, where players will start with 30,000 in chips and blinds will be 100/100 with big blind antes beginning in Level 2 (100/100). There will be 15-minute breaks after every two levels and a 60-minute dinner break at the end of Level 9. Registration will remain open until the beginning of Level 13 allowing players one re-entry until then .
Both starting days are scheduled to play through16 levels. The first 15 levels will have 40-minutes blinds with level 16 lasting 60-minutes. Once the final level is completed, all remaining players will bag up for the night and return for Day 2 action on Sunday, July 28th, 2019.
Stay tuned here as the PokerNews live reporting team will be here to bring you all of the action as the day unfolds.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Day 1a of the $1,700 Main Event at Choctaw Casino Resort is officially underway.
Early Noticeable Face
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Update Your Own Chip Count Using the PokerNews MyStack App!
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.
Andy Belke Finds Gold in First-Ever WSOP Cash
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
The World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw Durant $1,700 Main Event is just one of a dozen gold ring events at the stop.
For more than a week, a slew of side events has been playing out including Event #1: $400 NLH Monster Stack, a tournament that attracted 508 entries and generated a $167,640 prize pool.
Andy Belke, 36, notched his first-ever WSOP cash and it was a big one as he took down the tournament for $33,140 and a gold ring.
Originally from Kansas City but now residing in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Belke is a soon-to-be mechanical engineer who enjoys playing poker on the side.
“In this tournament I hit quads twice and I runner-runner for quads once to beat an overset,” he said. “I have hit so many one-outers or half-percenters, it has been insane.”
As for the bankroll boost, it’ll come in handy back in his Arkansas games: “We have our own little poker group, the 479 Poker Club and I gotta take them all out for dinner.”
Event #1 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andy Belke | Fort Smith, Arkansas | $33,140 |
| 2 | Mark Estes | Grapevine, Texas | $20,485 |
| 3 | Lisa Sheehy | Waco, Texas | $15,024 |
| 4 | Jon Bennett | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | $11,159 |
| 5 | Antoi Preston | Dallas, Texas | $8,395 |
| 6 | Dennis Meisinger | Texarkana, Texas | $6,398 |
| 7 | Robert Perkins | Southlake, Texas | $4,940 |
| 8 | Jack McKenzie | Fort Worth, Texas | $3,866 |
| 9 | Mark Fisher | Denison, Texas | $3,067 |
To see who all has captured gold rings at the Choctaw Durant stop, click here.
Level: 2
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 100
More Notables in the Field
Level 2
: 100/100, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000
-4,200
|
-4,200 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
Nimer Flushes Sebesta
Level 2
: 100/100, 100 ante
AJ Nimer opened for 400 under the gun and was called by the player sitting directly to his left along with Edward Sebesta and Daniel Lowery from the small and big blinds.
The 
flop was checked to Nimer who bet 1,400 and the player sitting to his left called. Action was on Sebesta who raised to 4,400 from the small blind and was called by Nimer after Lowery folded along with the early position player.
Sebesta fired out 8,000 after the 
fell on the turn and was called by Nimer
The river fell the 
and was checked around.
Sebesta tabled 
for top two-pair but it was second best to Nimer 
flush.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
45,000 | |
|
|
28,000
-2,000
|
-2,000 |
|
18,000 |