$1,700 Main Event
Day 1a Started
2019 World Series of Poker Circuit IP Biloxi
$1,700 Main Event
Day: 1a
WSOPc IP Biloxi Main Event Set to Launch
It is time for another World Series of Poker Circuit $1,700 Main Event to get underway today at 11 a.m. local time at the IP Biloxi circuit stop.
Last year in Biloxi, it was Kevin Johnson who took home the Main Event circuit ring as he topped a field of 382 runners to win his first ring and $127,319 after defeating Luke Graham heads up.
This tournament will follow the classic WSOPc main event structure with the first 15 levels being 40 minutes in length. Day 1 will consist of 15 levels plus an additional 60-minute Level 16. Breaks are every three levels, with a dinner break after Level 9. If 16% of the starting field is left remaining before the clock expires for the day, play will be stopped at that point.
The $,1700 buy-in gives each player 30,000 in chips. Players are allowed one re-entry per flight and have the option to re-enter all the way up until the start of Level 13. Day 1b will follow the same format on Saturday, December 14, also starting at 11 a.m. local time.
PokerNews will bring you the Day 1a coverage today, so make sure to tune in.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Play is underway in the IP Biloxi main event with the tournament clock showing 25 entries at the start.
Last Year at IP Biloxi
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Last year's IP Biloxi main event drew 382 entries and was topped by Kevin Johnson who took home his first WSOP circuit ring with the title. He defeated well known circuit player Luke Graham heads up for the ring.
Other notable players to finish in the money last year include: Dave Alfa (7th), Kao Saechao (10th), Marshall White (11th), Eric Salazar (24th) and Warren Sheaves (25th).
Jon Honeycutt Wins Opening Event of WSOPC IP Biloxi for $12,946
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
PokerNews is in town to live report the $1,700 Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit IP Biloxi, but that is just one of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.
For instance, Event #1: $400 NLH Double Stack attracted 148 entries and offered up a $48,840 prize pool. That was paid out to the top 23 places including Raymond Marchi (10th - $855), Kevin Baker (15th - $731), and Jerry Giroir (22nd - $548), just to name a few.
In the end, 36-year-old software engineer Jon Honeycutt beat Donald Rolfe in heads-up play to win the $12,946 top prize and his first gold ring.
“I feel pretty good, it was a tough final table. When we were down to five, the players left were all very good players,” he said after his victory. “It’s great to win. We were all short-stacked here at the final table so it could have been anybody’s ring. I ran really great, there were a lot of spots that I was all in behind and I managed to get there.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Honeycutt | Ocean Springs, Mississippi | $12,946 |
| 2 | Donald Rolfe | Mississippi | $8,001 |
| 3 | David Nicholson | Perkinston, Mississippi | $5,535 |
| 4 | Eric Wilkerson | Louisiana | $3,923 |
| 5 | Bradley Myers | Essex Junction, Vermont | $2,849 |
| 6 | Lee Thibodaux | Thibodaux, Louisiana | $2,123 |
| 7 | Meraler Dilsad | Louisiana | $1,624 |
| 8 | Yousef "Joe" Saleh | Meridian, Mississippi | $1,275 |
| 9 | Trace Henderson | Laurel, Mississippi | $1,029 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 100
Familiar Faces to Start the Day
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 |
Yousef "Joe" Saleh Continues Great Year w/ First Gold Ring Win
Level 2
: 100/100, 100 ante
PokerNews is in town to live report the $1,700 Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit IP Biloxi, but that is just one of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.
In Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em, 665 runners competed over four starting flights, which generated a $219,449 prize pool.
The top 91 players got paid including Greg Whitworth (10th - $3,289), David Nicholson (13th - $2,826), Craig Flood (20th - $2,197), Rodney Crosby (32nd - $1,583), Cecil White (43rd - $1,188), and Martin Zentner (57th - $815).
Coming out on top was Yousef "Joe" Saleh, who claimed a $34,004 first-place prize and his first gold ring. The victory was just the latest for Saleh, who is enjoying a career year. In fact, he just won “Breakout Player of the Year” at the Gulf Coast Poker Awards, which recognizes players from the south.
“I feel good. I already made two final tables this series. It’s awesome,” Saleh said after the win. “I believe in goals for myself. Last year, I wasn’t in poker that much. I played here at the IP the series and didn’t do anything. Then after that I wanted to take it seriously. There’s a guy who inspired me who said: ‘If you keep playing the way you’re playing and work on it a little bit, you will be a champion.’ I just kind of took it seriously from this day. But it’s still a hobby, I don’t play for a living. I love the game, but it has ups and downs.”
As for his heads-up opponent, Easton Oreman, Saleh said: “He played perfect. We both kind of played perfect. We swapped the chip lead about six times. I went down to one million, four big blinds. But I just kept playing my game and got lucky. You have to take advantage of being lucky, you cannot be lucky and just waste it. You can’t just believe it’s going to happen every day. It doesn’t.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yousef "Joe" Saleh | Meridian, Mississippi | $34,004 |
| 2 | Easton Oreman | Kenner, Louisiana | $21,322 |
| 3 | Jesse Lott | Selmer, Tennessee | $15,903 |
| 4 | Aaron Gamino | Nashville, Tennesse | $12,047 |
| 5 | Gavin Munroe | Gautier, Mississippi | $9,278 |
| 6 | Philip Walsh | Gulfport, Mississippi | $7,269 |
| 7 | Greg Urbanski | Mobile, Alabama | $5,798 |
| 8 | Joseph Hebert | Metairie, Louisiana | $4,711 |
| 9 | Bobby Moree | Pearl River, Louisiana | $3,900 |
Georato Takes a Small One
Level 2
: 100/100, 100 ante
Action was on a flop that read 
. Robert Georato and his opponent both checked. The turn was the 
. Georato check-called the bet of 800 from his opponent.
The river was the 
, both players checked again and Georato showed the 
for the winning hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
34,000 | 4,000 |