2019 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Hammond

$1,700 Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2019 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Hammond

Final Results
Winner
Ravi Raghavan
Winning Hand
a3
Prize
$272,322
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,700
Prize Pool
$1,610,445
Entries
1,063
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Players Info - Day 3
Entries
19
Players Left
1

$1,700 Main Event

Day 3 Completed

Ravi Raghavan Wins WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Main Event ($272,322)

Level 33 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Ravi Raghavan
Ravi Raghavan

The World Series of Poker Horseshoe Hammond $1,700 Main Event is now history and at the end of play on Day 3, it was a familiar Chicago name who emerged as the champion.

Ravi Raghavan conquered the gargantuan field of 1,063 to win a first-place prize of $272,322 and his second WSOP circuit ring, the first also coming in Hammond in 2016. At the beginning of the day, it was asked if Raghavan, who was the most accomplished player returning to action, could recreate the Hammond magic that has benefitted him in the past. And after nine and a half hours of play, the answer to that question was a resounding yes.

“Pretty good, pretty, pretty good” said Raghavan, who seemed overcome with glee when asked how it felt to take yet another title in his home casino.

One of the perks of winning a WSOP circuit ring is the qualification for the year end Global Casino Championship, which is something that Raghavan values as he wasn't up to date on the point system and how it worked.

“That’s a great feature to get the qualification to the GCC. Now I don’t have to chase it. It’s really tough to get it this year and it’s really a big load off my mind now that I don’t have to chase it.”

That won't change his poker playing plans drastically in the coming months: “I always play the driving-distance circuit events, so I will go [to those stops] as planned.” But he admits that it does in fact put a new perspective on things as he clarified a few moments later: "You know what I know, everything changes when you win a big one.”

Final Table Results

PositionPlayerHometownPrize Money
1Ravi RaghavanNorthbrook, Ilinois$272,322
2Michael WolffMadison, Wisconsin$168,325
3Casey CarrollGrand Rapids, Michigan$126,749
4John ShannonWoodstock, Illinois$96,304
5Andrew OstapchenkoCarlsbad, California$73,837
6David LindquistBenton Harbor, Michigan$57,131
7Matthew ShepskyGlenview, Illinois$44,615
8Michael RossittoBrooklyn, New York$35,167
9Bryan SkreensWinfield, Illinois$27,981
10Blake BattagliaChicago, Illinois$22,476

Early Action of the Day

Day 3 started at a tentative place as the original field of 19 players was cut down by only two in the first two hours of play, with players wanting to solidify their place in the chips counts rather than taking big risks.

Eliminations started to rev up after the first break of the day as WSOP bracelet Alan Percal was toasted by Raghavan in 17th when his ace-king ran into aces. A steady pace of elimination then began to develop as players dropped one by one from 16th down to 10th.

The pace would again hit a snag when the final table of 10 was formed, which saw Raghavan begin with the chip lead. But it was Michael Wolff who would take the initiative in the early part of the final table as he won several big hands to gather a substantial chip lead as everyone else began to fall behind him, including when he eliminated Blake Battaglia in 10th place to break the barrier.

Defining Hands

Wolff would continue to soar until one hand changed the course of the final table and wound up being the hand of the entire tournament. Raghavan flopped a set of eights against the top two pair of Wolff. The chips ended up all in on the flop and after the board ran out clean Raghavan was suddenly the huge chip leader while Wolff was knocked back down.

Just two minutes after that, Raghavan eliminated Michael Rossitto in eighth place when he woke up with pocket kings against the pocket nines of Rossitto to gain another critical pot, which Raghavan would specifically note afterward as being just as important to his win as the big hand against Wolff.

The eliminations came at a steady pace after that as Matthew Shepsky went down in seventh place, David Lindquist in sixth and Andrew Ostapchenko in fifth, two of which were sent to the rail courtesy of Casey Carroll. Raghavan would claim another victim when he eliminated John Shannon in fourth place when his flush got a river call.

Three-handed play would be defined by one hand when Raghavan flopped Broadway versus Carroll, who had a healthy stack at the start of the hand. Raghavan shoved on the river to send Carroll deep into the tank and eventually took all of his chips when Carroll called off with a pair of jacks.

Raghavan would take an overwhelming 7:1 chip lead heading into heads-up play against Wolff, who he would finish off in short order with ace-three running down pocket sixes to win the title.

In addition, Brian McDaniel won the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Casino Championship title for a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship. He amassed 75 points at the stop and won a ring in Event #6: $400 Monster Stack, good for $32,864.

Brian McDaniel
Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champ Brian McDaniel

Here's a look at all those who won rings at the stop:

TournamentEntriesPrize PoolWinnerPrize
Event #1: $400 NLH1,710$561,330David Larson$76,589
Event #2: $250 NLH Double Stack464$92,800Ryan Abelseth$18,810
Event #3: $400 NLH Seniors211$69,630Michael Reed$16,878
Event #4: $600 NLH154$79,310Jerry Gumila$20,773
Event #5: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha121$62,315Victor Skrobacz$16,977
Event #6: $400 Monster Stack502$165,660Brian McDaniel$32,864
Event #7: $400 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better102$33,660Vu Hoang$9,618
Event #8: $400 NLH Bounty172$39,650Marla Grapsas$10,140
Event #9: $600 NLH 6-Handed163$83,945Mike Moncek$21,751
Event #10: $1,125 NLH167$187,000Justin Brown$46,551
Event #11: $400 NLH Multi-Bag Bonus894$300,000Greg Baird$49,402
Event #12: $1,700 Main Event1,063$1,610,445Ravi Raghavan$272,322
Event #13: $2,200 High Roller132$264,000Javier Zarco$70,931
Event #14: $250 NLH274$54,800Marvin Guss$12,701

That wraps up thePokerNews of WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Main Event. Stay tuned for more WSOP Circuit coverage in the final months of 2019 to be provided by PokerNews.

Tags: Alan PercalAndrew OstapchenkoBlake BattagliaCasey CarrollDavid LindquistJohn ShannonMatthew ShepskyMichael RossittoMichael WolffRavi Raghavan

Michael Wolff Eliminated in 2nd Place ($168,325)

Level 33 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Michael Wolff
Michael Wolff

In a preflop all-in Michael Wolff was at risk

Michael Wolff: {6-Clubs}{6-Spades}
Ravi Raghavan: {a-Spades}{3-Clubs}

The flop launched Raghavan into the lead as it came down {10-Diamonds}{a-Clubs}{5-Clubs}. The turn was the {5-Hearts} and the river was the {j-Diamonds} and Wolff's run ended in second place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ravi Raghavan us
Ravi Raghavan
31,900,000
7,500,000
7,500,000
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Michael Wolff us
Michael Wolff
Busted

Tags: Michael WolffRavi Raghavan

Wolff Gets Some Breathing Room

Level 33 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante

Michael Wolff was all in preflop and in a good position with the {j-}{j-} against the {j-Clubs}{9-Clubs} of Ravi Raghavan.

Raghavan was rooting for clubs to take home the circuit ring but they would not come as it ran out {6-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds}{7-Hearts} and Wolff cut a bit into Raghavan's huge lead.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ravi Raghavan us
Ravi Raghavan
24,400,000
-2,100,000
-2,100,000
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Michael Wolff us
Michael Wolff
7,450,000
200,000
200,000

Tags: Michael WolffRavi Raghavan

Casey Carroll Eliminated in 3rd Place ($126,749)

Level 33 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Casey Carroll
Casey Carroll

A large pot was already in the middle on a board that read {j-Clubs}{k-Spades}{q-Spades}{5-Hearts}. Ravi Raghavan was on the button and bet 1,600,000. Casey Carroll called after a few moments.

The river was the {6-Hearts}. Raghavan announced all in. Carroll immediately shifted and looked up at the ceiling, knowing that a long tank was coming. After about four minutes of silent thought and conteplation, Carroll put in a stack to call.

Raghavan turned over the flopped goods with the {a-Spades}{10-Clubs} while Carroll shook his head and rolled over the {j-Spades}{2-Spades} as his tournament came to a crashing end.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ravi Raghavan us
Ravi Raghavan
26,500,000
9,750,000
9,750,000
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Casey Carroll us
Casey Carroll
Busted

Tags: Casey CarrollRavi Raghavan

John Shannon Eliminated in 4th Place ($94,304)

Level 33 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
John Shannon
John Shannon

Action was on the river on a board that read {8-Hearts}{10-Clubs}{3-Clubs}{5-Clubs}{a-Hearts}. Ravi Raghavan shoved and was quickly called by John Shannon.

Shannon showed the {a-Clubs}{10-Hearts} for top two pair but was bested by the flush of Raghavan who had the {7-Clubs}{4-Clubs} and just like that Shannon's night was over in fourth place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ravi Raghavan us
Ravi Raghavan
16,750,000
3,130,000
3,130,000
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of John Shannon us
John Shannon
Busted

Tags: John ShannonRavi Raghavan

Queen High Good Enough For Carroll

Level 33 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante

Action was picked up on the turn on a board that read {a-Clubs}{5-Diamonds}{j-Hearts}{8-Clubs}. Ravi Raghavan bet 875,000 and was called by Casey Carroll.

The river came the {7-Hearts}. Both players checked it after a few moments of thought. Carroll showed the {q-Clubs}{9-Clubs} for queen high, which was good enough to take the pot as Raghavan mucked his hand.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ravi Raghavan us
Ravi Raghavan
13,620,000
-80,000
-80,000
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Casey Carroll us
Casey Carroll
7,850,000
1,200,000
1,200,000

Tags: cCasey CarrollRavi Raghavan

Wolff Calls Down Raghavan

Level 33 : 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Michael Wolff
Michael Wolff

Ravi Raghavan raised to 500,000 from the cutoff. He was called by Michael Wolff from the big blind.

The flop came {8-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}. Raghavan continued with a bet of 350,000. Wolff called.

The turn was the {8-Spades}. Raghavan fired again, this time for 875,000 and again Wolff called after a few seconds of thought.

The river came the {5-Diamonds}. Both players checked their option. Wolff turned over the winner with the {a-Spades}{10-Spades} and Raghavan mucked.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ravi Raghavan us
Ravi Raghavan
13,700,000
-2,800,000
-2,800,000
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Michael Wolff us
Michael Wolff
7,250,000
2,600,000
2,600,000

Tags: Ravi RaghavanMichael Wolff