Welcome to Day 1a of the WSOP Circuit $1,700 Main Event at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino!
It's Main Event time at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the WSOP Circuit $1,700 Main Event with a $500,000 guarantee kicks off at 11 a.m. local time with the first of two starting flights.
Day 1a features fifteen forty-minute levels, and a final one-hour level before play ends for the evening. Blinds start off at 100/100 for the Main Event, and players begin with 30,000 in tournament chips, with big blind ante kicking in at Level 2.
Players will receive a fifteen-minute break after Levels 3, 6, 12 and 15, and a sixty-minute dinner break after Level 9. Registration will remain open through the beginning of Level 13, and a single re-entry is available to players who bust out for both starting flights. Day 1 play will conclude after Level 16, or until 16% of the field remains, whichever comes first.
This is the first time the WSOP Circuit will stop at Potawatomi this year, but the second stop of the current WSOP Circuit season. In September of last year, Richard Bai topped a field of 447 entrants to earn his second WSOP Circuit ring after defeating Matthew Levin in heads-up play. The final table also included a WSOP Bracelet winner in Brett Apter, and a future WSOP Circuit ring winner in Jorden Helstern, who captured his first ring earlier this week in Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo.
September's Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Location | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Bai | Chicago, Illinois | $138,317 |
| 2 | Matthew Levin | Northbrook, Arizona | $85,488 |
| 3 | Henry Zou | Saginaw, Michigan | $62,298 |
| 4 | James Pupillo | Scottsdale, Arizona | $46,017 |
| 5 | Jorden Helstern | Oak Lawn, Illinois | $34,460 |
| 6 | Nikolas Stone | Auburndale, Wisconsin | $26,167 |
| 7 | Brett Apter | St. Petersburg, Florida | $20,151 |
| 8 | Jack Torcolese | Niles, Illinois | $15,742 |
| 9 | Michael Esquivel | Clarendon Hills, Illinois | $12,478 |
A host of both players, both local and national, are expected to hit the felt during Day 1a action, including 12-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Josh Reichard, Allen "The Chainsaw" Kessler, Jerod Smith, and another first-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, Todd Sladek, who nabbed his ring in Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Max.
Follow along with PokerNews as the action gets underway here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as we begin the journey to crown the latest WSOPC Main Event champ!
flop, and the button called.
turn, and Helstern bet 1,500 on the 
river. The button spent a few moments in the tank, then folded, sending the pot to Helstern, who also notched his first WSOP Circuit ring earlier in the series.
flop from the small blind, and Voytek Glab bet 1,200 into a pot of 3,200 from under the gun. Ken Komberec raised to 4,000 from middle position, and Matakis three-bet shoved for 13,900. 
flop, and the button called.
river, and Vang flipped over 
. The button mucked.
flop from the cutoff, and Jeremy Pekarek bet 1,600 from the button. Reading called.
fell on the river. Pekarek didn't look thrilled, but made the call after just a few seconds.
for a rivered two pair, but Pekarek had that beat with his 
flop, picking up a gutshot and a flush draw. The 
turn left Israelashvili with a single out to survive, but the 
flop over to Perrone, who fired 2,500. The hijack folded.
board over to Craig Trost, who told us during the break that "he was down to three-and-a-half bigs an orbit ago!"
river, and Trost tanked for a few moments, then called. Mitchell flipped over 
for a pair of eights, but Trost held the winner with 
