2020 World Series of Poker Circuit Rio Las Vegas

$1,700 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2020 World Series of Poker Circuit Rio Las Vegas

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aj
Prize
$209,216
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,700
Prize Pool
$1,131,705
Entries
747
Level Info
Level
34
Blinds
125,000 / 250,000
Ante
250,000
Players Info - Day 1b
Entries
457
Players Left
89

Trung Pham Bags Overall Lead on Day 1b of WSOPC Rio Main Event

Level 15 : 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Trung Pham
Trung Pham

The second flight of the $1,700 Main Event here at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino has come to an end after 15 levels of play and just 89 bagged of the 457 entries that were accumulated during the final flight.

Finding the largest stack of the night, and the overall lead is Trung Pham who bagged an outstanding 485,000. Pham started his stack climb slowly during the middle of the day and then rapidly in the later stages, catapulting to the top during the last level of the night. Following close behind Pham on the leader board is Kevin Calenzo who managed to put 452,000 into his bag by night's end. Rounding out the top five are Paul Murphy (442,000), Martin Zamani (429,500), and Kathy Liebert (385,500).

Some other stacks on the larger side of things to emerge from Day 1b are Bryan Piccioli (348,500), Ryan Olisar (318,000), Jeffrey Lutes (288,500), Katie Lindsay (283,000), Justin Sharpe (263,5000), and Hieu Dang (254,000).

A star-studded field showed up for the final flight of this event and not all could find a bag but some that did include three-time bracelet winner David Pham (238,500), Jeremy Ausmus (203,500), Will Givens (177,000), Tim Reilly (162,000), Sorel Mizzi (152,500), Anthony Zinno (114,500), Eli Elezra (110,000), and Eric Baldwin (91,000).

The first flight of this event saw 290 entry slips sold with 57 surviving at the end of the night and Day 1b had a total of 457 entries with 89 finding a bag. Bringing the total to 747 for the event with 146 players set to return for Day 2 tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time. A total of 113 will be finding a cash and the prize pool will be announced tomorrow before the second day begins.

Top 10 Stacks Headed Into Day 2

PositionPlayerChip CountBig Blinds
1Trung Pham485,000121
2Kevin Calenzo452,000113
3Paul Murphy442,000111
4Martin Zamani429,500107
5Michael Stein387,00097
6Kathy Liebert385,50096
7Leo Worthington-Leese354,00089
8Bryan Piccioli348,50087
9Ryan Olisar318,00080
10Kevin MacPhee301,00075

The PokerNews live reporting team will be bringing you all of the action throughout the remainder of this event, so tune in tomorrow as the second day of this event gets underway at 1 p.m. local time.

Tags: Trung Pham

Pham Scores a Double Through Massey

Level 15 : 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
David Pham
David Pham

Aaron Massey opened from the button to 8,500, David Pham three-bet from the big blind and Massey jammed his stack into the middle. Pham called for his 112,500 and was the player at risk.

David Pham: {q-Spades}{q-Hearts}
Aaron Massey: {7-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}

The board came down {q-Diamonds}{9-Spades}{5-Hearts}{2-Spades}{j-Hearts} and Pham's set of ladies scooped the pot, doubling through Massey late in the day.

Player Chips Progress
David Pham us
David Pham
WSOP 3X Winner
228,500 181,500
Aaron Massey us
Aaron Massey
55,000 -115,000

Tags: Aaron MasseyDavid Pham

Olisar Collects with Rockets

Level 15 : 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Ryan Olisar
Ryan Olisar

Jordan Cristos opened to 9,000 and two players called. Ryan Olisar raised to 30,000 and all his opponents except one. That player shoved their stack into the middle for more than enough to cover Olisar who snap-called for his 155,500 stack.

Ryan Olisar: {a-Diamonds}{a-Clubs}
Opponent: {6-Spades}{6-Hearts}

The board ran out {j-Spades}{4-Clubs}{2-Clubs}{3-Spades}{q-Clubs} and Olisar's aces held on for the pot, doubling late in the day.

Player Chips Progress
Ryan Olisar us
Ryan Olisar
340,000 184,000

Tags: Jordan CristosRyan Olisar

Piccioli Takes Down a Monster

Level 13 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Bryan Piccioli
Bryan Piccioli

The flop read {4-Spades}{4-Hearts}{2-Diamonds} and there was about 40,000 in the pot when Bryan Piccioli found his 130,000 stack head into the middle. His opponent had their 120,000 stack pushed in and the two tabled their cards.

Opponent: {j-Spades}{j-Clubs}
Bryan Piccioli: {k-Spades}{k-Diamonds}

The {10-Spades} turn and {7-Hearts} river cemented the pot for Piccioli as he sent his opponent packing late in the day.

Player Chips Progress
Bryan Piccioli us
Bryan Piccioli
WSOP 2X Winner
290,000

Tags: Bryan Piccioli

Kessler Takes an Exit

Level 11 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Allen Kessler
Allen Kessler

Action folded to Allen Kessler in the small blind who looked down at one ace and elected two put his 12 blinds into the middle. Johnathan Wong called and the two tabled their hands.

Wong turned over ace-jack and was dominated when Kessler tabled his ace-king of spades. The flop rolled out with a johnnie and the rest of the board came down clean, sending the pot to Wong and Kessler took an exit.

Player Chips Progress
Johnathan Wong us
Johnathan Wong
80,000 -6,000
Allen Kessler us
Allen Kessler
Busted

Tags: Allen KesslerJohnathan Wong

Massive Hand Swells Baldwin's Stack

Level 9 : 400/800, 800 ante
Eric Baldwin
Eric Baldwin

Action was picked up on the river and was retold.

Jesse Shotwell raised to 1,800 and found three callers including Eric Baldwin.

The flop came {q-Hearts}{6-Diamonds}{q-Clubs}. Shotwell bet 3,000 and Baldwin called while the other two players folded.

The turn was the {j-Clubs}. Shotwell then checked it over to Baldwin who bet 4,000. Shotwell raised to 9,000 and Baldwin called.

The river was the {10-Hearts}. Shotwell bet 14,000. Baldwin collected his chips and slid forward a stack of chips for a bet of 62,000 which was for nearly all of Shotwell's chips who went into the tank. After about 30 seconds he found a call.

He saw the horrible news as Baldwin tabled the {q-Diamonds}{j-Hearts} for the full boat which coolered the {a-Spades}{q-Spades} of Shotwell as he was left with very few chips while Baldwin shot up the charts.

Player Chips Progress
Eric Baldwin us
Eric Baldwin
WSOP 2X Winner
185,000 92,000
Jesse Shotwell us
Jesse Shotwell
6,000 -54,000

Tags: Eric BaldwinJesse Shotwell

Gregory Hughes Wins Event #6: $400 NLH Double Stack Turbo

Level 5 : 200/300, 300 ante
Gregory Hughes
Gregory Hughes

PokerNews is in town to live report both the $1,700 Main Event and $2,200 High Roller here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Rio Las Vegas, but those are just three of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.

In Event #6: $400 NLH Double Stack Turbo, 238 runners offered up a $78,540 prize pool that was paid out to the top 36 players. Among those to cash were Brett Murray (3rd - $7,936), Michael Rossitto (7th - $2,489), Dylan Thomassie (9th - $1,574), Max Pescatori (15th - $1,084), Darren Rabinowitz (19th - $816), and Brian Reinert (31st - $615).

Coming out on top was Gregory Hughes, who captured a $18,015 first-place prize and his first gold ring.

“It feels really good, and it feels especially good being as low in chips as I was and being able to come back, that feels great,” Hughes said after the win.

According to WSOP officials, the one-day turbo event started at noon and got down to a final table after seven hours of poker action.

“When we had three tables I was down to 8000 chips, but I tripled, then doubled and just rolled from there. It was almost like it was meant to be,” Hughes explained. “I have been playing poker for a while but it has never been the only thing I do. Then the business I worked at got sold, so I had an opportunity to take some time off for three or four months to play poker, and three months later I got a ring.”

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Gregory HughesChandler, Arizona$18,015
2Julio NovoTampa, Florida$11,128
3Brett MurrayMississauga, Ontario, Canada$7,936
4John HomSan Rafael, California$5,767
5Koma FentonFairbanks, Alaska$4,273
6Gregory ArmandSanta Barbara, California$3,229
7Michael RossittoBrooklyn, New York$2,489
8Benjamin PalmerN/A$1,959
9Dylan ThomassieChampaign, Illinois$1,574

Tags: Benjamin PalmerBrett MurrayBrian ReinertDarren RabinowitzDylan ThomassieGregory ArmandGregory HughesJohn HomJulio NovoKoma FentonMax PescatoriMichael Rossitto

Battle-Rapper Peter Morris Captures 2nd Gold Ring Exactly One Year After First

Level 3 : 100/200, 200 ante
Peter Morris
Peter Morris

PokerNews is in town to live report both the $1,700 Main Event and $2,200 High Roller here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Rio Las Vegas, but those are just three of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.

In Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed, 151 entrants created a $49,830 prize pool that was paid out amongst the top 23 players including Brett Murray (6th - $2,123), Mirko Marich (12th - $874), Kfir Nahum (14th - $757), Sam Cosby (16th - $678), Jasthi Kumar (20th - $628), and Sergio Vargas (23rd - $604).

Coming out on top to capture a $13,214 top prize and his second career gold ring was battle-rapper Peter Morris, who won his first gold ring exactly one year prior in the WSOPC Rio $400 NLH 6-Handed Event.

“Unbelievable. I obviously wanted to play another 6-Max event because that’s what I won last year, but when I saw that it wasn’t on the schedule and that this event replaced it on the exact same day – I thought it was a must play,” Morris said. “When we were on the bubble I only had seven big blinds, but I ended up baging 180,000 and never looked back.”

He added: “I feel like I have a pretty good gauge on being able to read people and figure out what they are capable of and how they withstand pressure, which is very similar to what I do on stage. When I sit down at a table, I’m aware of who I will be able to push around. But the biggest advantage is that, as soon as people realize that I’m a rapper, all credibility goes out the window and people think I’m a fish. I love it because that gives me so much more action than I should, and I use that to my advantage.”

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Peter MorrisLas Vegas, Nevada$13,214
2Kevin SherrillConover, North Carolina$8,162
3Cristhian GuillenN/A$5,599
4Paul SchumanAustin, Texas$3,944
5Jarrod CipressePittsburgh, Pennsylvania$2,854
6Brett MurrayMississauga, Ontario, Canada$2,123
7John ZentnerLas Vegas, Nevada$1,626
8Pedro InglesCohutta, Georgia$1,282
9Robert GunstromN/A$1,042

Tags: Brett MurrayJarrod CipresseJasthi KumarJohn ZentnerKevin SherrillKfir NahumPaul SchumanPeter MorrisSam Cosby

A Round With the Defending Champ

Level 2 : 100/100, 100 ante
Viet Vo
Viet Vo

Last year's Rio Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Main Event champion Viet Vo has entered the field early today and was involved in some action after an orbit around the table at what was a six-handed table.

Hand 1: From the button, Vo raised to 300. Both blinds defended and came along. The flop came {a-Diamonds}{6-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}. Vo continued with a bet of 500 and both his opponents folded.

Hand 2: Folded preflop

Hand 3: Folded preflop

Hand 4: From the big blind, Vo three-bet to 1,600 over the button's raise to 700. The button called. The flop came {4-Spades}{2-Hearts}{8-Spades}. Vo bet 1,100 and his opponent called.

The turn was the {j-Diamonds} both players checked.

The river was the {j-Clubs}. Vo checked and his opponent bet 2,200. Vo thought for about ten seconds and called after re-checking his cards. His opponent showed the {k-}{q-} which Vo had beat with ace high, turning over the {a-Clubs}{k-Diamonds} and taking the pot.

Hand 5: Vo raised to 300 from the small blind. The big blind called. The flop came {k-Diamonds}{9-Spades}{8-Diamonds}. Action went check-check. The turn was the {8-Clubs}. Check-check again. The river was the {8-Hearts}. Vo bet 1,200 and his opponent folded swiftly.

Player Chips Progress
Viet Vo us
Viet Vo
Defending Champion
36,000

Tags: Viet Vo

Richard Munro Victorious in Event #4: $250 Seniors Event

Level 2 : 100/100, 100 ante
Richard Munro
Richard Munro

PokerNews is in town to live report both the $1,700 Main Event and $2,200 High Roller here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Rio Las Vegas, but those are just three of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.

In Event #4: $250 Seniors Event, 298 runners created a $59,600 prize pool that was paid out to the top 45 players including Anthony Blanda (3rd - $5,741), Charles Moore (7th - $1,855), Tony Birney (12th - $954), David Plastik (16th - $672), Shawn Sparks (29th - $421), David Bates (37th - $368), Kurt Jandron (40th - $368), and Lee Troy (45th - $368).

In the end, Richard Munro of Bell Canyon, California bested Avraham Maman in heads-up play to win the title for $12,868 and a gold ring.

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Richard MunroBell Canyon, California$12,868
2Avraham MamanN/A$5,741
3Anthony BlandaLas Vegas, Nevada$5,741
4Paul GreenwoodFlagstaff, Arizona$4,220
5Steven StolzmannN/A$3,154
6Uyen TranRound Rock, Texas$2,398
7Charles MooreLas Vegas, Nevada$1,855
8John HomSan Rafael, California$1,460
9Michael HackHenderson, Nevada$1,170

Tags: Anthony BlandaCharles MooreDavid PlastikJohn HomMichael HackRichard MunroShawn SparksTony Birney