2014 World Series of Poker

Event #17: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Day: 1
Event Info

2014 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
62
Prize
$627,462
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Entries
4,425
Level Info
Level
31
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
15,000

Early Start As the Senior Players Join Battle

Tournament Director Jack Effel
Tournament Director Jack Effel

The 2014 WSOP $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship, where entry is open to players aged 50 years or older, gets underway today with a 10 a.m. start.

Ken Lind won this event last year taking home what he described as a life changing $634,809. He beat a record-setting field of 4,407 who put up the $1,000 buy-in to generate a prize pool of $3,966,300.

Some of the notables who had a good finish last year included Hoyt Corkins (23rd), Larry Wright (26th), Dan Heimiller (39th), Chris Bjorin (45th), and Robert Varkonyi (73rd).

Other big name players to show up a year ago were Johnny Chan, Marcel Luske, former November Niner Dennis Phillips, and even Phil Hellmuth’s parents Lynn & Phil, so it should be a star-studded field again today.

We are also expecting an appearance from Barny Boatman who won his first bracelet last year. He tweeted yesterday that when he registered for the event he was none too happy that they didn’t ask for proof of age when he handed over the money.

This a bracelet event like all the others and even if the atmosphere is a little more friendly with lots of stories being swapped, players from around the world will be vying to maneuver their way through the huge field in an attempt to put a gold bracelet around their wrist and take home a huge payday.

Players start with 3,000 chips with blinds beginning at 25/25. We are set to play 11 levels today due to the expected large number of competitors.

Stay with your PokerNews Live Reporting team over the next three days as we follow the action and bring you all the latest chip counts, big hands, and stories from the felt in Event #17.

The Big Lubarsky

Level 2 : 25/50, 0 ante
Hal Lubarsky and his assistant during the early stages of today's Seniors Championship
Hal Lubarsky and his assistant during the early stages of today's Seniors Championship

Back in poker's glory days the world was captivated by an inspirational story to emerge from the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, as Hal Lubarsky became the first legally blind player to compete on poker's premier stage.

Lubarsky was born with the ability to see, and during his late 20s he relocated to Las Vegas with dreams of becoming a professional poker player. He competed against many of Sin City's top players at that time, becoming a regular in $150/$300 H.O.R.S.E. games and living that aforementioned dream — until a hereditary dystrophy known as retinitis pigmentos left Lubarsky without the sight so many of us take for granted.

Following a period of depression Lubarsky used poker to pull himself out of the doldrums, devising a way to continue playing the game he loves and diving back into the world of flops and folds despite not being able to see the felt. In 2007 Lubarsky garnered worldwide attention during ESPN's now-legendary broadcasts of the WSOP Main Event, with viewers becoming captivated by the image of Lubarsky playing poker alongside an assistant who reads his cards and informs him of the action.

Lubarsky did much more than simply enter the event, however, as his deep run to a 197th-place finish in the Main Event earned him $51,398, along with a certain sense of validation and the widespread respect of his poker peers.

Seated directly in front of the PokerNews' Live Reporting desk here today, Lubarsky is looking for his fifth career cash at the WSOP, so we'll be sure to track his progress throughout the day.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Hal Lubarsky
Hal Lubarsky
2,700
2,700
2,700

Tags: Hal Lubarsky

A Star and a Shark

Level 3 : 50/100, 0 ante
Kevin O'Donnell
Kevin O'Donnell

James Woods is best known as a star of stage and screen, as the well-known Hollywood actor has appeared in countless films and television shows during a storied career under the spotlight. Woods also loves a good game of poker, having become a regular on the tournament circuit in recent years, so we weren't surprised to see him here today mixing it up with the seniors.

Kevin O'Donnell made his bones back in 2006 when he went deep in that year's World Series of Poker Main Event en route to a 21st-place finish. The Arizona native parlayed the $494,797 he won for that accomplishment into a successful bar and restaurant operation in his home state, but he has also continued to grind away on the circuit, registering numerous WSOP cashes in the years since he almost won poker's most prestigious tournament.

The man known as "KO" to his friends is also here today competing in the Seniors Championship, and with his experience against open fields all around the country, he should have no problem building a big stack against this amateur-heavy field.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Kevin O'Donnell
Kevin O'Donnell
3,000
3,000
3,000
Profile photo of James Woods us
James Woods
3,000
3,000
3,000

Tags: James WoodsKevin O'Donnell

Sexton Sent Home by Safar

Level 4 : 75/150, 0 ante
Mike Sexton's time at the Seniors Championship was cut short by Fadel Safar
Mike Sexton's time at the Seniors Championship was cut short by Fadel Safar

Mike Sexton was riding a short stack for most of Level 4, and his last 700 or so went into the middle when he woke up with an ace in the hole.

Unfortunately for Sexton, his {a-Hearts}{8-Hearts} was dominated by Fadel Safar's {A-Clubs}{Q-Clubs}, and the final board ran out clean to leave Sexton with no pair — and no chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Fadel Safar
Fadel Safar
4,400
4,400
4,400
Profile photo of Mike Sexton us
Mike Sexton
Busted
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer

Tags: Fadel SafarMike Sexton

When Ya Gotta Go...

Level 5 : 100/200, 0 ante
James Woods
James Woods

Just before the recent break we caught up with James Woods to check on his progress, and the actor was preparing to make a mad dash to the restrooms with a few minutes still left on the clock, a savvy move designed to beat the notorious Seniors Championship lines.

Woods regaled us with tales of his tournament in the meantime, mentioning how he had "exactly twenty-three pocket pairs so far," before ticking off the list with startling precision. Rumored to be a certified genius with an IQ above 180, Woods' ability to remember the various wired pairs he had woke up with during the day was something to behold.

Just as Woods was about to depart in search of the commode, however, the sight of yet another pocket pair kept him glued to his seat. One player had shoved all in for his last 1,125, coming over the top of a limper or two, and Woods looked down to squeeze {a-Spades}{a-Diamonds}. Announcing himself all in as well, Woods isolated the vulnerable player to find his bullets well ahead of the other man's {9-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}.

Despite vocalizing his suspicion that these aces were doomed to be cracked, the hand was over in a flash as the flop fell {a-Hearts}{q-Clubs}{8-Hearts} to give Woods top set. The turn and river failed to deliver any runner-runner miracles, and with that Woods sent a fellow senior home midway through the day.

On the very next deal Woods stuck around to punish a few limpers, raising to 525 and catching two callers. The flop rolled out {3-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{j-Hearts} and both players checked to Woods, who seized the initiative with an all-in c-bet which would force both opponents to a test for their tournament lives. Like clockwork both men mucked their hands and Woods happily counted the spoils of war before rushing off to relieve himself.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of James Woods us
James Woods
6,550
-2,600
-2,600

Tags: James Woods

Put Me in Coach

Level 5 : 100/200, 0 ante
Bill Fagerbakke
Bill Fagerbakke

Bill Fagerbakke has played crucial roles in many of television's longest running series, although the average fan would be hard pressed to pick him out of a lineup.

Fans of the college football themed series Coach, which aired from 1989 to 1997, will remember Fagerbakke from his legendary portrayal of Dauber, the dim witted but devoted assistant to Coach Hayden Fox.

For the younger generation, Fagerbakke's voice will no doubt ring bells, as he has given life to Patrick Star on the Nickelodeon hit SpongeBob SquarePants for the show's 14-year run.

And if animation isn't your thing, Fagerbakke has made several memorable appearances on How I Met Your Mother, portraying Marvin Eriksen, the Scandinavian father of Marshall Eriksen, until the character's death in 2011.

Fagerbakke's distinctive height and voice have provided him with plenty of on-screen work throughout the years, but today he is hoping to add a deep run at the World Series of Poker to his long list of life accomplishments.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Bill Fagerbakke us
Bill Fagerbakke
4,300

Tags: Bill Fagerbakke

PokerNews Podcast Episode #222: National Doughnut Day feat. Bryan Campanello

Level 6 : 100/200, 25 ante
Bryan Campanello
Bryan Campanello

Jason, Donnie, and Rich celebrate National Doughnut Day and talk about final table railing, vuvuzelas, the recent bracelet winners, and more. They are then joined by RunGood Team Pro and WSOP bracelet winner Bryan Campanello to talk Texas high school football, grinding the live circuit, and more.

You can subscribe to the entire iBus Media Network on iTunes here, or you can access the RSS feed here. The PokerNews family of podcasts is now available on Stitcher.

Tags: Bryan CampanelloWSOP

It's a Siple Game

Level 7 : 150/300, 25 ante
The prettiest pair in all of poker
The prettiest pair in all of poker

We noticed bracelet winner and longtime pro Blair Rodman mixing it up in a preflop all-in confrontation, with Rodman's {Q-Spades}{Q-Clubs} trailing badly against Jim Siple's {A-Hearts}{a-Diamonds}.

Siple was poised to double his last 3,700 or so if the rockets held up, when the board ran out {2-Spades}{5-Hearts}{k-Spades}{7-Hearts}{9-Hearts} he did just that.

On the very next deal Siple watched the player to his right open for 600 from late position, so he decided to apply a little pressure with a three-bet to 1,800.

The other player had just seen Sipleshow down the goods with bullets in the hole, so he respected the reraise and laid down accordingly, telling Siple "my ace-jack's no good here, huh?"

Siple only smiled in response while tabling his {a-Diamonds}{a-Clubs} with a flourish, cementing his image as a card-rack while scooping his second consecutive pot on the strength of the best hand in Hold'em.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Blair Rodman us
Blair Rodman
12,500
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Blair RodmanJim Siple

Day 1 Of The Seniors Event 2014 Ends Close to the Money

Level 11 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Sam Farha will return on Day 2 with a big stack.
Sam Farha will return on Day 2 with a big stack.

At the start of the $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship close to 4,000 players were registered, and that number grew to 4,425 once the registration was closed at the start of level seven. For the third year in a row the event drew more than 4,000 entries and the previous record attendance of 4,406 from 2013 was overthrown. After the introduction by Oklahoma Johnny Hale, things escalated quickly at the tables and more than 2,800 players were sent to the rail before the dinner break at the end of level six.

Five more levels were played after dinner and 486 players will return for Day 2 with the top 468 places getting paid. The final chip counts will be available on wsop.com within the hour.

Among those that didn't bag chips were the likes of Michel Abecassis, Marcel Luske, Pierre Neuville, European Poker Tour founder John Duthie, actor James Woods, Cyndy Violette as well as the WSOP bracelet winners Jorg Peisert and Susie Isaacs.

Duthie folded to a river shove from Richard Munro on a four-card-flush board and then ran {A-}{7-} into{j-}{j-} shortly after, whereas Munro is among the chip leaders with 104,400 chips after eleven levels of play. Other big stacks include Sam Farha (89,600), who had been running hot in the last few levels after being short on chips for most of the day, Marcee Topp (78,900), Donna Rosenthal (70,400), James Traber (70,700) and Terry Timmins (67,000).

Former WSOP Main Event runner up Dennis Phillips lost three flips towards the end and bagged up 16,900, WSOP bracelet winner Nikolaus Teichert (9,300) will come back with even fewer chips. Other notable names include Simon Trumper (45,400), Barny Boatman (39,100) and Irish legend Mick McCloskey (21,200).

Day 2 restarts at 11am Vegas time in the Amazon Room and it won't be long before the remaining players face the money bubble with less than 20 spots to go until a min cash of $1,752. The top 468 spots will earn at least that amount whereas the winner takes home a stunning $627,462 and a WSOP Gold Bracelet.