Event #1: $500 Casino Employees Event Day 1 | 2019 World Series of Poker

05-29-2019 20:27 UTC-7

Nguyen Spikes The Turn

BrandonTemple

Level 12 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Frank Nguyen, a poker dealer at Caesar's Palace here in Las Vegas and an opponent in the big blind had both invested 25,200 on a flop to see the roll off on the turn. The big blind jammed for his last 50,000, and Nguyen snapped him off.

Frank Nguyen:
Opponent:

Nguyen's turned two pair were well out in front of his opponent's flopped two pair, and the river scored the knockout for Nguyen.

Player	Chips	Progress
Frank Nguyen	180,000

Tags: Frank Nguyen

Level: 12

Blinds: 1,000/2,000

Ante: 2,000

05-29-2019 20:11 UTC-7

Roedersheimer Flops a Foe Dead

BrandonTemple

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Chad Roedersheimer, after raising preflop from early position, was faced with an all in shove by his neighbor next to act for 10,700 total. Roedersheimer, a part-time WSOP dealer and a supervisor at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, tossed in a call.

Chad Roedersheimer:
Opponent:

"Game over!" Roedersheimer said after the flop gave him a flush and left his opponent drawing dead before the turn or river could even fall.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chad Roedersheimer	76,000

Tags: Chad Roedersheimer

05-29-2019 19:58 UTC-7

Morret Cracks Valder's Set

BrandonTemple

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

From the small blind, Chase Morret, a poker dealer at the Bellagio here in Las Vegas, bet 7,000 into a pot of 12,000 with a board on the felt. Benjamin Valder raised to 20,000 in the hijack, and Morret thought for a bit before calling.

Morret jammed on the river for Valder's last 25,000.

"Worst card in the deck..." Valder said. He thought for a few moments before collecting his chips and placing them in the pot.

Morret tabled for Broadway, and a frustrated Valder flashed his before making his exit.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chase Morret	140,000
Benjamin Valder	Busted

Tags: Benjamin Valder Chase Morret

05-29-2019 19:44 UTC-7

Wienhoff's Kings In Command

BrandonTemple

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

A player jammed for 20,900 from under-the-gun, and a player in middle position called. Bryan Wienhoff, a dealer at Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado, three-bet shoved for 79,500 in the small blind, and the middle position player called that, as well.

Bryan Wienhoff:
Under-the-gun:
Middle Position:

The flop gave the under-the-gun player a gutshot straight draw, but the turn and river kept Wienhoff's kings in front, eliminating the under-the-gun player while taking a big chunk out of the middle position player.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bryan Wienhoff	184,000

Tags: Bryan Wienhoff

05-29-2019 19:34 UTC-7

Prize Pool Information Announced

BrandonTemple

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

With registration for this event now closed, the prizepool information has been released. The 686 players created a total prize pool of $298,410. Of the remaining field, 103 will be paid with a min-cash worth $727. Making Day 3's streamed final table on PokerGo guarantees a payday of at least $9,776.

The eventual winner of this event will take home $62,345 and will be awarded the second World Series of Poker gold bracelet of the 2019 series, as the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty event will finish a day earlier.

A full prizepool will be posted shortly.

05-29-2019 19:29 UTC-7

DraftKings Data Science Engineer Sumanth Reddy Rounds Out the Squad

BrandonTemple

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

The 50th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) kicks off today with $500 buy-in Event #1: Casino Employees Event. The tournament is open to those who either work in casinos or in the gaming industry, and thanks to their sportsbook in New Jersey, DraftKings personnel are permitted to play.
They’ll be well represented in their first year of eligibility as a team of six players traveled from the East Coast to compete for the summer’s first bracelet. PokerNews caught up with each DraftKings employee – one of which is already a WSOP bracelet winner – talk about the opening event of the 2019 WSOP.

Sumanth Reddy
Age: 32
DraftKings Position: Data Science Engineer

Rounding out the DraftKings team is Sumanth Reddy, who graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in Economics.

“My very supportive family includes a younger sister and two parents who have long been horrified by my interest in poker,” he said. “Rightly so of course, because it’s a dumb luck game and I have no skill.”

He continued: “It’s debatable that I’ve ever truly learned to play poker. My first time looking at cards and throwing chips into a pot was in high school. It was at this time that I believed you should play any hand with a face card, and that it was truly possible to read a person’s soul. Additionally, in your heart, some select people could know the perfect, winning decision, in every single hand.”

Reddy has played the WSOP before where he says his claim to fame is successfully bluffing Phil Ivey.

“No one approved of how I played the hand in any way, but that’s not important,” he offered.

Like many others, Reddy thinks Asad is the DraftKings man to beat.

“He is easily one of the luckiest people I’ve ever met, shipping bad beat jackpots and winning on days that I don’t. He hasn’t been playing poker very long, so he will clearly be underestimated by his competition. This perfect storm of factors is why I believe he is the overwhelming favorite to win the entire tournament.”

Tags: Sumanth Reddy

Level: 11

Blinds: 800/1,600

Ante: 1,600

05-29-2019 19:23 UTC-7

A Sigh of Relief For Epskamp

BrandonTemple

Level 10 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

A player limped in from under-the-gun, and Yori Epskamp raised to 4,000 next to act. A player in middle position called, as did the limper.

Action checked to Epskamp on an flop, and Epskamp bet 3,500. Both of his opponents quickly folded, and Epskamp pantomimed a sigh of relief before turning over for a bluff.

"Pocket fours were good!" said the middle position player.

"They were, but I was going to hit a queen!" Epskamp told his opponent.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yori Epskamp	48,000	-2,000

Tags: Yori Epskamp

05-29-2019 19:15 UTC-7

Rodriguez Fills Up With a Triple

BrandonTemple

Level 10 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Mid States Poker Tour Commentator Benjamin Valder raised to 3,100 from under-the-gun, and was called by a player on the button. Johnny Rodriguez, a traveling dealer here for the WSOP, three-bet jammed for 11,600 in the small blind, and both Valder and the button called.

Action checked to the river of a board, and Valder checked again. The button bet 10,000.