November 19 2011, Lee Davy
The PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Loutraki Main Event has reached its final stage. Over the past five days, 336 players have given everything they have in pursuit of the “347,000 first prize and all of the accolades that accompanies an EPT title.
Before the penultimate day began, 38 players were hoping that they could turn their dreams into something a little more tangible. By the time another Greek sunset had come and gone, 30 players were eliminated, leaving only eight players left with a dream. The final table, our Clash of the Titans, was set, and the player who had finished at the top of the pack was Zimnan Ziyard with 2,771,000 chips.
The day began with Level 19, and during those scintillating 75-minutes we lost 13 players. Among the early casualties were former Day 1a chip leader Julian Herold and Team PokerStars Pro Jude Ainsworth. The chip leader at the start of the day was Charalampos Kapernopoulos, and the Greek doctor continued to run hotter than a lava flow, finishing the first level with 1,177,000 chips.
The next level saw another raft of casualties and the most notable player to receive a fatal blow was the last Team PokerStars Pro, and former Day 2 chip leader, Toni Judet. At the top end of the charts, Kapernopoulos was still our chip leader with 1,256,000 chips.
As play reached Level 21, the inexperience of our chip leader started to show. He lost big pots to Ioannis Taramas and Hauke Heseding and started to slip down towards mediocrity. Someone needed to step up and replace Kapernopoulos at the top, and it was Hauke Heseding who walked forward and took a bow.
Moving into Level 23, the last remaining Brits started to make their moves. Former EPT Champion Rupert Elder and fellow compatriot Zimnan Ziyard learned to play poker in their home game at the University of Warwick, and both of them were competing for Heseding’s spot at the top. Then, just as people started to contemplate the possibility of Elder becoming the first-ever double EPT Champion – he was gone – and his old foe Ziyard was his executioner. With blinds at 10,000/20,000, Elder four-bet his entire 700,000 stack holding 
and Ziyard called with 
. Ziyard’s hand held strong and he deposed Heseding at the top with 1,760,000 chips.
From that moment on, Ziyard kept his foot on the gas and peered in the rear view mirror as Ioannis Taramas, Hauke Heseding and Mario Puccini all failed to make the headway needed to remove him from top spot.
On Sunday, Ziyard will start with a million more chips than his nearest competitor and has an excellent chance of becoming, yet another, British EPT champion.
The final table starts on Sunday at 1200 EET (0200 PST), so be sure and join us at Pokernews for all of the action from EPT Loutraki.
EPT Loutraki Main Event Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| 2 | Charalampos Kapernopoulos | 749,000 |
| 3 | Pierre Mothes | 1,073,000 |
| 4 | Hauke Heseding | 1,660,000 |
| 5 | Florian Schleps | 850,000 |
| 6 | Mario Puccini | 1,077,000 |
| 7 | Andras Kovacs | 210,000 |
| 8 | Zimnan Ziyard | 2,771,000 |
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November 19 2011, Chad Holloway
For the past week, Harveys Lake Tahoe has played host to the World Series of Poker Circuit. Like all the other stops, this one features 12 ring events, culminating in a $1,600 Main Event that began Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011.
The stop has already completed 75 percent of its scheduled events, and it’s already proven quite the success, especially for Alexandru Masek, who took down Event #8 for $15,236. What’s special about that win is that it marked the San Diego Law School graduate’s fourth WSOP Circuit gold ring, putting him just one win behind the all-time leader, Mark “Pegasus” Smith.
“I don’t ever look at the payout when I’m playing,” Masek said in his post victory interview. “All I look at is the (gold) ring. The win meant everything to me in this tournament.” He went on to add: “I went to the WSOP the last two years. I would love to win a gold bracelet more than anything. But in the meantime, I would love to win another ring – or two.”
This weekend, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing coverage of the Main Event.
Here’s a look at the WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe through the first nine events:
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em
| $300+$45 | 260 | $75,660 |
| 1 | David Clark | Dallas, TX | $18,208 |
| 2 | Shawn Van Asdale | Reno, NV | $11,249 |
| 3 | Prak Pich | Sacramento, CA | $8,127 |
| 4 | Robert Nicholson | Castro Valley, CA | $5,981 |
| 5 | Michael Rosenbach | Santa Rosa, CA | $4,481 |
| 6 | Iris Kuzu | Kelseyville, CA | $3,415 |
| 7 | Aryeh Cohen | Brooklyn, NY | $2,645 |
| 8 | Frank Williams | Danville, CA | $2,083 |
| 9 | Taylor Skeels | San Carlos, CA | $1,666 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #2 NLHE Re-Entry
| $300+$45 (Re-Entry) | 521 | $151,611 |
| 1 | Josh Roberts | Folsom, CA | $32,300 |
| 2 | Drew Caseri | Merced, CA | $19,974 |
| 3 | Jedidiah Hoffman | Reno, NV | $14,592 |
| 4 | Andrew Barber | Sacramento, CA | $10,817 |
| 5 | Bryan Borders | Santa Rosa, CA | $8,135 |
| 6 | Matthew Weber | Sacramento, CA | $6,206 |
| 7 | Samuel Lee | San Francisco, CA | $4,801 |
| 8 | Adriano Wise | San Jose, CA | $3,767 |
| 9 | Robert Gallina | Vero Beach, FL | $2,998 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #3 H.O.R.S.E.
| $300+$45 | 85 | $24,735 |
| 1 | Mark Bonsack | Maple Valley, CA | $7,484 |
| 2 | Joseph Mongkoluaaree | Minden, NV | $4,625 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Cox | Reno, NV | $3,237 |
| 4 | Jon Wallace | South Lake Tahoe, CA | $2,358 |
| 5 | Ho Le | Sacramento, CA | $1,735 |
| 6 | Robert Furia | Granada Hills, CA | $1,296 |
| 7 | John Richardson | Sacramento, CA | $1,039 |
| 8 | Isaac Crow | Downey, CA | $866 |
| 9 | Clifford Paine | Sacramento, CA | $745 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #4 NLHE
| $500+$55 | 101 | $48,985 |
| 1 | Michael Rosenbach | Santa Rosa, CA | $13,874 |
| 2 | Ian Remmel | South Lake Tahoe, CA | $8,570 |
| 3 | Vincent Remmel | South Lake Tahoe, CA | $6,188 |
| 4 | Darren Williams | Martinez, CA | $4,545 |
| 5 | Steve Johnson | Northridge, CA | $3,395 |
| 6 | Anthony Winters | Patterson, CA | $2,555 |
| 7 | Julius Estrada | Alameda, CA | $1,965 |
| 8 | Joshua Pender | Rockhill, SC | $1,539 |
| 9 | Donald McCormack | Perris, CA | $1,227 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #5 NLHE
| $300+$45 | 188 | $54,708 |
| 1 | Daniel Aran | San Jose, CA | $13,874 |
| 2 | Dan Natarelli | Simi Valley, CA | $8,570 |
| 3 | Ziv Fromovich | Sunnyvale, CA | $6,188 |
| 4 | Stephen Knapp | Rancho Cordova, CA | $4,545 |
| 5 | Gregory Derov | Reno, NV | $3,395 |
| 6 | Vincent Fucillo | Merced, CA | $2,580 |
| 7 | Christopher Simone | San Jose, CA | $1,993 |
| 8 | Jeremy Davis | Tucson, AZ | $1,565 |
| 9 | Sean Drake | Sacramento, CA | $1,249 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #6 NLHE
| $300+$45 | 221 | $64,311 |
| 1 | Rudy Sisson | Sacramento, CA | $15,741 |
| 2 | Reid Harris III | St. Simons, GA | $9,729 |
| 3 | Aryeh Cohen | Brooklyn, NY | $7,081 |
| 4 | Jimmy Rogers | Payson, AZ | $5,236 |
| 5 | Paul Evans | Mount Shasta, CA | $3,933 |
| 6 | Peter Sullivan | Roscoe, IL | $3,000 |
| 7 | Jeffrey Surdez | Discovery Bay, CA | $2,323 |
| 8 | Gary Isaacson | Brentwood, CA | $1,826 |
| 9 | Jarrett Fenlon | Richmond, CA | $1,456 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #7 NLHE
| $300+$45 | 199 | $57,909 |
| 1 | Nicholas Long | South Lake Tahoe, CA | $14,705 |
| 2 | Steve Kujubu | Sacramento, CA | $9,084 |
| 3 | Ivan Holmes | Berkeley, CA | $6,559 |
| 4 | Merwick J. Black | Pollock Pines, CA | $4,817 |
| 5 | Clay Richardson | South Lake Tahoe, CA | $3,599 |
| 6 | Paul Kossluk | Ashland, OR | $2,735 |
| 7 | Joshua Roberts | Garland, TX | $2,122 |
| 8 | Neil Curran | Park City, UT | $1,659 |
| 9 | Beverly Cheney | Grandbury, TX | $1,323 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #8 NLHE
| $300+$45 | 206 | $59,946 |
| 1 | Alexandru Masek | San Diego, CA | $15,236 |
| 2 | Scott Stewart | Lakewood, CA | $9,411 |
| 3 | David Holder | Norman, OK | $6,795 |
| 4 | Gregory Sayabalian | Gardnerville, NV | $4,991 |
| 5 | Brett Schwertley | Omaha, NE | $3,728 |
| 6 | Garilyn Nelson | Ogden, UT | $2,835 |
| 7 | Shain Matthews | Marysville, CA | $2,189 |
| 8 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | $1,719 |
| 9 | George Saca | Sacramento, CA | $1,371 |
WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Ring Event #9 NLHE
| $300+$45 | 186 | $54,126 |
| 1 | Troy Declue | Wildomar, CA | $13,724 |
| 2 | Jeffrey Rowland | Fortville, IN | $8,476 |
| 3 | Manuel Lozano | Santa Monica, CA | $6,120 |
| 4 | Erie Mankin | Sacramento, CA | $4,495 |
| 5 | David Williams | Palo Cedro | $3,358 |
| 6 | David Brody | Las Vegas, NV | $2,552 |
| 7 | Leonard Swisher | Modesto | $1,971 |
| 8 | Travis Atkins | Placerville, CA | $1,548 |
| 9 | Rip Fritzer | La Mesa, CA | $1,235 |
With three events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Hammond Casino Champion is wide open. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. That event is limited to 100 players, and so far only six have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Jerry Monroe | IP Biloxi Main Event Winner |
In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy-in to the National Championship:
WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*
| Felicia Johnico | 107.5 | 1 | 4 | $21,998 |
| Beverly Cheney | 105 | 0 | 5 | $27,117 |
| Russell Ivy | 102.5 | 0 | 4 | $65,035 |
| Thomas Cronin | 95 | 0 | 4 | $21,396 |
| Peter Mavro | 87.5 | 0 | 5 | $11,892 |
| Benjamin Kramer | 85 | 1 | 4 | $28,848 |
| John Evans | 85 | 0 | 4 | $11,921 |
| Scott Schwalich | 80 | 1 | 3 | $34,846 |
| Robert Newman | 77.5 | 1 | 3 | $29,930 |
| David Clark | 77.5 | 1 | 3 | $21,143 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe stop.
Don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are still plenty of opportunities to play, including any of the remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule.
Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule
| Circuit Event | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) | Jan. 19 – 30, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Tunica | Feb. 2 – 13, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Palm Beach Kennel Club | Feb. 16 – 27, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Caesars Atlantic City | March 1 – 12, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Rincon | March 15 – 26, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Horseshoe Council Bluffs | March 29 – April 9, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s St. Louis | April 12 – 23, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s Chester | April 26 – May 7, 2012 |
| Circuit Event | Harrah’s New Orleans | May 10 – 21, 2012 |
Be sure to follow our live updates from the WSOP-Circuit Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event.
*Photo courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! In the meantime, see who qualifies for the National Championship this weekend by following our Live Reporting Team’s coverage from Lake Tahoe.
Follow Chad Holloway on Twitter – @ChadAHolloway
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