January 09 2012, Chad Holloway
The World Series of Poker Circuit kicked off the new year with a special engagement, the first WSOPC stop in Bell Gardens, California. From Jan. 1 through 12, 2012, the Bicycle Casino will play host to 12 ring events, including the $1,600 Main Event that begins Tuesday, January 10.
Only half of the events have finished, but some big stories have already emerged. Michael Rosenbach won his third WSOPC ring when he won Event #4 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em for $22,035. What’s especially incredible is that Rosenbach won all three rings within the last two months, the first two coming at the Harvey’s Lake Tahoe stop. The 29-year old pro’s performance in November earned him the “Best All Around Player” distinction, which guaranteed him a spot in the National Championship.
Speaking of players who have multiple rings, La Sengphet, who you may recall as last year’s National Championship fourth-place finisher, took down Event #5 $345 No-Limit Hold’em, making her the first woman to win three WSOPC titles. Sengphet outlasted a field of 377 players to claim the $25,242 first-place prize, and in doing so, joined an exclusive list of players that have three or more rings including Kyle Cartwright, Dwyte Pilgrim, and Mark “Pegasus” Smith.
La Sengphet
This week, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing coverage of the Main Event. Here’s a look at the WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry
| $300+$45 | 748 | $217,668 |
| 1 | Huy Quach | West Covina, CA | $44,663 |
| 2 | Joshua Evans | Plano, TX | $27,610 |
| 3 | Ryan Buckholtz | Encino, CA | $20,250 |
| 4 | Travis Carson | Los Angeles, CA | $15,060 |
| 5 | Joseph Saccone | Venice, CA | $11,350 |
| 6 | Kevin Olsta | Bartlett, IL | $8,670 |
| 7 | Arthur Cole | Mission Viejo, CA | $6,710 |
| 8 | Robert Ross | Stockton, CA | $5,260 |
| 9 | Joseph Dickstein | Los Angeles, CA | $4,175 |
WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold’em
| $500+$55 | 191 | $92,635 |
| 1 | Stephen Graner | Henderson, NV | $25,020 |
| 2 | Andrew Sapiro | Alamo, CA | $15,460 |
| 3 | Casey Stewart | Canyon Country, CA | $11,125 |
| 4 | John Kral | San Diego, CA | $8,155 |
| 5 | Vigen Manukyan | Tujunga, CA | $6,080 |
| 6 | Jeff Madsen | Las Vegas, NV | $4,615 |
| 7 | Sam Rachedi | Venice, CA | $3,565 |
| 8 | Aaron Motoyama | Monterey Park, CA | $2,795 |
| 9 | David Hassett | Canyon Country, CA | $2,230 |
WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Event #3 No-Limit Hold’em
| $300+$45 | 313 | $91,083 |
| 1 | Adam Bishop | Sparks, NV | $20,958 |
| 2 | Mark Allen | Torrance, CA | $12,960 |
| 3 | Alex Leyberman | Mar Vista, CA | $19,450 |
| 4 | Tom Braband | Las Vegas, NV | $7,010 |
| 5 | Christopher Swan | Campbell, CA | $5,280 |
| 6 | Corey Cutrell | Seattle, WA | $4,035 |
| 7 | Estrella Baltazar | Torrance, CA | $3,135 |
| 8 | Gregory McCullough | Elgin, IL | $2,465 |
| 9 | Noah Fonosch | Inland Empire, CA | $1,970 |
WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold’em Six Handed
| $500+$55 | 171 | $82,935 |
| 1 | Michael Rosenbach | Santa Rosa, CA | $22,035 |
| 2 | Daniel Illingworth | Carlsbad, CA | $13,920 |
| 3 | Dean Buchanan | Kirkland, WA | $10,020 |
| 4 | Ryan Jones | Torrance, CA | $7,345 |
| 5 | Steven Richhart | Yorba Linda, CA | $5,475 |
| 6 | David Clark | Dallas, TX | $4,155 |
| 7 | Nathan Geise | Fort Wayne, IN | $3,210 |
| 8 | Damien Leforbes | Bellflower, CA | $2,515 |
| 9 | Brian Patrick | Garden Grove, CA | $2,005 |
WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Event #5 No-Limit Hold’em
| $300+$45 | 377 | $109,707 |
| 1 | La Sengphet | Carrollton, TX | $25,242 |
| 2 | John Carreno | Los Angeles, CA | $15,600 |
| 3 | Lisa Santy | El Segundo, CA | $11,380 |
| 4 | Randy Holland | Winnetka, CA | $8,440 |
| 5 | Josh Seibert | Murrieta, CA | $6,360 |
| 6 | Kiet Tuan | Rosemead, CA | $4,860 |
| 7 | Alex Massman | Calabasas, CA | $3,775 |
| 8 | Casey Berlin | Lynwood, CA | $2,970 |
| 9 | Eli Loewenthal | Carmel, IN | $2,370 |
WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em
| $500+$55 | 289 | $140,165 |
| 1 | John Coon | San Diego, CA | $34,340 |
| 2 | Dustin Dobrilovic | Los Angeles, CA | $21,222 |
| 3 | Andrew Barber | Sacramento, CA | $15,300 |
| 4 | Michael Hurey | Stevenson Ranch, CA | $11,280 |
| 5 | Monte Littlefield | Tucson, AZ | $8,450 |
| 6 | Makya McBee | Santa Monica, CA | $6,400 |
| 7 | Harry Hong | Los Angeles, CA | $4,990 |
| 8 | Drew Fanning | Madison, WI | $3,925 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Bicycle 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 12 have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Hao Le | Harrah’s AC Casino Champ |
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*
| David Clark | 135 | 1 | 5 | $46,532 |
| Matthew Chang | 112.5 | 1 | 6 | $23,149 |
| Beverly Cheney | 107.5 | 0 | 6 | $27,753 |
| Felicia Johnico | 107.5 | 1 | 4 | $21,998 |
| Russell Ivy | 102.5 | 0 | 4 | $65,035 |
| Gregory Joslyn | 95 | 1 | 5 | $37,533 |
| Thomas Cronin | 95 | 0 | 4 | $21,396 |
| Matthew Colvin | 87.5 | 1 | 7 | $27,741 |
| Nicholas Long | 87.5 | 1 | 5 | $22,996 |
| John Evans | 87.5 | 0 | 5 | $12,551 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino 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 |
*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 week by following our Live Reporting Team’s coverage from the Bicycle Casino.
Follow Chad Holloway on Twitter – @ChadAHolloway
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