March 24 2012, Chad Holloway
Harrah’s Rincon is one of the most popular World Series of Poker Circuit stops each and every year. The California poker crowd is apt to make the trip to the 662-room property north of San Diego, and Las Vegas locals often make the four-hour drive.
This year, Rincon marked the 14th out of 17 stops of the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit season and began on March 15. With 12 rings up for grabs and two spots being awarded to the $1 million WSOP Circuit National Championship (July 6 through 7 with the final table being played out July 11), not to mention the 100 guaranteed seats reserved for the top 100 point earners on the Circuit, Rincon was generating a lot of excitement, especially during Event #2: $565 No-Limit Hold’em.
That event drew 155 players and created a prize pool of $75,175, but it wasn’t until the last day of play, which began with 12 players, that all eyes turned to Alexandru Masek, a local part-time poker player from San Diego who was making a push for the final table. The four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner was looking to capture his record-tying fifth ring. Masek, a 27-year-old law school graduate, made the unofficial final table of ten with an above-average count, but the deck soon turned against him and he was eliminated in tenth place.
One man who did have some luck was Dean Buchanan, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Kirkland, Washington. The young pro navigated the final table all the way down to heads-up play where he ran into John Piotrowski. Their battle lasted three hours, but when the final hand fell, Buchanan ended up with all the chips and took home $19,934.
Here’s a look at the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon events completed thus far:
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Casino Champion is undecided. 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 a handful of players 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*
| Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon | 137.5 | 1 | 6 | $61,156 |
| Rex Clinkscales | 135 | 0 | 9 | $39,780 |
| Daniel Blakeman | 132.5 | 1 | 5 | $139,308 |
| Chris Parsons | 132.5 | 0 | 6 | $72,849 |
| Russell Ivy | 130 | 0 | 7 | $72,703 |
| Benjamin Kramer | 130 | 1 | 8 | $58,600 |
| Michael Cooper | 130 | 0 | 7 | $55,092 |
| Alexandru Masek | 127.5 | 1 | 6 | $126,454 |
| Roman Valerstein | 125 | 0 | 5 | $116,282 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon 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 | 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 |
*Photos courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.
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February 09 2012, Brett Collson
If you like good fodder for debate, this Nightly Turbo is just for you. Online poker was among the topics discussed during a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on Thursday, and a gambling legend stated in an interview that sports betting takes more skill than playing poker. Read on to find out more.
In Case You Missed It
The 2012 World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix reached a final table on Thursday. Andrea Dato made his second straight final table at WPT Venice and is leading the way heading into the final day.
The Global Poker Index didn’t see any change in the top 10 this week. Vadzim Kursevich made the biggest jump in the rankings after his victory at the EPT Deauville Main Event.
Need a new book to read at the tables? Check out our review of Crushing the Microstakes by Nathan “BlackRain79” Williams.
Plans for a Vegas-style casino complex in Miami, Florida, were put on hold last week. Inside Gaming has the details on why the vote on a required bill was postponed for at least a year.
Quinn Sivage joined the Strategy with Kristy podcast this week. Sivage discussed using statistics for optimal preflop strategy in six-max no-limit hold’em games.
Poker vs. Sports Betting
Which activity involves more skill: poker or sports betting?
We’re pretty sure we know your answer. But renowned sports bettor Billy Walters disagrees.
In an interview with Covers.com this week, Walters argued that sports betting should be included with skill games like poker in discussions about legalizing online gaming. Walters, who has allegedly won hundreds of millions wagering on sports contests, says that sports betting is a more skillful form of gambling than poker.
“I used to be a professional poker player,” Walters said, “and, they’re right, if you’re a good poker player, it’s a game of skill. Well, betting sports is much more of a game of skill than poker. I’m living proof that betting sports is a game of skill. I’ve won 37 years in a row. If that’s not a skill, then I don’t know what is.”
We’re curious to know what poker player and highly regarded NBA bettor Haralabos Voulgaris thinks about this. Paging Haralabob…
What are your thoughts? Be sure to leave them in the comments section below.
Senate Revisits Online Gaming
On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing entitled, “The U.S. Department of Justice Opinion on Internet Gaming: What’s at Stake for Tribes?” The hearing focused on the how the DOJ’s new interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act will affect the gaming interests of Indian tribes.
Thursday’s list of witnesses included Poker Players Alliance Litigation Support Director Patrick Fleming, who was speaking on behalf of poker players. During his testimony, Fleming stated clearly that online poker is very different than online gambling. He also said that Indian tribes are very important to the potential legalization and regulation of online poker, and that Internet poker can help bring patrons to land-based Indian casinos.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for a detailed recap of the oversight hearing.
Shoryuken!
Randy “nanonoko” Lew is a legend – and a Guinness World Record Holder – in the realm of online poker. However, Lew first made a name for himself on the video game scene, where he played Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on the national circuit throughout his time at college.
It appears Lew misses his college days. Terribly. The Team PokerStars Pro is auditioning for a new Internet reality show called Cross Assault, where contestants compete against each other in Capcom’s new game Street Fighter X Tekken. Take a look at Lew’s hilarious audition tape:
Get the Inside Shuffle
If you’re looking for another place to get reliable poker news, we recommend checking out the Inside Shuffle over at PokerWorks.com. The Inside Shuffle runs every Monday and Thursday and brings readers up to date on everything from poker politics, to business ventures, to tournament results from around the globe.
We like to think of the Inside Shuffle as the younger sibling of the Nightly Turbo, only without the constant bickering and abuse.
Check it out at PokerWorks.com!
“This is just a Bad Copy of the Venetian in Las Vegas”
You can’t ride your bike on the Venetian Lagoon, so Tony G was forced to take a Gondola ride to the Casino Di Venezia for the World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix.
As you’ll see below, he wasn’t impressed. And his new personal assistant took the brunt of the blame.
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