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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October 31 2011, Brett Collson
Day 4 of the World Poker Tour World Poker Finals at Foxwoods saw a field of 27 trimmed down to just eight players, leaving what should be a short Day 5 when the official six-handed final table is reached. Christian Harder enters Monday with a slim chip lead over Daniel Santoro, but a handful of well-known pros are still in contention for the top prize of $450,000.
Reigning WPT Player of the Year Andy Frankenberger led the way when Day 4 began, but Jack Schanbacher, Harder, and two-time WPT champion Jonathan Little were close on his heels. Among the first to exit on Sunday were Allen Kessler (25th), Cornel Cimpan (23rd), and Josh Bergman (19th), all of whom received $19,916 for their efforts. Played slowed significantly with two tables remaining, but players like Bernard Lee (16th) and Matt Stout (14th) and Matt Glantz (12th) were sent to the rail just shy of the final table. Glantz has become very familiar with 12th place lately; he took 12th in most recent WPT event at Borgata, and two weeks prior to that, he finished 12th in the Epic Poker Tour Series 2 Main Event.
Two former champs of the event tangled on the “unofficial” final table bubble and one was sent packing in 10th place. Jonathan Little (Season VII champ) eliminated his good friend Hoyt Corkins (Season I champ) after Corkins moved his short stack in preflop with ace-king. Little had 
and came from behind as the board ran out 
, and Corkins was sent home just short of the final table for the second straight year (he was 12th last year).
After Chris Klodnicki sent Andy Rossi packing in ninth place, Harder claimed the chip lead by winning a sizable pot from Santoro. According to the WPT Live Reporting Team, Santoro raised to 25,000 preflop (blinds 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante) and Harder and Little called. The flop brought 
and Little checked. Santoro bet 45,000, Harder called, and Little got out of the way. The 
prompted a bet of 90,000 from Santoto, and Harder called, bringing the 
on the river. Both players decided to check, and Santoro flipped up 
for a combo draw that whiffed. Harder showed 
for top pair, and he scooped a pot worth more than 350,000.
Harder has his eyes on his first WPT title, but Little is looking to add his name to the record books. Only Gus Hansen and Carlos Mortensen have won three titles since the WPT was formed in 2002, and Little could tie them with a victory in this event. In addition to his win at the World Poker Finals in 2008, Little also took down the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown for more than $1 million in 2007. His chance at history adds a fun dynamic to Monday’s penultimate day at Foxwoods.
Play will resume at 1200 EDT (1600 GMT) on Monday and continue until a final table of six is in place. Here’s a look at the seating assignment when play begins on Day 5:
| 1 | Steven Brackesy | 984,000 |
| 2 | Chris Klodnicki | 534,000 |
| 3 | Daniel Santoro | 1,249,000 |
| 4 | Christian Harder | 1,437,000 |
| 5 | Bob Carbone | 263,000 |
| 6 | Andy Frankenberger | 486,000 |
| 7 | Jonathan Little | 504,000 |
| 8 | Eli Berg | 227,000 |
Stay up to date on all the latest news by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
*Photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour.
Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson
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