September 03 2012, Josh Cahlik

Another grueling day of tournament poker ended on Sunday at the WinStar World Casino’s River Poker Series Main Event. Players from three starting flights combined on Day 2 to wage war on the felt for their share of the $2,500,000 guaranteed prize pool. It took a mere 10 levels for the 141 players who began the day to become the final 15. Matt Newcombe, who finished Day 1a as the chip leader and was the overall chip leader coming into Day 2 has once again finished at the top of the field with a stack of 3,245,000.

Aaron Massey held onto the second largest stack at the end of the day with 2,890,000 in chips. Massey was able to gain a majority of his stack during a three-way all in that occurred fairly early on during Day 2 play. Mark Eddleman opened the action preflop with a raise to 9,000 and was called by Jerry Lorett. Massey moved out a three-bet to 24,000 from the button and both of his opponents called.

The flop fell and Eddleman checked. Lorett open-shipped all in for an unknown amount and Massey called. Eddleman then moved all in over the top and Massey snap called for his tournament life.

Showdown

Massey:
Eddleman:
Lorett:

Massey was in the lead with his flopped set, but needed to dodge Lorett’s straight and flush outs. The fell on the turn and the on the river. An excited Massey jumped into the air and gave powerful fist pump at the sight of two small black cards. This hand propelled him to 655,000 early on in the day and his stack continued to grow exponentially as the day progressed.

Day 2 saw a slew of notable names return to the felt from their various starting flights. Having already cashed, these players were searching for glory and the ever elusive final table appearance. Among those to finally see their tournament come to an end on Day 2 were Brett Schwertley, Chris Moneymaker, Maria Ho, Heath Herring, AP Phahurat, Kurt Jewell and 2012 World Series of Poker Octo-Niner Robert Salaburu.

David “Doc” Sands was expected to make a strong showing on Day 2 and did not disappoint. Sands seemed to be a magnet for action throughout the day as we saw him come from behind twice to double up for his tournament life during play. Sands remained one of the top stacks for a majority of the day, but finally met his untimely end before the field combined for the final two tables.

Sands moved all in on a board of only to have Peter Zhmutski quickly move all in over the top. The third player in the hand folded and Sands showed for a straight. Unfortunately for Sands, Zhmutski held for the nut straight and was able to send Sands home in 20th place.

While Sands was ultimately disappointed with his finish, he had nothing but positive words to say about the event and tournament staff after the fact.

Final 15 Chip Counts

At 1200 CST (1800 BST) on Monday the final 15 players will return to the Global Events Center in the heart of the WinStar World Casino to play down to a champion. Make sure to stay tuned to our live reporting page to follow as this exciting event reaches its dramatic conclusion!

Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

Follow Josh Cahlik on

No comments yet. Be the first to post one!

August 31 2012, Josh Cahlik

After 18 levels of play, Day 1a of the WinStar World Casino’s 2012 River Poker Series Main Event has come to a close. There were 401 players who ponied up the $2,100 buy in to play in the first wave of this event and at the end of the day, Matt Newcombe rose above the remaining 41 players by building his stack to 785,500.

Each of the 41 players returning for Day 2 is guaranteed money, although the amount is not certain yet and will depend on how many players register for Day 1b and 1c.

Newcombe was not the only player to accumulate a big stack during Day 1a play. Although Newcombe is the biggest stack in the room by a wide margin, Ron Roberts amassed a decent stack, sitting with 473,000 which is good for second place. Rounding out the top three is Daniel Lowery who bagged a stack of 316,000.

Even though they may not be top among the top three in chips, there were several notables to make it through to Day 2. Among those to move on are Kunal Patel (241,000), Ben White (240,500), David “Doc” Sands (239,500), and Clint Tolbert (85,500).

With a guaranteed prize pool of $2,500,000 for the Main Event, it’s no surprise that this field was able to attract a large number of notable players. However, as the field was reduced to the top 10 percent, many of those players found nothing but the felt beneath them and were forced to hit the rail. The good news, though, is that this event is a reentry event, and the players eliminated during Day 1a have the option to try their luck again on Days 1b and 1c.

Greg Raymer and Maria Ho, both of whom are ambassadors for this event, were eliminated from play on Thursday. Ho three-bet her her short stack all in with and was called by Jence Kelling who held pocket eights. The board fell and Ho was unable to improve.

Other players who were eliminated during play on Day 1a and are expected to return for Day 1b are TJ Cloutier, Berry Johnston, Heath Herring, Harrison Gimbel, Ray Henson, AJ Jejelowo, Richard Lee, Dwyte Pilgrim, Larry Wright, Chris Tryba, Allen Kessler, and John Dolan.

Vanessa Selbst also made the journey to Thackervillie, Oklahoma, to partake in this event. Unfortunately for Selbst, she found her participation in the first flight come to an end when she opened with an early-position raise only to find a three-bet from Bronson Tucker, the reigning champion of this event. The flop came down with two spades and Selbst check-called a bet. Both players checked the on the turn and Selbst moved all in when a dropped on the river. Tucker called with and Selbst’s was flung into the muck. Selbst, along with Tucker who later busted, will also be back in action on Day 1b or Day 1c.

As play wound down toward the end of the night, Jared Ingles became the tournament’s bubble boy when he got his stack all in before the flop with . Ingles was called by Daniel Lowery’s and the board fell , giving Lowery a pair of aces and the best hand.

Top 10 Day-1a Chip Counts

The 41 players who finished Day 1a with chips have nothing but relaxation on their schedules until Sunday when Day 2 kciks off. Day 1b will begin on Friday at 1200 CDT (1800 BST) and we’re expecting another stellar turnout here at the WinStar World Casino. Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the latest updates!

Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

Follow Josh Cahlik on

No comments yet. Be the first to post one!