Previewing the 2012-2013 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Atlantic City
The seventh stop of the 2012/2013 World Series of Poker Circuit presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof began at Harrah��s Atlantic City on November 29 and will run through December 10. This weekend, the East Coast stop will culminate with the $1,675 Main Event, which will see the winner earn a seat in the prestigious National Championship.
After Jacob Coker defeated 536 players in Event #1 $365 No-Limit Hold��em for $35,033, a hefty 858 players turned out for Event #2 NLHE Reentry, which featured two starting days, and awarded more than $50,000 to the winner. By 3:00 a.m. ET on the third day of the three-day event, the massive field had been whittled down to the final ten and the possibility of adding a fourth day was discussed; however, the players ultimately opted to play it out. Five hours later, 27-year-old pro Brandon Fish emerged victorious to capture the $50,862 first-place prize.
��You could tell a few (players) were getting tired and they weren��t used to playing (a lot) of hours,�� Fish told WSOP officials after his win. ��I think that��s one advantage I had. I��m used to putting in crazy hours and late nights. I��d say that helps.��
Fish, a WSOP Circuit regular with four final tables on his r��sum�� including two in massive reentry tournaments, now has 14 cashes for nearly $100,000 in career earnings. ��It feels amazing. This is something I��ve always wanted,�� Fish said after capturing his first gold ring. ��I don��t know what else to say. I��m speechless at the moment.��
It was also in Event #2 that Rex Clinkscales, who currently sits in third place on the WSOP Circuit National Leaderboard, moved into a tie for sixth for most WSOP Circuit cashes without a ring after finishing in 19th place for $2,175.
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 536 | $162,944 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Coker | Philadelphia, PA | $35,033 |
| 2 | Brian Benden | Waldorf, MD | $21,660 |
| 3 | Thomas Coan | Hauppauge, NY | $15,823 |
| 4 | Harold Schmidt | Falmouth, VA | $11,730 |
| 5 | Chinmay Patel | Brigantine, NJ | $8,822 |
| 6 | Casey Jarzabek | St. Catherines, ON, Canada | $6,730 |
| 7 | Gennady Fayer | Baltimore, MD | $5,206 |
| 8 | Samuel Scheidecker | Marysville, WA | $4,085 |
| 9 | Albert Frampton | Maple Shade, NJ | $3,251 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 858 | $260,832 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Fish | Kearney, NE | $50,862 |
| 2 | Reynaldo Ong | Nescopeck, PA | $31,430 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Miller | New Vernon, NJ | $23,151 |
| 4 | Christopher Lim | Bronx, NY | $17,278 |
| 5 | Christopher Cheung | Springfield, NJ | $13,062 |
| 6 | Jenchwen Chang | Atlantic City, NJ | $10,003 |
| 7 | Kent DeMott | Las Vegas, NV | $7,757 |
| 8 | Andrew Machover | Jericho, NY | $6,090 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Olive | Virginia Beach, VA | $4,841 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #3 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$80 | 197 | $98,254 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Marcus | Merrick, NY | $25,546 |
| 2 | Sanghoon Ouh | New York, NY | $15,781 |
| 3 | Aryeh Cohen | Waterbury, CT | $11,394 |
| 4 | Paul Sokoloff | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | $8,368 |
| 5 | Christopher Grove | Pasadena, MD | $6,252 |
| 6 | Michael Sneideman | Newtown, CT | $4,751 |
| 7 | Christine Brewer | Port Monmouth, NJ | $3,670 |
| 8 | Bill Varga | Paris, KY | $2,882 |
| 9 | Sylvain Fillion | Lachenale, Quebec, Canada | $2,299 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 422 | $128,288 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moshe Bernstein | Parksville, NY | $28,223 |
| 2 | Salvatore Busacca | Colts Neck, NJ | $17,441 |
| 3 | Timothy Weslow | Odenton, MD | $12,744 |
| 4 | Ting Ho | Irvine, CA | $9,463 |
| 5 | Jeff Fielder | Des Moines, IA | $7,135 |
| 6 | Samuel Taylor | New York, NY | $5,461 |
| 7 | Paul Cheung | Brooklyn, NY | $4,241 |
| 8 | Doug Cressi | Glen Cove, NY | $3,341 |
| 9 | Marc Remmes | Montauk, NY | $2,668 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #5 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$80 | 260 | $129,675 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yury Parad | Chicago, IL | $31,770 |
| 2 | Kevin Elia | Baltimore, MD | $19,630 |
| 3 | Abraham Araya | Carrollton, TX | $14,183 |
| 4 | Bruce Secor | Brooklyn, NY | $10,438 |
| 5 | Mukul Pahuja | Hicksville, NY | $7,819 |
| 6 | Randal Sklar | Peabody, MA | $5,959 |
| 7 | Drennon Rackley | Dalton, GA | $4,616 |
| 8 | Mickael Pariso | Elmwood Park, IL | $3,635 |
| 9 | Paul Hiskey | Vienna, VA | $2,907 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #6 Six-Handed NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 329 | $100,016 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Cutler | Vernon Hills, IL | $23,504 |
| 2 | Cuong Phung | Atlantic City, NJ | $14,532 |
| 3 | John Hinds | Greenville, North Carolina | $10,555 |
| 4 | Benjamin Grise | Indianapolis, IN | $7,796 |
| 5 | Robert Willis | Bellmawr, NJ | $5,853 |
| 6 | Josh Brikis | Pittsburgh, PA | $4,464 |
| 7 | Ronald Citrenbaum | Springfield, NJ | $3,458 |
| 8 | Wu Zhou | State College, PA | $2,718 |
| 9 | Jennifer So | New Brunswick, NJ | $2,169 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #7 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000+$125 | 196 | $192,717 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Gilbert | Bensalem, PA | $50,106 |
| 2 | Aaron Massey | Chicago, IL | $30,952 |
| 3 | Gino Levrini | Las Vegas, NV | $22,349 |
| 4 | Mitchell Martin | Bronx, NY | $16,414 |
| 5 | Marc Remmes | Montauk, NY | $12,263 |
| 6 | Yossi Azulay | Chicago, IL | $9,318 |
| 7 | Timothy Faro | Glen Burnie, MD | $7,198 |
| 8 | Jeuel Cato | Newark, NJ | $5,652 |
| 9 | Keith Block | Pomona, NY | $4,510 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #8 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 164 | $49,856 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ��Miami�� John Cernuto | Las Vegas, NV | $13,461 |
| 2 | Ron Fast | Pompton Plains, NJ | $8,319 |
| 3 | Steven Toll | Medford, NJ | $5,988 |
| 4 | Michael Brottman | Hamilton Square, NJ | $4,389 |
| 5 | Eric Rivkin | Redondo Beach, CA | $3,274 |
| 6 | Robert Klein | Niskayuna, NY | $2,484 |
| 7 | Edward Kay | Farmington Hills, MI | $1,917 |
| 8 | Robert Reardon | Nantucket, MA | $1,504 |
| 9 | David Carvara | Westport, MA | $1,200 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Ring Event #9 Turbo NLHE
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 326 | $99,104 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kunal Shah | Baltimore, MD | $23,289 |
| 2 | Stephen Hesse | Houston, TX | $14,400 |
| 3 | Marko Doljevic | New Hudson, MI | $10,458 |
| 4 | William Davidson | Prosperity, SC | $7,725 |
| 5 | Randal Sklar | Peabody, MA | $5,800 |
| 6 | Richard Ward | Max Meadows, VA | $4,464 |
| 7 | Gregory Brietich | Coraopolis, PA | $3,426 |
| 8 | Daniel Vehring | Germany | $2,694 |
| 9 | Sean Kovalick | Glen Burnie, MD | $2,169 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City Champion is undetermined. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. Here's a look at the players who have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Player | Qualified |
|---|---|
| Cary Marshall | Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion |
| Daniel Gilmer | Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino Champion |
| John Crncic | River Rock (Vancouver) Main Event Winner |
| Sandra Wong | River Rock (Vancouver) Casino Champion |
| Josh Williams | Horseshoe Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner |
| Mike Leah | Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion |
| Dan Heimiller | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner |
| Jonathan Taylor | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion |
| Quan Nguyen | Bossier City Casino Champion |
| Jeff Gibralter | Bossier City Main Event Champion |
| Kyle Cartwright | IP Biloxi Main Event Winner |
| Cory Wood | IP Biloxi Casino Champion |
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*
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles ��Woody�� Moore | 150 | 0 | 7 | $46,997 |
| Caufman Talley | 142.5 | 2 | 5 | $82,963 |
| Rex Clinkscales | 135 | 0 | 5 | $33,324 |
| Yossi Azulay | 132.5 | 0 | 10 | $68,036 |
| Ashly Butler | 112.5 | 1 | 4 | $25,415 |
| Ari Engel | 105 | 1 | 4 | $68,762 |
| Aaron Massey | 105 | 1 | 4 | $24,300 |
| Blake Barousse | 102.5 | 2 | 3 | $59,916 |
| John Dolan | 100 | 1 | 4 | $63,916 |
| Austin Buchanan | 92.5 | 0 | 5 | $40,964 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City stop.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
| Date | Event Location |
|---|---|
| Dec. 6-17, 2012 | Harrah��s Rincon |
| Jan. 3-14, 2013 | The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles) |
| Jan. 10-21, 2013 | Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma) |
| Jan. 24 - Feb. 4, 2013 | Harrah��s Tunica (Mississippi) |
| Feb. 7-18, 2013 | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) |
| Feb. 14-25, 2013 | Palm Beach Kennel Club (Florida) |
| Feb. 28 - March 11, 2013 | Caesars Atlantic City |
| March 14-25, 2013 | Horseshoe Cleveland |
| March 27 - April 8, 2013 | Foxwoods (Connecticut) |
| April 4-15, 2012 | Harrah��s Cherokee (North Carolina) |
| April 11-April 22, 2013 | Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Iowa) |
| April 25 - May 6, 2013 | Harrah��s Philadelphia |
| May 9 - May 20, 2013 | Harrah��s New Orleans |
| May 21-23, 2013 | Harrah��s New Orleans (National Championship) |
For more information on the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit season, visit WSOP.com. Also, be sure to follow our live updates from the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City in our Live Reporting Section.
*Photos courtesy of WSOP.com.
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