Congratulations to Tripp Kirk, Winner of the WSOP Circuit Harrah's St. Louis ($190,961)
The 2011/2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Main Event concluded on Monday when Tripp Kirk conquered the 625-player field to capture the $190,961 first-place prize and punch his ticket to this summer’s National Championship, not to mention laying claim to his second gold ring.
Twenty-one players remained at the start of the third and final day, but it didn’t take long for them to fall. Michael McKuin was the first player to exit, busting within minutes of the day’s start. Not long after, WSOP Circuit phenom and unfailing casher, Alexandru Masek, joined him on the rail. That meant ten more players hit the rail before the final table was reached: Brad Davis (10th-$14,259), David Schwartz (11th-$14,259), Brett Schwertley (12th-$14,259), Peter Brooks (13th-$11,622), Ryan Tepen (14th-$11,622), Blake Cahail (15th-$11,622), David Davenport (16th-$9,594), Ryan Enis (17th-$9,595), Jeter Brock (18th-$9,594) and Dan Blakeman (19th-$8,021).
At the final table, Jerry Milanos became the first elimination after his 
ran into the 
of Tim Killday on a 
flop. Neither the 
turn nor 
river helped Milanos, and he became the ninth-place finisher.
The next player to go was James Russell, who found himself all in preflop for around 700,000 holding 
and racing against the 
of Chris Conrad. Any excitement quickly dissipated when the 
flop delivered Conrad a set and a huge lead. The 
turn left Russell drawing dead, and he made his way to the payout desk in eighth place after the 
was put out on the river.
A short time later, a flop of 
, Jeff Fitzgerald checked to Charles “Woody” Moore, who bet 200,000. Fitzgerald responded with a check-raise to 460,000, Moore moved all in, and Fitzgerald quickly called off his stack. The cards were turned up and it was the first major cooler of the day.
Showdown
| Fitzgerald |   |
| Moore | |
It was top two pair versus bottom set with Moore out in front. In order to survive, Fitzgerald needed to catch either an ace or nine, but it was not meant to be as the appeared on the turn followed by the 
on the river. Fitzgerald became the seventh-place finisher for $28,445.
After dinner, Lipsey opened for 130,000 and received a call from Killday, who then turned around and led out for 300,000 on the 
flop. Lipsey thought for a few moments before moving all in and Killday snap-called.
Showdown
| Lipsey |  |
| Killday |  |
Lipsey had flopped top pair but ran straight into the nuts. The 
left Lipsey drawing dead, and after the was put out on the river, he made his way to the rail in sixth place. "You led out," Lipsey said to Killday. "That's what got me."
Minutes later, Gannesh Letchumanan moved his short stack all in preflop and got a call from Kirk. The blinds released and the hands were tabled.
Showdown
| Kirk |  |
| Letchumanan |  |
The board ran out 
and Kirk's two pair sent Letchumanan to the rail in fifth place for $48,224.
Moore, fresh off a runner-up finish in the Council Bluffs Main Event, impressed many with a fourth-place finish in St. Louis. His demise came when he was in the small blind and limped, prompting Kirk to check his option in the big. When the flop fell 
, Moore checked, Tripp bet 60,000 and Moore check-raised to 225,000. Kirk flatted and then snap-called when Moore shipped the 
turn.
Moore knew he was in trouble when he showed , but it was worse than he could have expected as he was drawing dead to Kirk's 
. The 
was put out on the river to seal the deal, and Moore shook hands with the other three players before taking his leave in fourth place.
When three-handed, it's unusual for two big hands to run into one another, but when they do there tends to be big fireworks. That's exactly what happened when a preflop raising war took place between Kirk and Conrad that saw the latter all in with and up against the former's .
Conrad, who began the day as chip leader, was clearly dejected, and even more so when the flop came down 
. The 
turn sent Conrad from his seat, while the river sent him out the door in third place, good for $86,372.
Kirk began heads-up play with an almost 2-1 chip lead, and it didn’t take long for the last hand to develop. On a board reading 
, Killday checked to Kirk, who fired out 200,000. Killday thought for a moment before announcing, "All in."
"Call," Kirk snapped and rolled over 
. Killday sheepishly turned over 
and it was all over. Even before the was put out on the river, Kirk was out of his seat celebrating with his friends. Killday sought comfort with his own rail, and will have a $118,119 payday to help ease the pain.
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tripp Kirk | $190,961 |
| 2nd | Tim Killday | $118,119 |
| 3rd | Chris Conrad | $86,372 |
| 4th | Charles “Woody” Moore | $64,093 |
| 5th | Gannesh Letchumanan | $48,224 |
| 6th | Bradley Lipsey | $36,784 |
| 7th | Jeff Fitzgerald | $28,445 |
| 8th | James Russell | $22,298 |
| 9th | Jerry Milanos | $17,715 |
That does it for PokerNews’ coverage from the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis. Next stop? The Harrah’s Chester stop near Philadelphia that runs from April 26 - May 7, 2012. Join the PokerNews Live Reporting Team the for all the action from the 2011/2012 WSOP Circuit’s second-to-last stop.