Stateline, NV - The first championship event of the 2006-07 World Series of Poker Circuit season took place on the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe in Northern Nevada. The Harveys Resort and Casino hosted the first of 11 tournament events planned over the next eight months. This was the third time the World Series was dealt in Lake Tahoe, a destination rich in poker history. Three decades ago, South Lake Tahoe was the home of the world's second-largest poker tournament, which was called the "Super Bowl of Poker."
This year's WSOP Circuit series at Lake Tahoe included eight events spread out over a ten-day period. Held in a considerably more relaxed atmosphere than most big-time poker tournaments, this series attracted players from throughout Nevada, California, and the Pacific Northwest. Many participants noted that these tournaments provide exceptional value for the average poker player - with the same generous amount of chips and play as the World Series, yet without some of the world-class professionals which make winning more difficult. This year, all eight champions at Lake Tahoe were new to the winners' circle.
Event number eight, the $5,000 buy-in championship finale attracted 127 entries. It took two days to eliminate the majority of the field. Among those knocked out early were former WSOP gold bracelet winners Joe Awata, Howard "Tahoe" Andrew, Vince Burgio, and others. After 118 players were gone, the nine finalists returned to the feature table to compete to the championship.
Final table play lasted for seven hours, an average pace of play given the players' styles and the tournament structure. Three former WSOP former gold bracelet winners were present - Burt Boutin (2001 winner), Paul Kobel (2006 winner), and Scott Clements (2006 winner). In addition, three of the nine finalists made the money in the 2006 $10,000 buy-in championship event held two months ago in Las Vegas - Randy Gil (159th), Scott Arents (191st), and Brendan Lynch (318th). Players were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place - With blinds at 3K/6K with a 500 ante, Paul Kobel suffered a disappointing 15 minutes. He lost a few key hands early in the match and found himself desperately low on chips as the blinds approached on the second orbit. Mr. Kobel was eliminated on a hand which was not shown. Mr. Kobel, one of three former WSOP gold bracelet winners among the final nine, went out in ninth place. The holistic practitioner from Oakland, California collected $12,099 in prize money.
8th Place - Scott Clements moved his last 132K into the pot with pocket sixes, which was called instantly by Darrell Steed, holding pocket kings. It was a bad spot to be in for the winner of this year's WSOP Omaha High-Low championship -- holding an underpair versus an overpair. A six failed to rescue the champ. With Mr. Clements elimination, the second former gold bracelet winner had vanished within a half hour. Mr. Clements previously won a no-limit hold'em event here at Harveys Lake Tahoe. His victory came in the first season of the WSOP Circuit. But this time, eighth place was the best he could do, which paid $18,149.
7th Place - After Jerry Renfroe seized the chip lead (a lead he would hold for most of the final table), Brendan Lynch moved all-in with the best hand, but took a bad beat on his final hand of the tournament. He moved in with his last 40K holding pocket queens. Scott Arents called with A-7, and flopped two pair. In an instant, Mr. Lynch went from favorite to dog. However, there were two more cards to come. A third diamond on the turn gave Mr. Lynch extra outs with a flush draw (Mr. Lynch had the queen of diamonds in his hand). Unfortunately, a blank on the river shattered Mr. Lynch's dreams of making a comeback. One of three players at this final table to make the money in the 2006 WSOP main event, Mr. Lynch had to settle for seventh place this time, which paid $24,198. At the time, no one could have imagined how key flopping two-pair would be for Scott Arents in the ultimate outcome of the tournament.
6th Place - Burt Boutin was the third and final former gold bracelet winner to exit. He took a few beats in the later rounds and was down to about 50,000 in chips when he moved all-in on a steal attempt with K-2. Mr. Boutin picked a bad time to make a move as Travis Erdman picked up A-K in the blind. Neither player made a pair, so the A-K played and Mr. Boutin was forced out as the sixth-place finisher. He earned $30,248.
5th Place - One of the most exciting hands of the finale took place when Travis Erdman was dealt A-x and flopped and ace against Darrell Steed's pocket kings. All of Mr. Steed's money went into the pot after the flop. Mr. Erdman called with top pair and was thrilled to see he held the best hand. Then, disaster stuck. A king rained down on the turn, crushing Mr. Erdman's dreams of finishing higher on the money ladder. The trip kings held up and Mr. Erdman was down to his last 17K in chips. A few hands later, Mr. Erdman went out against Randy Gil, and had to settle for fifth place. The investment manager from San Francisco added $36,297 to his financial portfolio.
4th Place - The next big break occurred when Scott Arents doubled up holding a set of deuces. Darrell Steed was on the losing end of the beat, holding pocket nines. That put Arents, Steed, and Gil into a virtual three-way dead-heat for second place, roughly 2 to 1 behind the chip leader - Jerry Renfroe. By this time, blinds had increased to 4K-8K with a 1K ante. Played continued for another hour before the next major confrontation. Randy Gil lost most of his chips on a few key hands. With only 35K in chips remaining, he moved all-in with A-10 and was called by Scott Arents, holding pocket sevens. The sevens turned out to be lucky for Mr. Arents, who increased his stack. Meanwhile, Randy Gil hit the rail as the fourth-place finisher. The business owner, who made the money in the main event at this year's WSOP championship, added $48,396 to his poker winnings.
3rd Place – Down to three players, Jerry Renfroe continued to hold onto the chip lead, although Scott Arents was closing in fast. Blinds increased to 8K/16K with a 2K ante. After a dinner break, Darrell Steed (a.k.a. "Big D") tried to get back into the game by raising with his last 85K, holding A-6. Mr. Arents called the raise with pocket eights. The middle pair held up and Mr. Steed was bounced from the table. Third place paid $60,495.
2nd Place – When heads-up play began, Scott Arents had the advantage of an 8 to 5 chip lead over Jerry Renfroe – 810K to 480K. Incredibly, it took just one hand to determine the winner. Mr. Renfroe was dealt A-4 offsuit in the small blind and, hoping to establish early dominance in the duel, moved all-in. Scott Arents did not hesitate to call when he looked down and saw pocket nines. The final board of the tournament showed Q-3-2-Q-7. Mr. Arents' pair of nines held up and was the winning hand. The runner up was Jerry Renfroe, a professional poker player from San Luis Obispo, California. He collected $102,842.
1st Place – The winner of the third annual WSOP Circuit championship at Harveys Lake Tahoe was Scott Arents, a 32-year-old professional poker player from Santa Rosa, California. He won $196,005, which includes an entry into the $10,000 buy-in championship event at the 2007 World Series of Poker. Mr. Arents was also presented with a gold and diamond ring by Tournament Director, Jack Effel. The coveted ring is presented to each WSOP Circuit champion.
Mr. Arents was cheered on most of the day by his wife, sister, and several friends who drove to the Harveys Resort and Casino to cheer on their favorite poker player. Mr. Arents acknowledged the importance of having them in the audience. "I would not be here if it were not for the faith and support of my family and friends," he said.
The next WSOP Circuit stop begins later this month at the Grand Casino Tunica, in Mississippi. The casino is located about 30 miles south of Memphis. The tournament runs September 24th through October 4th.
For more information, please contact:
Nolan Dalla -- WSOP Media Director at (702) 358-4642
Or visit our official website: http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah's Entertainment – Jack Effel
Harrah's Lake Tahoe Race and Sportsbook Manager – Steve Schorr
Harvey's Lake Tahoe Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis