CONVENIENCE STORE OWNER BAGS UP $56K AND A GOLD RING
Jacob Naquin Takes Down $56,260 and a Gold Ring

New Orleans, LA (May 17, 2012) – The 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit season is fast approaching the end of what for many has been a long road.  The national tour which began last September and included 17 stops, now approaches its final weekend.  With two more gold ring events completed today (Events #7 and #8), there are only four more tournaments remaining on the schedule.

Event #8 – a $1,085 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em competition – was held over two days – ending at past midnight.  The tournament attracted another respectable field size – with 232 entries.  Indeed, the turnouts at Harrah’s New Orleans has been big and enthusiastic, as many players have flown into the Crescent City from all over the country in one last-gasp effort to gain enough points to qualify for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, coming in July.  

The total prize pool for Event #8 came to $225,040.  The top 24 players were paid.  All players who cashed received WSOP Circuit National Championship ranking points.  A full list of all players who cashed can be seen at WSOP.COM.

The winner was Jacob Naguin, a local poker player and business owner from New Orleans.  He collected one of the bigger cash prizes awarded at this series, so far – totaling $56,260.  Naquin pretty much demolished everyone at the final table, winning the top prize in a lightning-fast three hours – much shorter than many observers were predicting, given the strong quality of competition that routinely competes in bigger buy-in events.

Indeed, the cards went Naguin’s way during much of the second day.  He shed the disappointment of four previous final table appearances without a win.  Naquin has now cashed seven times on the WSOP Circuit, along with four cashes at the WSOP in Las Vegas.  He made a final table last year, finishing fourth in one of the $1,500 buy-in tournaments.  Naguin also scored big in one of the last major online poker tournaments before the effects of “Black Friday.”  He has more than six-figures wrapped up at one site, which prompted an admission that this $56K in winnings came at a great time – just prior to the start of the WSOP (in two weeks).

Naquin owns two convenience stores in the New Orleans area.  The name of the stores is “Cheap Smokes.”  Alas, Naguin is the one who smoked everyone in this tournament.  

The runner up was Ryan Tosoc, from Chicago, IL.  He is a 21-year-old professional poker player.  Tosoc received a consolation prize totaling $34,773.  

The third-place finisher was Nic Gellepis, from Tallahassee, FL.

Huy Nguyen finished in fourth place.  He works in shipping and lives in Norman, OK.  Nguyen picked up some critical ranking points and now appears to be headed to the National Championship.  

Fifth place went to Dominic Gabaldon, from Iowa City, IA.  He is a school teacher.  This was Gabalson’s second final table appearance at this series (one of only three players will multiple FTs, so far), following a deep run in Event #3.

Daniel Weinman, from Atlanta, GA finished in sixth place.  

Brett Schwertley, from Omaha, NE was the seventh-place finisher.   

Chris Conrad, from Tampa, FL took eighth place.  

Ninth place belonged to Leroy “Ty” Spires, an engineer from Las Cruces, NM.

Tenth place went to Kent Hull, from Brock, TX.  Hull said he “sucked out five times to get here,” referring to the final table.

Here are the winners from the first eight events:

Event 1 – Andy Hwang (Houston, TX) defeated 945 players in $355 buy-in NLHE
Event 2 – John Fagg (Terre Haute, IN) defeated 320 players in $565 buy-in NLHE
Event 3 – John Harris (Dallas, TX) defeated 167 players in $355 buy-in PLO
Event 4 – Loni Harwood (Staten Island, NY) defeated 345 players in $355 NLHE
Event 5 – Jonathan Tamayo (Humble, TX) defeated 440 players in $355 NLHE
Event 6 – Alex Foxen (CSH, NY) defeated 335 players in $355 buy-in Six-Handed NLHE
Event 7 – Jimmy Calcagno (San Antonio, TX) defeated 395 players in $355 buy-in NLHE
Event 8 – Jacob Naquin (New Orleans, LA) defeated 232 players in $1085 buy-in NLHE

With his victory, Naquin joins previous champions from this series and moves into serious contention as one of the leaders in this WSOP Circuit’s “Best All-Around Player” standings.  The (one) player who accumulates the most overall points in Harrah’s New Orleans’ twelve combined gold ring tournaments receives a pre-paid entry into the 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit National Championship.  

At least two players from this tournament series will qualify for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, which is classified as a WSOP gold bracelet event.  The other automatic qualifier will be the winner of Main Event championship (to be held May 19-22).

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MORE ABOUT THE WSOP CIRCUIT AT HARRAH’S NEW ORLEANS AND THE WSOP CIRCUIT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The 17th and final World Series of Poker Circuit stop of the 2011-2012 season is taking place at Harrah's New Orleans, conveniently located right next to the famous French Quarter.  This year’s tournament series runs May 10-21.

New Orleans has become a favorite destination for poker players and regulars on the WSOP Circuit.  For each of the past eight seasons, Harrah’s New Orleans has been the last waltz of a long poker symphony.  This year, New Orleans wraps up seventeen WSOP Circuit event stops, which have attracted tens of thousands of poker players from all over the United States, and beyond.  

The current season began last September at Horseshoe Bossier City (Shreveport), and now comes full circle back to the state of Louisiana for what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to what has been a record-breaking poker tour.
 
There's a lot at stake for poker players who will make their way to the Crescent City over the next two weeks.  Not only are nearly a dozen gold rings up for grabs, as well as lots of prize money.  What seems to be driving attendance is the wildly-popular WSOP Circuit National Championship rankings.  New Orleans is the last chance players will have to earn points to qualify for this year’s National Championship.
 
Since the season began, all tournament players have been in the running for 100 guaranteed pre-paid seats in the $1 million WSOP Circuit National Championship finale.  In a sense, every National Championship seat is valued at $10,000 -- since that’s the proportion of the million dollar-plus prize pool each player represents.  Another 100 players are eligible to buy into the tournament (top ranked players from each of the past two WSOPs in Las Vegas), which means the event will cap out with well over a million dollars at stake.

This marks the second straight season that the WSOP Circuit has utilized a national ranking system based on accumulated points.  All players earned their points by finishing in-the-money in one or more of the 204 total gold ring tournaments which are being offered this season.

What awaits the fortunate 100 players who will advance to the National Championship?  First, there is the chance to win a lot of money.  Second, is the opportunity to appear on national television, since the tournament held at the Rio Las Vegas will be broadcast nationally on ESPN – one of only three events this year to be covered in full by the network.  Third, all players will be competing for the most coveted prize in the game of poker – the WSOP gold bracelet.  This is the second time that a gold bracelet has been tied to the WSOP Circuit.  Last year, Sam Barnhart, from Little Rock, AR won the inaugural WSOP National Championship title.
So, the final opportunity for most players to be crowned the 2012 “WSOP Circuit National Champion” will take place at Harrah’s New Orleans.  Over 12 consecutive days – through May 21st – tournament players will be jockeying for position in what will be the final chance to earn ranking points.  

At the conclusion of the Harrah’s New Orleans tour stop – on May 21st -- the final official list of 100 players who qualify will be announced.