Alan Myerson won his first ring in the $365 Bounty No Limit Hold'em to move his career tournament earnings into seven figures while a massive re-entry event kicked off.
The third day of the WSOP Circuit at the Bicycle Casino saw the beginning of the largest event of the series get underway. The $365 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry with a $200,000 guaranteed prizepool with its first day of play featuring two separate starting flights.
303 players registered for Day 1A, with cards getting in the air at noon on Saturday. After 14 levels of play, only 50 remained. Day 1B started at 5 p.m. and saw another 196 players register for the second of two starting flight. Those 196 was trimmed down to 29 by the end of the day, with Baruch Thaler bagging the chip lead.
Thaler bagged up 183,200 at the end of the second flight and leads the combined 79 players who have earned a spot in the Day 2 field. Thaler holds a slim lead over Craig Chait, who finished Day 1A with 182,600.
Matt Salsberg, Melanie Weisner, Nipun Java, Sasha Barrese, Bob Mather and Don Zewin are a few of the well-known pros who have also survived one of the two starting flights.
The 499 players put them on pace to shatter the $200,000 guaranteed prizepool, having already generated $149,700 in prize money.
Another two starting flights take place at noon and 5 p.m. on Sunday to round out the field before moving to Day 2 on Monday.
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Just after the re-entry got underway, entertainment lawyer and poker enthusiast Alan Myerson topped a field of 140 players to take home $7,830 and his first career Circuit title in the $365 Bounty No Limit Hold’em.
While the score was only four-figures, but it’s significant to Myerson as it moves him over the $1 million mark in career tournament earnings. The Sherman Oaks, CA native has been playing tournament poker over the last decade, accumulating results mostly in the Southern California area.
He’s amassed seven figures in tournament earnings without a single six-figure score.
“I’ve been playing poker for 10 years,” said Myerson after the tournament. “It’s always nice to win a tournament and it’s nice to go over the million mark. I’m heading on a trip next week, so it’s a good way to end the year.”
In this format, each player picked up $100 for every knockout they scored, but Myerson didn’t let the extra cash affect his play.
“I didn’t get my second bounty until the final hand,” said Myerson. “I basically only had one bounty the whole tournament until the final table.”
Myerson picked up one bounty prior to the final table and then earned his second when he defeated Circuit regular Wendy Freedman for the title. He also gets to cash in on his own bounty, bringing his bounty total to three and giving him an extra $300 in prize money.
The tournament got cards in the air on Friday at noon and at the completion of the scheduled 21 levels, there were only four players remaining. In order to continue play down to a winner, finishing the event in a single day, it required a unanimous vote from the players. Myerson was the only one who objected to continue play.
“I always want to play,” said Myerson. “But last night I was feeling a little off and I think [the extra rest] helped. I felt better today and I didn’t feel like playing last night. It’s very rare for me. Usually, I’m the one that is begging everyone to stay and play all night.”
When play concluded at the end of Day 1, it was Myerson and Freedman neck and neck at the top of the chip counts. They were joined by Jim Jarvis and accomplished professional poker player Timothy Cramer.
When play resumed on Saturday, Cramer was the first player hit the rail, finishing in fourth place for $2,570 and Jarvis followed him to the cage in third place for $3,500. Both players lost their stacks to Freedman, who took a chip lead into heads-up play against Myerson.
Myerson was able to gradually overcome the chip deficit and deny Freedman of her second career Circuit ring.
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Looking ahead to Sunday's action, the only ring events on the schedule are the final two starting flights of the $365 No Limit Hold'em re-entry event. Day 1C gets cards in the air at noon and Day 1D starts at 5 p.m.
Aside from the re-entry action, there is a mega satellite to the Circuit main event that starts at 8:30 p.m. The buy-in is $150 and there is one seat to the $1,675 No Limit Hold'em event guaranteed. More details can be found on their website.