Tuesday, September 22, 2015 9:58 PM Local Time
Event #6
Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low 8
Buy-In: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 91
Prize Pool: $27,300
September 21-22, 2015
Stuart, Fla. semi-pro seizes opportunity to play live tournament, earns first gold ring.
West Palm Beach, Fla. (September 22, 2015) — Mark Smith of Stuart, Fla. cited “opportunity” as the reason he entered Event #6 of the Palm Beach Kennel Club’s World Series of Poker Circuit. The 36-year-old semi-pro and his mother are regulars at the PBKC. She sticks to hold’em while Smith has spent the last two years focusing on Omaha hi-low. Thus, when the WSOP came to town, a little card game between mother and son was a no brainer.
“Just opportunity; the fact that it came up,” he said of why he played the $365 pot-limit Omaha hi-low tournament. “My mother told me about it and said I needed to go play. I said, ‘Sounds good.’ She’d love to play in it as well. We decided to send me in it since I’m a little more experienced in the hi-low.”
Fast-forward to Tuesday night and Smith is the WSOP’s most recent gold ring champion. At his mothers urging, he masterfully outlasted 91 players to earn $8,192 as well as 50 points toward the Casino Championship race and his first gold ring. Remarkably, Event #6 marked his first time playing a live hi-low tournament.
“Really I kind of had the feeling [I was going to win it] the whole time,” Smith admitted. “Everything was going my way. I just kept playing my game and as long I stuck to my gameplan I knew it would turn out. It feels just as good as I thought it would. Everything worked out as planned.”
Smith began Day 2 leading the final seven players. Among them were Circuit regulars Jesse McVicker, who sat second, and Joshua Pender, who was toward the bottom of the counts. It took but a couple hours for the field to narrow to three as Mark Streckfus busted seventh, Tim Kline sixth, McVicker fifth and Pender fourth. Jeff Gershowitz was next to go in third leaving Smith to battle Williams Higgins heads up. Higgins held the chip lead, but after a two-hour battle it was Smith who went home with gold.
Smith’s victory marks his first WSOP-related cash. He is a semi-professional poker player who spends his time away from the felt buying and selling estates – a venture he partakes in with, you guessed it, his mother.
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Event #6 was the sixth of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The $365 pot-limit Omaha hi-low 8 or better event attracted 91 players. The total prize pool came to $27,300 and the top 12 finishers were paid.
The tournament began Monday, September 21 at 5 p.m. and Day 1 wrapped following Level 17 (at about 3 a.m.). Day 2 resumed Tuesday at 4 p.m. with seven players remaining and action concluded toward the beginning of Level 24 (shortly after 8 p.m.).
Final results:
1st: Mark Smith - $8,192 + Circuit gold ring
2nd: Williams Higgins - $5,062
3rd: Jeff Gershowitz - $3,604
4th: Josh Pender - $2,618
5th: Jesse McVicker - $1,939
6th: Tim Kline - $1,464
7th: Mark Streckfus - $1,126
8th: Ryan Gelsomino - $882
9th: Stephen Novak - $703
10th: David Bennett - $570
11th: Benjamin Warren - $570
12th: Lazaro Rodriguez - $570
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 8:10 PM Local Time
Mark Smith of Stuart, Fla. is a gold ring winner following a victorious performance in Event #6, a $365 pot-limit Omaha hi-low 8 tournament. Smith held the chip lead to start Day 2 and never looked back en route an $8,192 score.
A full report on his victory will be posted shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look at the final results:
1st: Mark Smith - $8,192 + Circuit gold ring
2nd: Williams Higgins - $5,062
3rd: Jeff Gershowitz - $3,604
4th: Josh Pender - $2,618
5th: Jesse McVicker - $1,939
6th: Tim Kline - $1,464
7th: Mark Streckfus - $1,126
8th: Ryan Gelsomino - $882
9th: Stephen Novak - $703
10th: David Bennett - $570
11th: Benjamin Warren - $570
12th: Lazaro Rodriguez - $570
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 6:07 PM Local Time
After just two hours of Day 2 play, Mark Streckfus , Tim Kline, Jesse McVicker and Josh Pender have all hit the rail. Their eliminations leave start-of-day chip leader Mark Smith, William Higgins and Jeff Gershowitz to battle it out for a top prize of $8,192. Smith has relinquished his advantage as Higgins now holds 470,000 of the 910,000 chips in play. The short stack belongs to Jeff Gershowitz.
Final table update:
Three-handed chip counts
Williams Higgins - 470,000
Mark Smith - 324,000
Jeff Gershowitz - 115,000
Remaining payouts
1st - $8,192 + Circuit gold ring
2nd - $5,062
3rd - $3,604
Updated results
4th: Josh Pender - $2,618
5th: Jesse McVicker - $1,939
6th: Tim Kline - $1,464
7th: Mark Streckfus - $1,126
8th: Ryan Gelsomino - $882
9th: Stephen Novak - $703
10th: David Bennett - $570
11th: Benjamin Warren - $570
12th: Lazaro Rodriguez - $570
Players are now on their first 15-minute break of the day. They'll return at roughly 6:15 p.m. ET to blinds of 6,000/12,000.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 4:00 PM Local Time
Chip leader Mark Smith
Cards are in the air and Day 2 of Event #5 ($365 pot-limit Omaha hi-low 8 or better) is underway. Out in front of the seven-player restart is Florida's Mark Smith (pictured). Smith is in pole position holding 330,000 chips with $8,192 and what would be his first career Circuit gold ring up top. Others still in contention include Jesse McVicker in second and Joshua Pender in sixth.
Start-of-day seating assignments and chip counts:
Seat 1: Mark Smith - 330,000
Seat 2: Jeff Gershowitz - 182,000
Seat 3: Tim Kline - 37,000
Seat 4: William Higgins - 73,000
Seat 5: Jesse McVicker - 220,000
Seat 6: Mark Streckfus - 15,000
Seat 7: Josh Pender - 53,000
We will update you again when the field shears itself of a few players. In the meantime, updated results and prize pool information are available under the "Results" and "Prizepool" tabs above.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 3:20 AM Local Time
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 3:17 AM Local Time
After 17 levels of Day 1 play, the 91-player starting field in Event #6 ($365 pot-limit Omaha hi-low 8 or better) is down to seven players. The tournament resumes Tuesday at 4 p.m. with Mark Smith topping the counts.
Day 2 seating assignments with chip counts:
Seat 1: Mark Smith - 330,000
Seat 2: Jeff Gershowitz - 182,000
Seat 3: Tim Kline - 37,000
Seat 4: William Higgins - 73,000
Seat 5: Jesse McVicker - 220,000
Seat 6: Mark Streckfus - 15,000
Seat 7: Josh Pender - 53,000
Action restarts with blinds of 3,000/6,000. All remaining players have played their way to a score of $1,126 while the champion earns $8,192, a Circuit gold ring and 50 points toward the Casino Championship.
We will touch base with you again when cards go in the air for Day 2.
Monday, September 21, 2015 8:47 PM Local Time
Registration is closed and the final numbers are in. Event #6, a $365 pot-limit Omaha hi-low 8 or better tournament, drew a field of 91 players. The prize pool, which totals $27,300, pays the top 12 finishers a score of at least $570. The eventual champion, set to be crowned tomorrow, earns $8,192 along with a Circuit gold ring and 50 points toward the Casino Championship.
Full prize structure:
The clock currently reads 45 players remaining toward the start of Level 6. Among them are Shawn Rice, Joshua "Big Daddy" Pender and yesterday's re-entry winner Jonathan Abla.
Day 1 is set to wrap following Level 17 (at about 3 a.m.) and complete chip counts will be posted Tuesday prior to the tournament's 3 p.m. restart.
Monday, September 21, 2015 5:00 PM Local Time
Tournament staff announced the ceremonial "shuffle up and deal" and cards are in the air for Day 1 of Event #6, a $365 pot-limit Omaha hi-low 8 or better tournament. Here's everything you need to know about Day 1:
5 p.m. - Event #6: $365 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low 8 - Day 1
-$365 buy-in gets players 10,000 chips
-Blinds begin at 25/50
-Registration remains open through Level 6 (until about 8:15 p.m.)
-Day 1 concludes after Level 17 (at about 3 a.m.)
-Levels 1-14 are 30 minutes, Levels 15-20 are 40 minutes, all remaining levels are 50 minutes
-Advancing players return for Day 2 Tuesday at 3 p.m.
We will provide complete prize pool information shortly after registration closes.
Monday, September 21, 2015 11:16 AM Local Time
