Wednesday, February 15, 2017 11:38 PM Local Time
New South Florida pro making a splash to start the new year
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (February 15, 2017) — Stephen Smith is the newest first-time winner on the World Series of Poker Circuit. Smith outlasted a field of 107 entries in the $365 Eight-Max, winning his first ring and $9,630 in cash.
Smith is a 47-year-old professional poker player, who recently moved to Juno Beach, Florida from Alabama. He’s been playing the game for about 15 years, but he only recently decided to pursue poker a bit more seriously after leaving the Army. “Back in March 2016, I decided to start playing… not as a professional,” he started. “But as much as I traveled doing it, it turned into a profession.”
So far, the new career is going rather well. Smith has earned close to $100,000 in the past year, and he’s having a particularly hot start to the young 2017 campaign. The key to his success? “Work hard,” he said. “Study every day. Exercise every day. Do the grind every day.”
The late stages of this event were a grind Smith was well prepared for, and he entered the final table tied for the chip lead with Josh Sidman. A couple hours later, the two were heads up for the ring, very deep and still dead even in chips.
Sidman won the early stages of the match, wearing Smith down to about 160,000 of the 1,070,000 chips in play. Smith fought back valiantly though, and the duel teetered back and forth for more than two hours. Finally, with the two once again even in chips, the final hand played out with a fitting flip of the coin.
It began with Sidman opening the button and Smith three-betting the big blind. Sidman moved all in for 509,000 — just less than half the total chips — with queen-ten of hearts, and Smith called with pocket eights to flip for the ring. Sidman turned a flush draw but could not improve on the river, giving Smith the pot with a pair of eights. When the stacks were verified, Smith’s was indeed larger, and he was suddenly a WSOP Circuit winner.
In his postgame interviews, the champ once again highlighted the role of preparation in his recent success. “I believe in goals. I believe in training,” he said. “I’m not exaggerating, every single day that I’m not playing, I spend three or four hours studying and watching videos.”
Smith also credits his high school sweetheart and wife of 28 years, Debbie, for supporting him as he embarks on his new career as a poker pro. “I don’t know how my marriage could be any better,” he beamed. “She’s my best friend, and she supports what I do a hundred percent. It’s just awesome.” Debbie received the good news from Stephen over the phone just seconds after the last card was dealt.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 8:21 PM Local Time
After more than two hours of back-and-forth, the two finalists were still deadlocked in a near-even match. The final hand was, fittingly, a big coin flip for nearly every chip in play.
It begins with Josh Sidman opening the button and Stephen Smith (pictured above) three-betting from the big blind. Sidman four-bet shoves for 509,000 of the 1,070,000 chips in play, and Smith calls to put almost all the chips in the middle.
Sidman:
Smith:
The board runs out , and Smith's eights hold to earn him the pot, the ring, and the top prize of $9,630.
In his second final table appearance of this series, Josh Sidman (below) finishes as the runner-up for $5,952.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 5:44 PM Local Time
Stephen Smith and Josh Sidman are heads-up for the ring in Event #7, and the battle begins with virtually nothing between them. Sidman may have a very small lead, but it's essentially dead even and very deep as the match gets under way.
Josh Sidman - 540,000 (90 bb)
Stephen Smith - 530,000 (88 bb)
Blinds are 3,000/6,000 with a 1,000 ante in the current level, putting about 180 total big blinds in play.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 5:40 PM Local Time
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Wednesday, February 15, 2017 3:50 PM Local Time
Three players have been eliminated, and the nine who remain are now seated around the final table. Here's the lineup:
Seat 1: Stephen Smith - 193,500 (65 bb)
Seat 2: George Alex - 53,500 (18 bb)
Seat 3: Josh Sidman - 193,500 (65 bb)
Seat 4: Andrew Dakoski - 88,000 (29 bb)
Seat 5: Josh Vizcarra - 126,000 (42 bb)
Seat 6: Jason Hill - 40,000 (13 bb)
Seat 7: Chris Conrad - 163,500 (55 bb)
Seat 8: Al Throw - 62,000 (21 bb)
Seat 9: Luis Gonzalez - 149,000 (50 bb)
Blinds are still 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante, which means the average stack has grown to nearly 40 big blinds.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 2:59 PM Local Time
Just 12 players remain from the starting field of 107, and the survivors are back in action. Most of them, anyhow. Neither Brett Bader nor Chris Conrad has arrived yet, but the scheduled starting time has. It's not so bad for Conrad, who is the chip leader, but Bader's stack is the second-shortest in the remaining field.
After sneaking into the money right at the finish line last night, everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $671, with nearly $10,000 and the ring reserved for the winner.
Play will continue until it's decided this evening.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 2:35 AM Local Time
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 2:01 AM Local Time
The clock has run out on Day 1, with the first 15 levels in the books. The starting field of 107 entries has been trimmed to just 12 players, and they'll return tomorrow to settle the score.
Four of the remaining players have already won tournaments on the WSOP Circuit. Chip leader Chris Conrad and Jason Hill have two rings apiece, and Brett Bader and Josh Vizcarra each have one. All four men will be looking to add to their collection on Wednesday, while the rest of the field will be playing for their first taste of Circuit victory.
Chip counts | Seat draw
Blinds will be 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante when play resumes, putting the average stack at 30 big blinds. Action will continue until there's a winner, with the ring and nearly $10,000 in cash waiting up top. Cards go in the air at 3 p.m.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 1:07 AM Local Time
As was the case for the six-max, there was an extended period of bubble play and bonus poker, but the field has finally been trimmed to 12 players. They're in the money now, each of them guaranteed to earn $671.
Level 15 begins as the bubble bursts, with 1,200/2,400 blinds and a 400 ante. This is the last level of the night, and the players that remain after this level will bag up and return tomorrow to decide a winner.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017 8:46 PM Local Time
Registration is closed for Event #7, and the payouts are now scrolling on the clock. This $365 eight-max event drew a field of 107 entries, creating a prizepool worth $32,100. That money will be shared by the final 12 players, with a min-cash worth $671. The ring and a top prize of $9,630 go to the winner. The full list of payouts can be found in the "Prizepool" tab above.
Blinds are 300/600 with a 100 ante, and with 34 players remaining, the average stack is still more than 50 big blinds.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017 8:20 PM Local Time
Level 8 has just concluded, and the field is on their second 15-minute break of the day. When they return, the registration and re-entry period will close, and the field will be locked. There are 106 entries so far.
The prizepool will be released shortly after the break.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017 1:33 PM Local Time
The second ring event on today's schedule is another short-handed event. The $365 Eight-Max is the seventh event on the series' schedule, and it begins this afternoon at 4 p.m.
Here are the vitals:
- This is a two-day event
- Players begin with 10,000 in tournament chips
- Levels 1-12 are 30 minutes apiece
- Levels 13-21 are 40 minutes apiece
- Late registration and single re-entry are available until the start of Level 9 (8:30 p.m.)
- Day 1 concludes after Level 15
Tuesday, February 14, 2017 1:36 AM Local Time
