Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack (Single Re-entry)

Event #7
No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack (1 Re-Entry)
Buy-in: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 1,446
Prizepool: $433,800

With record-setting numbers, Event #7 saw poker pro, Ricardo Eyzaguirre, seize his first Circuit gold ring.

Cherokee, North Carolina (April 21, 2016) – Ricardo Eyzaguirre came to the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harrah’s Cherokee and conquered a record-setting Monster Stack. The poker pro meander through a field of 1,446 players in Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack (1 Re-Entry) to win his first career gold ring.

The immense turnout of entrants set a new Circuit record for Monster Stack numbers. A $433,800 prizepool was generated and it was Eyzaguirre who benefited from the first-place payout of $74,853.

With such a large field, plus inflated starting stacks, it took an extensive Day 2 to determine a champion. Event #7 did not complete until nearly 5:00 am Friday. Eyzaguirre was asked how he stays focused while playing for such long hours.

“I mean, I do this weekly really. I play a lot of poker,” said Eyzaguirre. “So, basically long hours and grinds are what I like to do. Been ten years and I still do it."

For his first eight years on the felt, professionally, Eyzaguirre played strictly cash games. However, in the past couple of years, the native of Peru has jumped into the tournament scene, and been putting up solid runs.

“The last year and a half I’ve been basically tournament-to-tournament, all around,” Eyzaguirre explained. “I’ve been getting really close… couple final tables. I just don’t seem to get the breakthrough, and finally made this one count.”

Eyzaguirre is no stranger to the WSOPC final stage. Before his recent victory, he laid claim to four WSOP cashes, three being final table finishes.

The other was an 11^th-place showing in the Harrah’s Cherokee Main Event back in August, a cash worth $18,307, which was Eyzaguirre’s previous best.

Throughout his countless hours of poker, the husband, and father, has benefited from immeasurable support provided by his family. Cherokee is normally a Circuit stop where his spouse and son accompany him. This time around, this was not the case though.

Eyzaguirre and his wife are expecting another child, a baby girl. The Monster Stack will surely be a milestone on the road of many more victories in life to come for the 28-year-old.

“It definitely means a lot to me,” said Eyzaguirre.

Here is a breakdown of the final table results:

1st: Ricardo Eyzaguirre - $74,853
2nd: Toni Fiorenza - $46,417
3rd: Hoyt Lance - $34,014
4th: Toby Bell - $25,859
5th: Harold Kizzire - $19,686
6th: Alex Burney - $15,161
7th: Adam Miller - $11,812
8th: Sylvia Russi - $9,309
9th: Matthew Graham - $7,422

Complete results can be found above, under the "Results" tab.

After an extensive heads-up match, Toni Fiorenza (pictured) will have to settle for the runner-up honors. The mother of two wins $46,417 and banks 37.5 Casino Championship points for her deep run.

The final three contenders are on a 15-minute break. Event #7 is now into the wee hours of Friday. Players have agreed to play down to a conclusion, instead of bagging for a Day 3.

Toni Fiorenza still holds the chip lead, hoyt Lance is the short stack at the moment, and Ricardo Eyzaguirre stands somewhere in between the two.

Hal Kizzire (pictured) has just been eliminated in 5th place. Kizzire earned himself $19,686 and 25 points toward the Casino Championship.

Three casualties were witnessed during Level 31:

Adam Miller - Eliminated in 7th place ($11,812)
Sylvia Russi - Eliminated in 8th place (9,309)
Matthew Graham- Eliminated in 9th place ($7,422)

The final six players are now on a 15-minute break. Toni Fiorenza has overtaken the chip lead.

A bust out, occurring on the last hand before break, reduced the field to 11 players.

All eyes will be set on the final table upon return. Back in 15 minutes.

The Day 2 restart for the Monster Stack picks up in less than an hour. There are 92 players in the hunt for the Circuit gold ring sitting up top. One of these players is Steve Merriefield, who had a solid Day 1, which provided him with the overall chip lead. Harrah's Cherokee's reigning Casino Champion, Marshall White, is still alive, though he will begin Day 2 in the bottom half of the pack.

A series of knockouts and table redraws are still to come, including a merge to one table where the top nine finalists will face off. Chip counts and seating assignments of these finalists will be posted when the official final table is determined.

- Play resumes at Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000

The clock has paused with ten minutes left in Level 21 and Dealers have been instructed to deal six final hands.

All remaining Monster Stack players will bag up their chips upon completion of the six hands.

All surviving Monster Stack players have reached their last 15-minute break of Day 1.

With 158 players remaining, the money bubble is looming (153 get paid).

Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack is 12 levels down and has reached a 60-minute break for dinner.

The hour-long break will be the final stretch of late registration. The field has continued to rise, now sitting at 1,423 entrants.