Sunday, October 23, 2016 12:31 AM Local Time
The starting flights are complete in the $1,675 Main Event, with the first fifteen levels in the books.
Friday’s Day 1A drew 579 entries, and another 729 joined Saturday’s Day 1B to put a total of 1,308 entries in the field. That big turnout puts a prizepool of $1,962,000 up for grabs, with the final 135 players slated to earn shares of that money.
Jared Caplan bagged up the big stack at the close of Day 1A, finishing with 363,000 chips to lead the 106 survivors from that flight. Nobody from Day 1B could match that count. David McDermott came the closest, and his stack of 310,000 puts him in third place heading into the combined Day 2. Just 157 players survived Day 1B.
Others who advanced to Day 2 with significant stacks include Ravi Raghavan (pictured, 328,500) and Andy Spears (302,500), along with Chicago poker standouts Mike Mustafa (272,500) and Aaron Massey (219,600). A bit further down the list are the likes of Johanssy Joseph (217,500), Robert Kuhn (202,000), Mohsin Charania (181,0000), Kyle Julius (138,500), Chino Rheem (108,000), 2013 WSOP Main Event Champion Ryan Riess (106,500), Marshall White (102,500), and Kevin Eyster (90,000).
A total of 263 players are through to Day 2, and they’ll return Sunday for playdown day. With only 135 of them finishing in the money, the day’s first order of business is the bursting of the bubble. There are another 10 levels scheduled, as the field races toward the series’ crowning ring and the top prize of nearly $350,000.
Cards go back in the air at noon, with another 10 levels of action on the docket.
Sunday, October 23, 2016 12:26 AM Local Time
Play has concluded and the remaining players in Day 1B have bagged their chips. The survivors from Day 1A and 1B will combine and return for Day 2 tomorrow at 12 p.m. local time.
A full recap of the day's action will be posted shortly.
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:54 PM Local Time
A player in middle position raises to 5,500 and Ryan Riess moves all in on his direct left for 53,100. Everybody folds back to the original raiser, who calls and the cards are tabled.
Riess shows and is in great shape against his opponent's . The board runs out and Riess doubles up with just a couple hands left in the night.
Ryan Riess - 109,800
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:52 PM Local Time
Ben Keeline raises to 6,000 from middle position, Jacob Bofferding calls on the button, the small blind calls, and the big blind calls.
The flop is . Both blinds check, Keeline bets 9,000, Bofferding calls, and both blinds fold.
They go heads up to the turn and both players check.
The river is the and Keeline bets 25,000. Bofferding raises to 60,000 and Keeline quickly flicks his cards into the muck.
Jacob Bofferding - 235,000
Ben Keeline - 103,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:48 PM Local Time
James Calderaro is all in holding and has been called by an opponent holding .
The flop comes leaving the pair of queens in the lead, but the turn gives Calderaro a pair of kings to take the lead.
The river is safe for Calderaro and he will double up just minutes before the end of the night.
James Calderaro - 75,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:47 PM Local Time
The tournament staff has paused the clock and the remaining players are playing five more hands before bagging up chips for the night.
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:42 PM Local Time
Mohsin Charania
A player limps in from the hijack and the player on the button raises to 5,300. Mohsin Charania defends his big blind and the limper comes along as well.
They are three-handed to a flop of . All three players check and the comes on the turn. Charania bets 7,000 and the hijack calls. The button folds and the river is the .
Charania bets 12,200 and his opponent calls. Charania shows and the hijack mucks his hand.
Mohsin Charania - 179,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:31 PM Local Time
On a flop of , the big blind checks and Chino Rheem bets 8,000 from middle position. Rusty Chizhevsky calls on the button and the big blind calls as well.
The turn is the and the big blind checks again. Rheem bets 23,000 and Chizhevsky folds. The big blind tanks for a couple minutes and then calls. The big blind checks dark and the comes on the river. Rheem checks back.
"Trips," says the big blind, showing .
"It's good," says Rheem as he puts his face in his hands.
"It was good by itself, no?" asks the big blind.
Rheem doesn't respond and mucks his hand.
Chino Rheem - 75,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:20 PM Local Time
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:19 PM Local Time
Jeff Model opens to 4,600 in early position, Derek Gardner calls in middle position, and the big blind calls.
The big blind checks in the dark and the flop comes .
Model thinks for awhile and puts together a bet of 9,500. Gardner calls and the big blind folds.
They go heads up to the turn and Model checks. Gardner bets 14,500 and Model calls.
On the river, Model checks again and Gardner bets 28,800. Model thinks for a couple minutes and commits the chips for a call.
Gardner looks at him and Model shows for a straight. Gardner looks at his cards again and sends them to the muck.
Jeff Model - 170,000
Derek Gardner - 140,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:12 PM Local Time
Kou Vang has called a player's 16,000 shove, and the players both table their hands.
Vang:
Opponent:
The flop comes , leaving Vang in the lead but giving his opponent a flush draw in addition to his pair outs.
The turn does not change the hand, and the river awards the pot to Vang sending his opponent home just before the last level of the night.
"Good game," Vang says genuinely, "Just unlucky."
Kou Vang - 105,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:08 PM Local Time
There is about 25,000 in the pot on the river with a completed board of . The player in the small blind checks and Ryan Riess bets 8,000. The small blind takes a couple minutes in the tank and then calls.
Riess shows and the small blind mucks his hand.
"I took a shot at it with ace-high," says the small blind. "Then I called with ace-high cause I thought it might be good. I should've three-bet [pre-flop]. I did it to myself."
Ryan Riess - 62,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:59 PM Local Time
Mike Scarborough goes all in for 17,200 and Tom Midena calls in middle position to put Scarborough at risk.
Scarborough:
Midena:
The board runs out and Scarborough gets the double up.
Mike Scarborough - 40,000
Tom Midena - 44,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:50 PM Local Time
Facing a raise from Drew Dakoski in the cutoff, Chino Rheem reraises to 15,000 in the small blind. The big blind folds, and Dakoski shoves all in for around 60,000. Rheem quickly calls and says, "You have queens? I'm sorry." Dakowski turns over and Rheem says, "I'm still sorry," as he turns over .
The flop is safe for Dakoski, but the turn gives Rheem a pair of aces to take the lead.
The river is of no help to Dakoski and he stands up from the table.
"Sorry man," Rheem says.
"No problem brother," Dakoski says as he walks away from the table.
Chino Rheem - 170,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:45 PM Local Time
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:39 PM Local Time
Nafez Salaymeh calls in the small blind and Chino Rheem raises to 5,700 in the big blind. Salaymeh calls.
Both players check the flop.
The turn is the . Salaymeh bets 9,000, and Rheem calls.
The river is the . Rheem bets 14,000 leaving himself only 12,000 behind, and Rheem goes into the tank.
"There's now way you're bluffing here," Rheem says to Salaymeh.
Rheem begins to talk aloud and many table mates attempt to tell him that table talk is not allowed. Rheem says, "I am allowed to talk, I've been doing it for 15 years."
After a minute, the dealer also tells him he is not allowed to talk about the hand but Rheem continues talking. He tells Salaymeh that he has pocket nines, and asks Salaymeh if he will show if he folds. Salaymeh tells him he will not show.
After five full minutes of banter, mostly talking aloud to himself but sometimes talking to his opponent, a player at the table calls the clock.
As Rheem approached the 30 second mark, he goes to muck his cards, watching Salaymeh closely to see if he responds in any way. Then he immediately grabs a handful of chips and moves them slightly forward looking like he is going to call, but then quickly pulls them back.
Ten seconds remain and Rheem reluctantly moves his cards slowly into the muck.
Nafez Salaymeh - 59,000
Chino Rheem - 85,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:39 PM Local Time
Tom Midena raises to 3,500, the cutoff calls, and Mike Scarborough calls in the big blind.
The flop is . Scarborough checks, Midena bets 4,500, the cutoff folds, and Scarborough calls.
They go heads up to the turn and both players check.
On the river, Scarborough bets 13,400 and Midena thinks for almost two minutes. Midena pushes forward calling chips and Scarborough shows .
Midena tables his , good enough to win him the pot.
"Nice call, man," Scarborough notes after the hand.
Tom Midena - 72,000
Mike Scarborough - 24,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:29 PM Local Time
Registration is now closed, and the staff has finalized the numbers. With the addition of 729 entries on Day 1B, this season's Horseshoe Hammond Main Event has officially drawn a total field of 1,308 entries. That generates a prizepool worth $1,962,000 to be shared by the final 135 players.
A min-cash is worth $2,923 this weekend, and players who make the final three tables will earn paydays of at least four figures. The five-figure payouts begin with the fourth-place finisher, and there's a huge top prize of $348,269 reserved for the winner. The eventual champion will also collected the diamond-studded Main Event ring and an automatic entry into the season-ending WSOP Global Casino Championship.
The full breakdown of the payouts can be found in the prizepool tab above.
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:23 PM Local Time
On a board of and over 30,000 in the pot, Greg Jennings checks in the cutoff and his opponent on the button checks behind.
The lands on the river and Jennings bets 22,000. His opponent thinks for over a minute and commits the chips to call.
Jennings shows for a rivered full house and his opponent shakes his head and mucks. He tells the table he had pocket queens.
Greg Jennings - 136,000
Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:20 PM Local Time
The player in the cutoff raises to 4,300 and the player on the button moves all in for 26,600. Nick Pupillo calls out of the big blind and the cutoff calls as well. Any further action between Pupillo and the cutoff would create a side pot and the flop is .
Pupillo moves all in and the cutoff calls. Pupillo has both players covered and the cutoff is all in for about 26,000. The button shows , Pupillo shows , but the cutoff has the best hand with .
The turn is the , keeping the cutoff in the lead, but the comes on the river to give Pupillo a straight and eliminate two players. Pupillo scoops the pot and quickly becomes one of the biggest stacks remaining.
Nick Pupillo - 185,000