Event #5: $365 Pot-Limit Omaha Re-Entry ($25k Guarantee)

Event #5
Pot-Limit Omaha Re-Entry
Buy-in: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 277
Prizepool: $83,100

Phong Nguyen rolled through the Pot-Limit Omaha final table like a wrecking ball, claiming his first gold ring.

Cherokee, North Carolina (November 29, 2016) – Phong Nguyen snagged his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring in Event #5: $365 Pot-Limit Omaha Re-Entry by conquering a field of 277 players. The tournament concluded Tuesday night at the WSOP Circuit stop Harrah’s Cherokee, with Nguyen topping the final table in a dominating fashion.

Nguyen held a commanding lead going into the final table. He had at least an 8:1 chip advantage over most his opponents. His superior position warranted a strategy that eventually secured him the top prize of $19,945 and the Circuit title.

“I knew I was going in as a massive chip leader, so I was just putting on tons of pressure, because I knew everybody was just trying to chip up, double up, push, or fold basically,” Nguyen explained.

Stealing tons of blinds over the course of the final table, Nguyen simply forced his competitors to shove, or bleed out. The tournament was going at a seemingly average pace till the field reached six remaining. At that time, Nguyen took over, or, in his words “I just got hot.” Players suddenly began to drop like flies, with Nguyen scoring a majority of the knockouts.

When heads up action started, it only took Nguyen two hands to eliminate the runner-up James Tian. There was nothing, and no one, who could stop 25-year-old from Greenville, South Carolina who is an avid poker player, relatively new to the PLO scene.

“I just dabbled in Omaha recently, probably this year. I enjoy Omaha, but it’s such a high variance game,” said Nguyen. “I’m primarily a cash game player.”

Cash games are where Nguyen sees there being more of a skill advantage. Although Nguyen does not play a lot of live tournaments, and does not play cards professionally for that matter, the freelance programmer certainly has been blessed with an unforgettable triumph in the field of poker.

Here's a breakdown of the final table results:

1st: Phong Nguyen - $19,945
2nd: James Tian - $12,325
3rd: David Johnson - $8,943
4th: Joshua Huie - $6,598
5th: John Holley - $4,949
6th: Brian Basham- $3,771
7th: Tom "Captain" Franklin - $2,918
8th: Richard Cowell - $2,294
9th: Ricky Bennett - $1,830

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

After only two hand of heads up play, James Tian (pictured) went bust against Phong Nguyens's aces full. Tian walks away as the Pot-Limit Omaha runner-up and takes home $12,325, as well as 37.5 Casino Championship points.

Joshua Huie (pictured) has been eliminated in fourth place. A reporting error earlier in the evening put Huie as finishing ninth. In reality the husband from Rome, Georgia finished five spots better. Huie is awarded $6,598 and 27.5 Casino Champion points.

After showing up to the Day 2 restart an hour late, Brian Basham was in the hole for most of the day. Despite his predicament, the author from Virginia Beach made it to the final table and finished in sixth place. Basham won $3,771 and earned himself 22.5 Casino Championship Points.

Richard Cowell was eliminated in eighth place, granting him $2,294 and 17.5 points toward the Casino Champion race. This was his fourth Circuit cash.

After six knockouts in Day 2, the unofficial final table has been reached in Event #5. Players have just returned to from a 15-minute break to Level 21. Phong Nguyen has taken over the chip lead and is closing in on the one million mark. There are five players at the table with less than ten big blinds. One more bust out is required to reach the official final table.

Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts for the final ten players:

Seat 1: David Johnson – 180,000 (11 bbs)
Seat 2: John Holley – 459,000 (28 bbs)
Seat 3: Joshua Huie – 200,000 (12 bbs)
Seat 4: Captain Tom – 150,000 (9 bbs)
Seat 5: Scott Cooper – 150,000 (9 bbs)
Seat 6: Ricky Bennett – 93,000 (5 bbs)
Seat 7: James Tian – 142,000 (8 bbs)
Seat 8: Richard Cowell – 389,000 (24 bbs)
Seat 9: Brian Basham – 112,000 (7 bbs)
Seat 10: Phong Nguyen – 910,000 (56 bbs)

- Start of Level 21: 8,000/16,000

END OF DAY 1

John Holley: 3rd in chips

The weary field completed a two table redraw right before the last level's conclusion, then lost two more players by the nights end. Doug "Rico" Carli secured his 151st WSOP cash with a nice run in Event #5. Only 16 remain and the competition is stacked with experience.

John Holley, looking for his sixth gold ring, and Tom "Captain" Franklin, looking for his third gold ring, both cracked the top five in Day 1 chip counts. Rasha Bynum will go into Day 2 has the overall chip leader.

Play is set to resume at 3:00 pm on Tuesday.

Here is a look at the top five chip stacks going into the restart:

1st: Rasha Bynum - 427,000 (53 bbs)
2nd: Dale Jones - 308,000 (38 bbs)
3rd: John Holley - 305,000 (38 bbs)
4th: Tom "Captain" Frainklin - 295,000 (36 bbs)
5th: Phong Nguyen - 247,000 (30 bbs)

Full chip counts for Day 2 can be found above, under the "Reports" tab.

- Play will begin at Level 18: 4,000/8,000

After an extensive, hand-for-hand period Event #5 has finally reached the money. There are 30 players left and each one is guaranteed at least $563.

Some notables left in the field, all with multiple gold rings to their name, are John Holley, Tom "Captain" Franklin, and Doug "Rico" Carli. They boast over three million dollars in World Series of Poker earnings between the three of them.

The remaining players have just returned from a 15-minute break and Level 15 is underway. There will be three more levels, including this one, played tonight before the make their way into the bags.

Level 5 has come to a conclusion in the Pot-Limit Omaha event. This means there are only three more levels of play to register. Unlimited re-entry is allowed to all players who have already tasted defeat.

The tournament features a guaranteed prizepool of $25,000.

Day five at the Harrah's Cherokee Circuit stop brings about the fifth ring event of the 12-event series. Event #5: $365 Pot-Limit Omaha Re-Entry begins at 4:00 pm on Monday, providing the first change in game type. Unlimited re-entry will be allowed during the registration window, which shuts at the beginning of Level 9. The PLO also entails a $25,000 guarantee.

Here is a breakdown of Event #5:

• Buy-in: $365
• There is a $25,000 guaranteed prizepool
• Registration is open until the start of Level 9 (~8:30 pm)
• Unlimited re-entry is allowed during the registration period
• Players begin with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Blinds start at 25/50
• Levels 1-12 will be 30 minutes long, Levels 13-19 will be 40 minutes long, and 20+ will be 50 minutes long
• There will be a 15-minute break after Level 4, 8, 12, 14, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 29
• Day 1 will end after the completion of Level 17
• Day 2 will begin at 3:00 pm on Tuesday
• Global Casino Championship points are awarded to all players earning a cash
• The winner will receive a WSOP Circuit gold ring

As this event progresses, this updates page will include prizepool information, end of the night chip counts and the winner's report.