Event #11: $3,250 No-Limit Hold'em HIGH ROLLER

 

Caleb Clarke - High Roller Winner - $50,625

After falling short three times this series, Caleb Clarke is now a World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner. Clarke won the High Roller event at Foxwoods, earning $50,625 and his first Circuit ring.

Clarke is a 24-year old professional poker player from Mashpee, MA. Clarke started playing poker just three years ago, and he transitioned to a full-time professional player just one year ago.

Clarke had a wonderful series at Foxwoods, securing not only four cashes, but four final table appearances. He started off his run taking 4th place in Event #4 ($580 Six Max) for $7,992, he then went on to take 8th in Event #6 ($580 No-Limit Hold’em). He thought he would finally secure a ring in Event #9 ($365 No-Limit Hold’em), but ultimately was eliminated in 4th place for $4,699. Today in Event #11, he was finally able to secure the win he had come so close to.

“This was the fourth final table. The first three I came up a little short, a couple of them were a little brutal. I was happy to get some good scores in there, but I really wanted a ring this series, and after some pretty close calls it was great to finally take one down, especially in the biggest event that I played,” Clarke said after his win.

Clarke finished Day 1 as the chip leader, but said that Day 2 he was relatively card dead, and that things didn’t pick back up for him until the middle of the final table. He eventually made it to heads-up play with Dave Stefanski, but it only lasted two hands. Clarke called Stefanski’s all-in holding top pair against Stefanski’s gutshot straight draw. Clarke held, and was awarded his first ring and the $$50,625 top prize.

In addition to the prize money and the Circuit ring, Clarke also won 50 points in the Casino Champion race, and those additional points ensured him the free seat into the 2017/2018 WSOP Global Casino Championship event.

The high roller tournament started with 45 entries, and the top 5 made the money. Here is a look at all of the players that cashed:

1: Caleb Clarke - $50,625
2: Dave Stefanski - $31,293
3: Jonathan Pratt - $21,789
4: David Davenport - $16,889
5: Victor Nissim - $14,404

Dave Stefanski opens the button to 23,000, and Caleb Clarke defends his big blind.

The flop is    . Clarke checks, Stefanski continues for 20,000, and Clarke calls. The action repeats on the   turn, with Clarke check-calling another bet of 46,000 from Stefanski. The river is the  , and Clarke checks for a third time. Stefanski bets 158,000, and Clarke deliberates for about a minute before calling.

Stefanski shows    for ace-high, and Clarke tables    to win the big pot with a pair of jacks. He takes the lead, too.

Caleb Clarke - 820,000
Dave Stefanski - 530,000

Jonathan Pratt completes in the small blind, and Dave Stefanski checks his option in the big.

The flop is    , and Pratt check-calls a bet of 15,000. Both players check through the   turn and the   river.

Pratt shows    for a miss. Stefanski missed, too, but his    is just good enough to earn the small pot.

"Bet it feels nice to give up and still win the pot," Caleb Clarke comments from the sidelines.

Dave Stefanski - 400,000
Jonathan Pratt - 445,000

Jonathan Pratt raises to 22,000 on the button, and Caleb Clarke calls in the big blind.

The flop comes    , and both players check.

Both players also check the   turn.

The river is the  . Clarke checks, Pratt bets 43,000, and Clarke calls.

"Are we choppin?" Pratt asks as he turns over   .

"Nice hand," Clarke says as he slides his cards forward into the muck.

Jonathan Pratt - 490,000 (49 bb)
Caleb Clarke - 455,000 (45 bb)

David Davenport opens with an under-the-gun raise to 23,000, and Caleb Clarke defends his big blind.

The flop is    . Clarke checks, Davenport continues for 25,000, and Clarke check-raises to 60,000. Davenport calls.

The turn is the  , and Clarke moves all in for 175,000. Davenport quickly calls, having Clarke slightly covered and at risk. And he's miles ahead.

Davenport:    (trip nines)
Clarke:    (jacks up)

Clarke is drawing dead to the two remaining jacks in the deck. Sure enough, the   peels off on the river, giving Clarke the come-from-behind win with jacks full. He doubles into the chip lead, though he can barely believe it. Clarke looks almost embarrassed as he slowly shakes his head and stares up at the ceiling.

Davenport, however, is unsurprised. "I don't know how I still have chips left," he laments. It's been quite an unlucky day in his corner, and he has barely a single big blind left in front of him.

Caleb Clarke - 525,000
David Davenport - 15,000

Jonathan Pratt raises to 22,000 on the button, and Dave Stefanski shoves all in from the small blind.

Pratt thinks for over a minute before calling.

Stefaski:   
Pratt:   

The flop comes    , leaving Stefanski in the lead, but giving Pratt a gutshot straight draw.

The   turn brings in the straight for Pratt, and the river is the  .

Jonathan Pratt - 428,000
Dave Stefanski - 235,000

David Davenport opens the button with a raise to 18,000, and Dave Stefanski three-bet shoves for 156,000 effective in the big blind. Davenport calls, putting himself at risk for that amount.

Davenport:   
Stefanski:   

There's a four on the flop, but that's as close as Stefanski gets to bursting the bubble. The board runs out      , and Davenport doubles up.

David Davenport - 322,000
Dave Stefanski - 565,000

Victor Nissim raises to 16,000 in the cutoff. It folds to Dave Stefanski in the big blind who asks Nissim to moves his hands away from his chips, so that he can get a count. Upon seeing the chips, Stefanski announces that he is all in, and Nissim snap-calls.

Nissim:   
Stefanski:   

The flop comes    , leaving Nissim in the lead, but also giving Stefanski straight draws.

"Give him the queen," Stefanski says with a smile, but it's the   that arrives on the turn. 

The   river is safe for Nissim to double up, and the dealer counts out his 68,000 in chips, and passes them across the table. 

Victor Nissim - 141,000
Dave Stefanski - 550,000