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Friday, November 3, 2017 3:30 PM Local Time
Indian-American part-timer breaks through for first Circuit victory
Jasthi Kumar has just become the WSOP Circuit’s newest first-time winner. Kumar outlasted a field of 228 entries in the $580 event, winning the ring and the top prize of $28,502. He’s earned more than a half-million dollars from tournaments in the last five years as a part-time player.
Kumar, 51, is an IT manager originally from the south of India. He now makes his home in the Bay Area of California where he’s become a part of the local poker scene. Originally cutting his teeth in tournament chess, Kumar has been playing poker for about seven years.
"Outside of my job, I try to play poker as much as possible,” Kumar said. "It’s sort of a passion for me.”
His passion has turned the game into a rather successful hobby. He’s already cleared the half-millon-dollar mark in career tournament earnings, including a 58th-place finish in the 2016 WSOP Main Event for a six-figure payout.
All that is well and good, but Kumar has now achieved one of his major goals on the felt.
“Finally,” he said in the moment after his victory. “Finally a ring.”
[Full results]
Friday, November 3, 2017 12:46 AM Local Time
Level 21 concludes, and that signals the end of Day 1. From a starting field of 228 entries, just seven players remain.
Seat 1: Stephen Bierman - 244,000
Seat 2: Jasthi Kumar - 528,000
Seat 3: Jonathan Milon - 146,000
Seat 4: D. Mike Morrison - 482,000
Seat 5: Herb Whitaker - 780,000
Seat 6: Ethan Gilbert - 196,000
Seat 7: Dustin Murphy - 360,000
None of the remaining players have won on the WSOP Circuit before, so one of them will collect their first gold ring on Friday.
Blinds will be 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante when play resumes, putting the average stack around 32.5 big blinds. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $4,207.
Day 2 begins at 1 p.m. and will continue until a winner is determined. The ring and a top prize of $28,502 will go to the winner.
Thursday, November 2, 2017 11:48 PM Local Time
Midway through Level 20, the field is trimmed to 10 players, and they're now redrawing for new seats for the last time tonight. Here's the remaining lineup:
Seat 1: Stephen Bierman - 565,000
Seat 2: Nestor Ortez - 113,000
Seat 3: Jasthi Kumar - 535,000
Seat 4: Jonathan Milon - 150,000
Seat 5: Mike Morrison - 632,000
Seat 6: Herb Whitaker - 340,000
Seat 7: Woody Moore - 60,000
Seat 8: Kyle Steinfelt - 95,000
Seat 9: Ethan Gilbert - 64,000
Seat 10: Dustin Murphy - 147,000
Blinds are 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante in the current level, putting the average stack close to 35 big blinds. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $2,134 this evening, with play set to continue until the end of Level 21.
Thursday, November 2, 2017 7:43 PM Local Time
Registration is closed for Event #9, and the numbers are in.
This $580 no-limit hold'em event generated 228 entries, creating a prizepool worth $114,000. That money will be shared by the final 24 players, with a min-cash worth $1,052.
The winner will collect a ring and $28,502 in cash — one of the largest payouts of the week.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 11:25 PM Local Time
