As the $1,675 No Limit Hold'em WSOP Circuit Cherokee Main Event heads to Day 3, Tripp Kirk leads the final 11 players. He looks to take home his third Circuit ring and second Circuit Main Event title. Kirk previously won the 2011/12 Harrah's St. Louis Main Event.After surviving ten one-hour levels, Kirk bagged 2,135,000. This puts him at the top of the chip counts and in great position to earn his third six-figure cash of his career. He is already guaranteed to add at least $15,381 to his $509,227 career Circuit earnings. Kirk isn't the only Circuit regular to make the final day of the event. Ralph Massey, who has one ring and 14 Circuit cashes to his name already, will also be joining Kirk in the tournament area on Monday. Massey bagged 755,000 and is seventh in chips to start Day 3. The day began with 137 players returning from a starting field of 665, but only 72 of them would earn a payday. Lee Childs and Greg Raymer were two of the notables who made Day 2, but failed to make a cash. While Childs didn't earn himself a cash in Cherokee, his father, Bill Childs, made a deep run of his own, finishing in 15th place for $12,519. Other notables who didn't make it through the day, but earned a cash included Robert Panitch, Bill Varga, Andrew Rothfolk, Duy Tran, Phillip Hui, Nancy Birnbaum, and Ben Mintz. Hui and Birnbaum were eliminated on the same hand by Robert Park and were eliminated 35th and 34th, respectively. Park returns to Day 3 fifth in chips. The final 11 players will return to tournament area at 12 pm on Monday to play down to a winner. Each player is guaranteed $15,381, but everybody has their sights set on the $204,487 first-place prize money, the gold ring, and the guaranteed seat into the National Championship, which takes place in Atlantic City May 22-24.
Here's a look at the chip counts heading into the final day:
1 - Tripp Kirk - 2,135,000
2 - Jason Sandling - 1,930,000
3 - Kyriakos Kastamperis - 1,765,000
4 - Zack Caldwell - 1,600,000
5 - Erik Gorman - 1,300,000
6 - Robert Park - 1,295,000
7 - William O'Neal - 955,000
8 - Ralph Massey - 755,000
9 - Travis Turner - 720,000
10 - Harold Evans - 620,000
11 - Jason Stover - 250,000