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AMERISTAR ST. CHARLES CIRCUIT - AUG 2019
This is the central page for information about the ongoing WSOP Circuit series at Ameristar St. Charles. Check back here daily for updated schedule and results. (wsop.com/n/8me)
9 September 2019 (St. Charles, Mo.) -- After a four-year hiatus, the World Series of Poker Circuit made its return to the St. Louis area. The Circuit’s last stint in Missouri came in February 2015 at Lumiere Place. This time around, the WSOP tour was back in action just outside of St. Louis County at Ameristar St. Charles.
Ameristar’s debut Circuit boasted $1,000,000 in prizepool guarantees and was scheduled to run 13 ring events in a matter of 12 days. A total of 3,751 entries were logged during the tournament series, which was highlighted by repeat winners and an exciting, points-fueled Casino Champ race.
Kicking things off was a one-day, double stack event. Out of the 206-player field, Carlos Loving took down Event #1, claiming his third WSOP gold ring and $16,622. Loving came up from his home turf of Tampa, partially to avoid any hurricane weather, and he was not the only Floridian to do so.
Poker Pro and Circuit regular, Jeffrey Trudeau Jr. was born in St. Louis, but has been based out of Florida for some time now. Coming back to his origin state, Trudeau wasted no time in making some noise. His first deep run came in Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Multi-Flight.
The four-day event reeled in a combined 1,093 entries between five starting flights. In the end, it boiled down to Trudeau and Cory Bogert for the title. Trudeau ultimately fell as the runner-up, but it was just the start to his significant series.
Bogert took down the sizable tourney for his first gold ring and right around $50,000 in prize money. A couple days later, the 28-year-old student returned to the winner’s circle by skillfully closing out Event #5 in his preferred poker style, Pot-Limit Omaha.
With two wins in the bag and a min cash, Bogert rushed to a lead in the Casino Champ race with 102.5 points. Now, it is somewhat rare for players to win multiple rings at a given Circuit stop. However, Bogert was merely the player to start a trend of lucrative, repeat success at Ameristar.
Next came Rob Keeling out of Portland, Missouri. Keeling cruised to a first-place finish in Event #7: $400 No-Limit (1 Day), grabbing his first gold ring and $10,021. The very next day, Keeling entered in the Monster Stack, Event #8. After surviving Day 1, he went on to Day 2 where he astoundingly ascended to the top spot again for another gold ring and $21,357 payout.
On top of another final table appearance in Event #3, Keeling becoming the second repeat champion of the series catapulted him over Bogert on the leaderboard. The 46-year-old stood at 135 points, an impressive mark that would normally be enough for Casino Champ honors.
Trudeau came back with a vengeance during Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold’em. The five-time Circuit title holder made his third final table appearance of the series and this time saw it all the way through to the finish line. Trudeau seized ring number six and became the third player over 100 points in the race for Casino Champion.
While these three players were winning rings and making headlines, another competitor was right there with them, consistently making final table after final table.
Jerod Smith, hailing from St. Louis, was that player. Although Smith did not pick up a ring at the Ameristar Circuit, he ended up with an incredible series showing and the Casino Championship.
When the Circuit dust finally settled, Smith laid claim to five cashes, impressively all coming from final table finishes, for a grand total of $55,049 and 147.5 points.
“I mean, it was a mixture of running good, small fields here, and it being my home casino. A lot of players I knew. So, kind of knew how to exploit who to raise against, who to… you know, whatever,” Smith explained, touching on his unyielding success.
The most interesting turn of events came during Event #10: $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Both Smith and Trudeau bagged their respective Day 1s with nearly identical stacks. They each needed a deep run on Day 2 to jump Keeling’s 135-point bar.
“It was definitely in my head. It was kind of important for me to win it, not just for the $10k seat, but more so that somebody from St. Louis won it,” said Smith. “So, when it got down to me and Jeff, I really wanted it to be a St. Louis guy and obviously I was routing for myself more than anybody.”
Trudeau ended up going bust in 19th place, which was enough to get to 137.5 points and take the lead. But Smith stuck around for longer. The local pro now had to cash in 7th place, or higher. He hung on to take 5th, securing the Ameristar St. Charles Casino Championship.
Attached to the honors is an automatic bid to the 2020 Global Casino Championship, effectively a $10,000 seat. The other player securing a seat at the series was the Main Event Champ, Scott Hall. Hall topped a 414-entry field to capture the Mani Event title, winning $130,667 and his first WSOP Circuit gold ring along with the seat.
Completed Events
Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack - Carlos Loving defeats 206 entries to win $16,622.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Multi-Flight - Cory Bogert defeats 1,093 entries to win $50,034.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Matt Koch defeats 157 entries to win $13,567.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Andros Ioakimides defeats 232 entries to win $18,119.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #5: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha - Cory Bogert defeats 117 entries to win $10,674.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty (1 Day) - Chris Parsley defeats 160 entries to win $9,634.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) - Rob Keeling defeats 108 entries to win $10,021.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack - Rob Keeling defeats 108 entries to win $21,357.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em - Jeffrey Trudeau Jr. defeats 132 entries to win $18,265.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #10: $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - Scott Hall defeats 414 entries to win $130,667.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #11: $600 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) - Randy Ratajczyk Jr. defeats 148 entries to win $12,946.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) - Brian Welch defeats 106 entries to win $9,995.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #13: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack - Gary Bland defeats 277 entries to win $12,837.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Casino Champion Update
Jerod Smith bypasses all the big point ring winners to claim the Ameristar St. Charles Casino Championship with five final table appearances. Smith, haling from St. Louis, finished 8th in Event #2, 4th in Event #3, 2nd in Event #6, 4th in Event #9, and 5th in the Main Event for a total of 147.5 points.
About the Winners
Event #1 - Carlos Loving
Carlos Loving scooped up his third World Series of Poker gold ring by taking down 206-player field in Event #1: No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack (1 Day). He secured the top purse, which also included $16,622 and 50 Casino Championship along with the ring.
Loving has been playing poker professionally for the past four and a half years. During that time, he has been all over WSOP result pages, including his first two gold-ring victories, both coming at the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The Tampa, Florida native/resident has claimed a vast majority of his Circuit cashes at southeastern locations. However, this year Loving has been taking a slightly different route.
“I was playing in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker and my friend told me to come to Choctaw with him for the first Circuit event,” Loving explained. “So, I drove with him to Choctaw and I did well, and I figured I might as well keep playing to try to accumulate points to try to qualify for the Global.”
Loving dove right into the 2019/20 Circuit tour with a trip to Oklahoma. Securing four cashes, including a third-place finish at Choctaw Durant, the Poker Pro was primed for a personal prerogative geared toward points.
Points chasing prompted Loving’s trip to the Midwest and he wasted no time in achieving his goal, instantly adding the single-event max to his total (50 points). Loving is now into triple digits (122.5) when it comes to Casino Championship points.
Event #2 - Cory Bogert
Cory Bogert successfully topped a four-figure field in order to grab his first World Series of Poker gold ring. Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Multi-Flight got its start on Thursday at the Ameristar St. Charles Circuit, ran through five starting flights, and then finished Sunday evening with Bogert as the victor.
A combined group of 63 players moved to the Day 2 finale on Sunday. The field quickly dwindled. Just before the unofficial final table was reached. Bogert found himself confronting five-time gold ring winner Jeffrey Trudeau. The 28-year-old tank-called on the river for his tournament life. The call was good for a huge double after Trudeau showed a bluff.
“His turn sizing didn’t make sense. He bet like close to half my stack, which didn’t really set up any river situations,” Bogert explained when asked what was going through his head at the time. “It just didn’t really make sense that he would do that with any of his diamond hands, with any of his over pairs.”
In the end, Bogert beat Trudeau heads-up for the title. Including the earlier cash, Bogert took home a grand total of $50,034. It was only his third recorded cash with the WSOP and by far the largest.
“I’m an online guy. I play mostly cash. I don’t play a lot of tournaments,” said Bogert. “I was going to play everything. I mean, I’m in school, so anything that school permits me to play."
Even with his online and cash game partiality, Bogert still frequents tournament poker series when they come to town and was looking forward to the WSOP’s return to St. Louis.
Event #3 - Matt Koch
Matt Koch has recorded his first-ever World Series of Poker cash Monday afternoon at Ameristar St. Charles and he made it one to remember. The Missouri native placed first out of 157 entrants in Event#3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em to win a Circuit gold ring and $13,567.
“Really more than anything, I just got lucky,” Koch stated. “I got very lucky with hands, with flips, with everything. That table was filled with talent… I will chalk this one up to just a little bit of skill and a whole lot of luck.”
Regardless of how it got done, a win with the WSOP is no easy task. Koch is a self-declared casual poker player that had not hit the felt in some time preceding his victory.
“This is kind of my first foray back into it. I think the last time I played a tournament was two years ago,” said Koch. “I’ve kind of taken a hiatus from poker for about four, or five, years; been pretty busy at work,”
“I was extremely excited,” he mentioned, alluding to the WSOP being back in town. “I took a bunch of days off of work, which is abnormal for me.” Koch works as a Personal Dog Trainer at large, local kennel.
When asked whether he would continue to attend the WSOP Circuit events coming up, Koch responded; “All my days off are were previous. But, I did take next weekend off, so I’m thinking about playing in the Main Event. I think that I’ll probably have to now.”
Event #4 - Andros Ioakimides
Seizing his debut World Series of Poker and first gold ring was Andros Ioakimides. Ioakimides, originally from Cyprus, ultimately conquered a 232-entry field in Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed (1 Day) at the Ameristar St. Charles Circuit.
“I try to pick my spots, play position, and if I see weakness I usually raise,” Ioakimides mentioned about playing the big stack “I’m pretty active on the table. I like to keep moving. If I find resistance I kind of slow down… Yeah, it was pretty smooth sailing [to the end].”
Not by coincidence, Ioakimides’ largest cash to date, $57,833 (8th place), came during the 2016 annual WSOP and was also in a Six Max. The 54-year-old's play style undoubtedly thrives in short-handed tournament settings.
“I think my style suits a Six Max because I am pretty aggressive,” said Ioakimides. “You have to play hands with Six Max. You cannot just sit back and wait for aces and kings.”
Ioakimides came to the United States he was 20 y.o. The temporary stint for secondary education turned into a permeant move to St. Louis where Ioakimides has made a home.
Event #5 - Cory Bogert
Cory Bogert struck gold again at the World Series of Poker Circuit at Ameristart St. Charles. The 28-year-old first made headlines Sunday by topping the massive Multi-Flight tournament, Event #2. Then he returned to the winner’s circle after skillfully closing out Event #5: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha.
It was a more comfortable arena for Bogert the second time around. Event #2 only provided him with two cards. However, being primarily a PLO expert, Bogert preferred the four whole cards in Event #5.
“I mostly play PLO cash. I mean, I grind tournaments, so like I know some things in tournaments, but PLO is my number one game, by far,” stated Bogert.
Bogert grabbed another 50 points for the win, which are of much more importance to the Missouri native now. After his first 50-point victory, Bogert immersed himself in the race for Casino Champion, an ambition that puts a bit more pressure on him to play and more value on laddering up.
“Before the first one I was only going to grind like three events, and now I’m grinding everything,” Bogert said. “I’m going to take the rest of the day off and then grind the rest of the tournaments.”
Event #6 - Chris Parsley
The World Series of Poker Circuit at Ameristar St. Charles saw a strenuous tournament unfold on Tuesday. Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty (1 Day) took 14 hours to deem a champion. Out of the 160 entrants it was Chris Parsley as last man standing, winning $9,634 and his first WSOP gold ring.
“You just got to be patient and just hope that the cards fall your way. That’s all you can do, especially heads up. It’s just a lot of luck involved,” Parsley said, touching on the dynamic of playing so many hours of poker.
Parsley ultimately grabbed the last bounty of the tournament, but it was only after an extensive, roller-coaster clash against heads-up opponent Jerod Smith that he could collect. Both players survived multiple all ins, but Parsley finally had the last say around 1:30 a.m., bringing the event to a close.
Parsley picked up his fourth cash with the WSOP. The retired 59-year-old keeps up consistent appearances on the felt and was delighted by the victory.
“I usually play once a week and that’s all I play is tournaments,” mentioned Parsley. “I love it. I love the WSOP stage. I go out to Vegas every year and play.
Event #7 - Rob Keeling
Rob Keeling captured first World Series of Poker gold ring by cruising to a victory in Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) at Ameristar St. Charles. The Missouri native topped the turbo-style tournament by defeating a field of 108 entries.
Along with the golden hardware, Keeling picked up $10,021 as well as 50 Casino Championship points. A few days ago, Keeling placed fifth in Event #3 for 25 points. With two final table finishes, his series total is now 75 points, putting him in striking distance of the curing top dog, Cory Bogert (100 points).
During the final stages, roughly 1:00 a.m., of Event #7, Keeling had support from a group of local friends. After posing for a winner’s photo, the group, including Keeling, was already looking forward to the Monster Stack, which starts at 10:00 a.m.
Event #8 - Rob Keeling
Rob Keeling became the second repeat winner of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Ameristar St. Charles on Thursday. The Missouri native surpassed 280 opponents during Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack to go complete a back-to-back title run.
Not only was it Keeling’s second 50-point finish of the series, the Monster Stack provided him with his third final table appearance and fourth cash. All in all, Keeling has now raked in $37,075 in cashes and 135 Casino Championship points.
When asked where all his recent success is coming from, Keeling simply responded, “This is for my mom. My mom just pasted away recently… So, this is for my mom.”
The 46-year-old is now 32.5 points ahead of the other repeat ring winner, Cory Bogert, with five events remaining. If Keeling’s impressive points total does hold, he will earn an automatic bid to the 2020 Global Casino Championship, a seat worth $10,000, as the Ameristar St. Charles Casino Champion.
Event #9 - Jeffrey Trudeau Jr.
Jeffrey Trudeau Jr. knocked on the door three times at the Ameristar Circuit stop before finally breaking through to bag his sixth World Series of Poker gold ring and $18,265. Although it was scheduled as a two-day endeavor, Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em reached the end of the road in just one.
Third time was a charm for Jeffrey Trudeau. The 25-year-old had made two other final table appearances at the series before his triumph. Prior to Thursday night, Trudeau finished fourth in Event #4 and second in Event #2.
The top purse brought Trudeau’s series earnings to over $50,000. Along with the payout and add on to his gold collection, Trudeau picked up 50 more Casino Championship points, making him the third player at Ameristar to jump over 100 points.
Even if Trudeau does not end up winning the Casino Championship, the trip to the Midwest has already been a great success. Trudeau is originally from the St. Louis area, but moved away when he was young. The Poker Pro is now based out of Florida, a home that he wisely decided to flee temporarily.
“There was a hurricane coming to Florida and it seemed like a good stop, and a good chance to visit some family too, up here,” Trudeau mentioned.
Event #10 - Scott Hall
Scott Hall became the first Ameristar Circuit Main Event Champion Monday afternoon. Winning granted the Poker Pro from Arkansas picked up his debut World Series of Poker gold ring, top prize of $130,667, as well as a seat in the 2020 Global Casino Championship.
“Feels about as good as anything can feel, really,” Hall said following his victory.
Hall has been playing poker professionally for about 12 to 13 years. The payout marks his 20th overall cash with the WSOP and jumps his earnings to over $300,000.
In the past, Hall has not been a frequent face one the Circuit tour. However, he has hit the radar early on here in the 2019/20 season. Hall showed up at the Choctaw Durant Circuit, placing 9th in Main Event, then of course decided on a journey to the St. Louis area.
“I like the Cardinals. I was going to go to the Cardinal game, but I actually didn’t end up going,” Hall stated, alluding to his reason for picking the stop. “I like St. Louis too, in general and I was really happy to see that the Circuit was coming back after it was gone for a few years. I wanted to make sure to support it being back here, so hopefully they do it again.”
Although missing out on an outing to Busch Stadium, Hall’s trip to the Midwest proved momentously lucrative in the end. Day 2 proved a long, busy stretch encompassing the money bubble, and three separate table redraws. Hall continued to coast, never getting too short. When the unofficial final table of 10 hit, Hall was second to last in chips. However, from there, he underwent a miraculous streak of hands.
“Coming into the final table, I probably had the best run of cards I’ve ever had in live poker, ever… Absolutely perfect timing,” mentioned Hall. “I hit probably three or four sets and I had aces four times.”
From second to last in chips with 700,000, Hall suddenly catapulted to 13,500,000. Albert Morrow, Hall, and Andros Ioakimides were the only three to move to the Monday finale. It took just 3.5 hours on Day 3 for Hall to come in possession of all the chips in play, becoming the Ameristar Main Event Champ.
Event #11 - Randy Ratajczyk Jr.
With just his second-ever World Series of Poker cash, Randy Ratajczyk Jr. claimed a coveted Circuit gold ring. The 32-year-old topped a 148-entry field in Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) at the Ameristar St. Charles tournament series.
“It feels amazing. Still doesn’t feel real. I’ve been playing poker for like 12, 14 years, so to finally get a big accomplishment like this is really cool,” said Ratajczyk following the win.
Ratajczyk has been a poker familiar for many years. However, the majority of his experience stems from the virtual world and has been a sporadic hobby.
“I’m mostly a tournament player. I used to play online when it was legal. Then, after that went away, I haven’t played as much lately, but I’ve been trying to get back into it,” Ratajczyk explained.
The husband, and father of two, came up to the Ameristar St. Charles from his hometown of Du Bois, Illinois. Event #11 was Ratajczyk’s third shot at the St. Louis-area Circuit and turned out to be a good fit for him.
The turbo-style tournament fully ran its course in a matter of nine hours. Ratajczyk ended up defeating Charles Aron in a short-lived heads-up match to earn the Circuit title. Along with the gold ring, he took home $12,946.
Event #12 - Brian Welch
Brian Welch earned a debut World Series of Poker title on Saturday at the Ameristar St. Charles Circuit series. The 37-year-old from St. Louis defeated 105 opponents in Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day), winning $9,995 and his first Circuit gold ring. It was a surreal win for Welch who once played poker on a regular basis, but never really excelled at tournament play and has since slowed down on the felt.
“I mean, I used to play professional… For me, I played a lot of poker, just like cash games daily, in my early 20s,” explained Welch. I was playing here and at Harrah’s in like a 2/5 game, playing with the regulars for about eight hours in the morning.”
Welch works as a School Librarian, as evidence by the Robin Hobb novel featured in his winner photo. Although with less frequency these days, the husband and father of two still hits the felt and even has a mission in mind.
“Now I just play in a monthly league,” he continued. “For whatever reason, I told my wife I made it my goal to win $100k this year.”
His recent triumph provided Welch with a $10k boost. Albeit an ambitious quota, the Missouri native has some meaningful help in his corner.
“My best friend just passed away… This is his sweatshirt,” Welch mentioned, referring to the sweatshirt he was sporting throughout the tournaments entirety. “I haven’t not cashed while wearing it. I’m like playing the year with him. It’s kind of a nice thing.”
Welch closed out Event #12 with ace-jack, a fitting hand to tribute his late friend, Jay.
Event #13 - Gary Bland
The last World Series of Poker ring event on the Ameristar St. Charles Circuit scheduled was conquered by 58-year-old Gary Bland. The Electrical Contractor from Glen Carbon, Ill. outmatched 276 opponents in Event #13: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack (1 Day) to claim his first gold ring and $12,837.
Event #13 began at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday and did not finish till around 4:00 a.m. Monday morning, a seemingly exhausting haul.
“It’s pretty tough for a guy my age,” Bland said with a laugh, referring to the long hours of poker. “When you have poker in front of you it’s something you just stay after.”
Bland had been recently versed in long-day, late-night poker, as he ran deep in Event #12 almost exactly 24 hours prior. The Illinois resident placed third during his first final table bout, before going back-to-back to close one out.
“It felt good to get to third place and then I kind of kept that momentum going today,” mentioned Bland.
When reaching his second final table of the series, Bland sat in a great position. He carried a massive chip advantage into the final stretch. From there, Bland rode his lead all the way to the winner’s circle. The payout marked Bland’s fourth cash of the Ameristar Circuit series and his 18th WSOP cash overall.
