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2019/20 WSOP Circuit - THUNDER VALLEY (Sacramento area) The Official WSOP Live Updates

Friday, January 17, 2020 to Sunday, January 19, 2020

Event #12: $1,700 MAIN EVENT

download official reportdownload official winner photo
  • Buy-in: $1,700
  • Prizepool: $737,805
  • Entries: 487
  • Remaining: 0

EVENT UPDATES

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Monday, January 20, 2020 5:31 PM Local Time
Jaime Haletky Wins WSOP Circuit Thunder Valley Main Event for $147,706

Jaime Haletky

The World Series of Poker Circuit Thunder Valley wrapped up its stop Monday night with the conclusion of the $1,700 Main Event, a tournament that attracted 487 runners and offered up a prize pool of $737,805.

After just five hours of play, the final table was whittled down from nine to a winner when 42-year-old Jaime Haletky emerged victorious to capture the gold ring, a $147,706 top prize, and a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.

"I feel amazing, really good," Haletky said right after the win. "I'll just save towards a house, really that's about it. Maybe I can do a little bit bigger buy-ins now, we'll see.

Haletky, who lives near San Jose, works as a mathematician doing cryptography programming but enjoys playing poker, a game he picked up in grad school at UC Berkley, in his free time. That often includes trips to Thunder Valley where he's actually put together an impressive résumé that now includes two wins and a runner-up finisher in three final table appearances.

In October 2017, he won the Ante Up Norcal Classic $1,100 Main Event for $49,865, and a year before that finisher runner-up in the Ante Up World Championship for a previous career-bet $87,636.

"The other tournaments I felt were a lot of luck, in this one I've really studied a lot the last two years, really tried to improve my game," said Haletky, who originally hails from Massachusetts. "I still had great luck, obviously you can't win without great luck, but I'm really happy with how I played."

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Jaime HaletkyWalnut Creek, California$147,706
2Dapo AjayiLittleton, Colorado$91,099
3Marko PantelicBellevue, Washington$66,663
4Scott StewartLakewood, California$49,418
5Marcus LaffenCupertino, California$37,117
6Dann TurnerCleveland, Ohio$28,251
7Peter PapSan Francisco, California$21,795
8Bin DuanCupertino, California$17,045
9Bryan PiccioloAllegany, New York$13,516

Others to cash the Main Event were Jonathan Ingalls (11th - $10,870), Paul Richardson (20th - $6,162), WSOP bracelet winner Scott Bohlman (24th - $5,252), Andreas Kniep (36th - $3,232), Jarod Minghini (50th - $2,789), Bicycle Casino poker manager Mo Fathipour (56th - $2,656), and Matt Livingston (70th - $2,572).

Final Table Action

The final table got off to a quick start with a trio of eliminations in the first hour of play. The two short stacks at the start of the day were the first to go with Bryan Picciolo's deuces failing to hold against two players, while Bin Duan followed him out the door in eighth place when his Big Slick went down in flames to the queen-nine of Scott Stewart.

Peter Pap then busted in seventh place after check-raising all in on a six-high flop with top pair only to see Stewart snap-call with pocket nines. The overpair held and Pap headed to the payout desk.

Dann Turner would take his leave in sixth place after getting his short stack all in preflop against two players. Turner wound up making aces and eights but the Dead Man's Hand was no good as Haletky, who began the final table as the chip leader, took it down with trip fives.

Marcus Laffen then lost a race holding pocket nines to Marko Pantelic's ace-ten suited to exit in fifth place, and Stewart was next to go as a result of a bad beat. Stewart got his healthy stack all in with pocket aces and was in prime shape to double through Haletky, who held ace-queen. However, the board ran out in such a way that Haletky made Broadway on the turn to score the knockout.

Dapo Ajayi
Dapo Ajayi

Dapo Ajayi, who had nursed a short stack for a long time before hitting his stride to rebuild, then dispatched Pantelic in third place holding jacks to the latter's queen-jack. That resulted in a heads-up match with the two players nearly even in chips, but it still didn't take long for things to come to a head.

Haletky pulled out to a 2.5:1 lead before the two flipped for it. Ajayi was at risk with ace-jack while Heltky was looking to hold with pocket threes. The pocket pair held strong and Ajayi had to settle for second place and $91,099 in prize money.

Valdez Wins Casino Championship

David Valdez finished as the Thunder Valley Casino Champion after cashing in five events including wins in Event #3: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha and Event #13: $400 Last Call for a total of 117.5 points. As a result, he too receives a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.

The second to last event of the Circuit stop turned in to a Casino Championship tiebreaker, with four players at the Final Table competing for the Casino Championship title.

"It was really tough, but I just kept playing my game and didn't change anything. Of course, I wanted to outlast [Jimmy Wester], but I was also going for the win so I had to keep playing aggressively," said Valdez.

David Valdez
Casino Champ David Valdez

WSOPC Thunder Valley Ring Winners

TournamentEntriesPrize PoolWinnerPrize
Event #1: $400 Opener1,319$435,270Michael Lin$70,181
Event #2: $400 Knockout195$44,850Jesse Lonis$11,062
Event #3: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha67$22,110David Valdez$7,021
Event #4: $400 NLH Double Stack125$41,250Jimmy Wester$11,241
Event #5: $400 HORSE68$22,440David Diiorio$7,125
Event #6: $400 NLH 6-Handed129$42,570Josh Prager$11,440
Event #7: $400 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better97$32,010Chris Brandin$8,310
Event #8: $400 Monster Stack620$204,600Jorge Postigo$39,649
Event #9: $400 NLH214$70,620Jasthi Kumar$16,976
Event #10: $3,250 High Roller47$141,000JC Tran$49,035
Event #11: $250 Seniors179$36,200John Valadao$9,095
Event #12: $1,700 Main Event487$737,805Jaime Haletky$147,706
Event #13: $400 Last Call388$128,040David Valdez$26,787
Event #14: $250 Series Finale188$37,600James Colson$9,359

The next WSOP Circuit stop is already underway at Mississippi's Horseshoe Tunica. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be there this weekend to bring you updates from that stop's $1,700 Main Event.

Monday, January 20, 2020 5:22 PM Local Time
Dapo Ajayi Eliminated in 2nd Place ($91,099)

Dapo Ajayi

Dapo Ajayi opened to 180,000, Jaime Haletky three-bet to 600,000, Ajayi four-bet all in for 3,950,000, and Haletky tanked for about a minute, then called.

Dapo Ajayi:   
Jaime Haletky:   

Board:      

Haleky's pocket threes held, and he's the Main Event champion. Ajayi takes home $91,099 for the runner up finish.

Jaime Haletky14,610,0006,010,000
Dapo Ajayi0-400,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 5:20 PM Local Time
Haletky Gets Distance

Dapo Ajayi opened to 180,000, and Jaime Haletky called.

Both players checked the     flop. Ajayi bet 200,000 on the   turn, Haletky raised to 600,000, Ajayi three-bet to 1,200,000, and Haletky called.

Both players checked the   river, and Haletky's    was the winner, with Ajayi mucking when he saw Haletky's spade flush.

Jaime Haletky8,600,000100,000
Dapo Ajayi400,000-5,750,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 5:08 PM Local Time
Haletky Gets River Raise Paid

Jaime Haletky opened to 160,000, and Dapo Ajayi called.

Ajayi check-called a 125,000 bet from Haletky on the     flop, and both players checked the   turn.

Ajayi bet 200,000 on the   river, Haletky raises to 700,000, and AJayi called. Haletky tabled    for the rivered straight, and Ajayi mucked.

Jaime Haletky8,500,0001,450,000
Dapo Ajayi6,150,000-1,450,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 5:05 PM Local Time
Raises Working for Ajayi

Jaime Haletky opened to 160,000, and Dapo Ajayi called.

The flop came    , Ajayi checked, Haletky bet 125,000, Ajayi check-raised to 800,000, and Haletky folded.

Two hands later, Haletky opened to 180,000, Ajayi three-bet to 500,000, and Haletky folded.

Dapo Ajayi7,600,000600,000
Jaime Haletky7,050,000-550,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
Monday, January 20, 2020 4:56 PM Local Time
Marko Pantelic Eliminated in 3rd Place ($66,663)

Marko Pantelic

Jaime Haletky opened for 180,000 on the button only to have Dapo Ajayi three-bet to 580,000 from the small blind. Marko Pantelic was in the big and four-bet jammed for roughly 700,000, Haletky folded, and Ajayi made a quick call.

Dapo Ajayi:   
Marko Pantelic:   

Pantelic's best shot at staying alive was to catch a queen but he was left wanting as the board ran out a dry      .

Jaime Haletky7,600,0001,600,000
Dapo Ajayi7,000,0001,000,000
Marko Pantelic0-2,640,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 4:49 PM Local Time
Ajayi Doubles Up and Then Some

Jaime Haletky opened to 180,000 from the button, Dapo Ajayi called in the small blind, and Marko Pantelic called in the big blind.

All three players checked the     flop.

Ajayi checked the   turn, Pantelic bet 260,000, Haletky folded, and Ajayi put in the check-raise to 700,000.

Pantelic reraised all in, having Ajayi covered, and Ajayi called off for 2,100,000 total.

Dapo Ajayi:   
Marko Pantelic:   

The   fell on the river, and Ajayi's two pair was the winner. Ajayi and Haletky are now neck-and-neck for the chip lead as three-handed play continues.

Dapo Ajayi6,000,0003,560,000
Jaime Haletky6,000,000-760,000
Marko Pantelic2,640,000-2,860,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 4:44 PM Local Time
Level 29 started
Level: 29
Blinds: 40,000/80,000
Ante: 80,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 4:31 PM Local Time
Break Time

Players are on a 15-minute break.

Monday, January 20, 2020 4:31 PM Local Time
Ajayi Asks for Cinco, Gets the Wheel Instead

Jaime Haletky opened to 135,000 from the button, and Dapo Ajayi three-bet all in for 1,160,000 from the big blind. Haletky made the call.

Upon seeing the hands turned over, Ajayi asked for "cinco" to hit the board.

Dapo Ajayi:   
Jaime Haletky:   

Board:      

The flop brought in an even better outcome than a five for Ajayi, as the wheel straight hit the board. No help came for Haletky on the rest of the runout, and Ajayi took in a much-needed double up.

Jaime Haletky6,760,000-1,240,000
Marko Pantelic5,500,0000
Dapo Ajayi2,440,0001,540,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
Monday, January 20, 2020 4:20 PM Local Time
Wild Three-Way Hand Ends w/ an "Excellent" River Card

Dapo Ajayi raised to 160,000 from the button and Marko Pantelic called from the small blind. Jaime Haletky came along from the big and the trio watched the flop come down    .

Two checks saw Ajayi continue for 200,000 and Pantelic called. Haletky then check-raised to 700,000 and Ajayi called that raise. Pantelic thought for a few beats before moving all in for 4.915 million and Haletky asked for an exact count before making the call.

Ajayi shook his head at the hand but seemed excited at the prospect of laddering up. He folded what he claimed was pocket jacks and the other two hands were turned up.

Jaime Haletky:   
Marko Pantelic:   

Both players had flopped trips but Pantelic, who had a kicker problem, was the one at risk.

"No chop, no chop, no chop," Ajayi repeated.

The   appeared on the turn followed by the   on the river. Pantelic went runner-runner to make the same hand as Haletky and the two chopped the pot.

"Excellent," Pantelic let slip with a smile.

"It's better than a four," Haletky quipped.

Jaime Haletky8,000,000-800,000
Marko Pantelic5,500,0001,600,000
Dapo Ajayi900,000-800,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 4:10 PM Local Time
Two-Million Chip Pot, Ends in a Chop

Jaime Haletky opened to 135,000 from the button, and Marko Pantelic called in the big blind.

Pantelic checked the     flop, Haletky bet 155,000, Pantelic check-raised to 350,000, and Haletky called.

Pantelic bet 400,000 on the   turn, and Haletky called.

Pantelic checked the   river, Haletky bet 400,000, and Pantelic called. Haletky turned over   , which was a chop against Pantelic's   .

Jaime Haletky8,800,000200,000
Marko Pantelic3,900,000-800,000
Dapo Ajayi1,700,000350,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 4:06 PM Local Time
Haletky Increases the Lead

Jaime Haletky opened to 140,000 from the button, and Marko Pantelic called in the big blind.

Pantelic led out for 125,000 on the     flop, and Haletky called.

Pantelic bet 250,000 on the   turn, Haletky raised to 700,000, and Pantelic folded.

Jaime Haletky8,600,000750,000
Marko Pantelic4,700,000-250,000
Dapo Ajayi1,350,000-650,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 3:40 PM Local Time
More Chips for Haletky

With the flop showing    , Marko Pantelic bet 200,000 from the small blind, and Jaime Haletky called in the big blind.

Pantelic checkec the   turn, Haletky bet 350,000 and Pantelic called.

Haletky bet 850,000 on the   river, and Pantelic folded.

Jaime Haletky7,850,000750,000
Marko Pantelic4,950,000-750,000
Dapo Ajayi2,000,0000
Monday, January 20, 2020 3:37 PM Local Time
Haletky Over Seven Million

Jaime Haletky opened to 145,000 from the button, and Dapo Ajayi called in the small blind.

Ajayi check-called a 130,000 bet from Haletky on the     flop. Ajayi then check-folded to a 350,000 bet from Ajayi on the   turn.

Jaime Haletky7,100,000300,000
Marko Pantelic5,700,0001,100,000
Dapo Ajayi2,000,000-1,250,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
Monday, January 20, 2020 3:22 PM Local Time
Level 28 started
Level: 28
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 60,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 3:20 PM Local Time
Scott Stewart Eliminated in 4th Place ($49,418)

Scott Stewart

Jaime Haletky opened to 110,000 from the cutoff, Scott Stewart three-bet to 450,000 from the big blind, Haletky four-bet shoved, and Stewart called for his 2,400,000 total stack.

Haletky had Stewart covered going to the showdown.

Scott Stewart:   
Jaime Haletky:   

Board:      

The board was not kind to Stewart, as the broadway straight came in on the turn for Haletky. Needing a queen on the river for a chop, Stewart saw the   fall instead, and his tournament run is over.

Jaime Haletky6,800,0002,700,000
Marko Pantelic4,600,000-400,000
Dapo Ajayi3,250,0001,420,000
Scott Stewart0-2,420,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 3:14 PM Local Time
Marcus Laffen Eliminated in 5th Place ($37,117)

Marcus Laffen

Marcus Laffen moved all in under the gun for 1.4 million and Marko Pantelic got an exact count before calling from the big blind.

Marcus Laffen:   
Marko Pantelic:   

It was a flip and Laffen was looking to hold to stay alive. That proved easier said than done as the     flop paired Pantelic's ace. The   turn left Laffen looking for a nine on the river but it wasn't in the cards as the useless   completed the board instead.

Marko Pantelic5,000,0001,400,000
Marcus Laffen0-1,500,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 3:08 PM Local Time
Pantelic Shoves River, Folds Out Stewart

Marko Pantelic opened to 130,000 from the cutoff, Scott Stewart called in the small blind, and Jaime Haletky called in the big blind.

Pantelic continued for 200,000 when action checked to him on the     flop, Stewart called, and Haletky folded.

Stewart checked the   turn, Pantelic bet 350,000, and Stewart called.

Pantelic shoved for 1,985,000 on the   river, sending Stewart deep into the tank. Stewart eventually decided on a fold, preserving his remaining 2,420,000 stack.

Marko Pantelic3,600,000285,000
Scott Stewart2,420,000-880,000
Monday, January 20, 2020 2:50 PM Local Time
Laffen Check-Raises River, Stewart Folds

Marcus Laffen limped from the small blind, and Scott Stewart checked back from the big blind.

Both players checked the     flop. Laffen then check-called an 85,000 bet from Stewart on the   turn.

Laffen checked again on the   river, Stewart bet 110,000, Laffen check-raised to 330,000, and Stewart thought it over for a few moments, then folded.

Scott Stewart3,300,000-45,000
Marcus Laffen1,500,000-100,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
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