Sean Yu (pictured) and Harry Arutyunyan added more rings to their collections; Massoud Eskandari leads the Casino Champion race
Bell Gardens, CA (March 13, 2020) - To protect the health and well-being of casino patrons and staff, the decision was made to postpone the remaining World Series of Poker Circuit events at The Bicycle Casino. Scheduling announcements for the remainder of this Circuit series will be announced at the appropriate time in the future.
This week, seven events were played out at The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California. Local grinders and good friends Sean Yu and Harry Arutyunyan each added a ring to their collections. Yu won his eighth ring in Event #6: $600 10-Game Mix for $10,200 and Arutyunyan snagged his fourth ring after taking down Event #4: $400 Omaha 8 or Better for $8,700. Cash game pro Justin Chauvin also added a second ring to his resume this week after winning Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold’em for $6,850.
Brand new ring winners included Louie Cohen, Alexey Laptev, Herb Karp and Yoshi Kaji.
And finally, Massoud Eskandari currently leads the Casino Champion race with 75 points after an impressive performance this week. So far, Eskandari has two runner-up finishes in Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo for $8,375 and Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack Quantum Reload for $39,370. He pocketed a total of $47,745 for a successful start to the series.
Completed Events
Event #1: $400 NLH Turbo - Louie Cohen topped a field of 160 entries to win $13,545
Official Report | Winners' Photo | Results
Event #2: $400 NLH Monster Stack - Alexey Laptev topped a field of 714 entries to win $68,270
Official Report | Winners' Photo | Results
Event #3: $400 NLH - Justin Chauvin topped a field of 63 entries to win $6,805
Official Report | Winners' Photo | Results
Event #4: $400 Omaha 8 or Better - Harry Arutyunyan topped a field of 88 entries to win $8,700
Official Report | Winners' Photo | Results
Event #5: $250 NLH - Herb Karp topped a field of 250 entries to win $11,290
Official Report | Winners' Photo | Results
Event #6: $600 10-Game Mix - Sean Yu topped a field of 59 entries to win $10,200
Official Report | Winners' Photo | Results
Event #7: $400 NLH - Yoshi Kaji topped a field of 54 entries to win $6,075
Official Report | Winners' Photo | Results
Casino Champion Update
The player with the most points at the end of this Circuit stop will receive a free seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship later this year with $1 million guaranteed in the prize pool and a World Series of Poker gold bracelet to the winner. Once events complete, points will be updated overnight and posted below.
Massoud Eskandari leads with 75 points. Eskandari finished runner-up in both Event #1 and Event #2.
About the Winners
Event 1: Louie Cohen - After almost 10 hours of play, Louie Cohen is the winner of Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo for $13,545 and his first ever World Series of Poker Circuit ring. This is also Cohen’s first career tournament win, but far from his biggest cash. “It’s great. I don’t play too many tournaments, but I had an opportunity to come out to LA this weekend and play. I knew the field wouldn’t be too large, but it would be a decent chance to win a ring,” explained Cohen.
The attorney from Columbia, MO defeated a worthy opponent in two-time WSOP Circuit champion Massoud Eskandari. This is a hobby for Cohen, but he has been around games for the majority of his life. “I grew up playing all sort of card games but never played poker in my life until I saw Rounders. I was like, ‘Oh my God I gotta learn how to play that game’,” said Cohen.
“I went out and I bought some books. David Sklansky I think were the books. I played at a bunch of river boat casinos and then learned how to play.” Cohen’s earnings are closing in on $250,000, with his biggest cash being over $80,000 back in 2007.
Event 2: Alexey Laptev - After four starting flights and Day 2 entries, Alexey Laptev is the Monster Stack Quantum Reload champion for $68,270! The businessman from x topped a field of 714 entries to win his first ever tournament, World Series of Poker Circuit ring and biggest career cash.
“It’s amazing. I was trying to qualify and I was busted on the bubble, and then I tried satellite after satellite. Eventually I took it down,” smiled Laptev.
The business owner was originally born in Russia, but now owns a logistics company in California. “I’ve been playing poker for many years just for fun, hoping to eventually win a tournament.” Laptev plans to take a vacation and maybe even go back to Russia for a visit. “I’m planning to go to the WSOP over the summer time – that’s probably my next stop,” explained Laptev.
Event 3: Justin Chauvin topped a field of 63 entries in Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold’em to win his second career World Series of Poker Circuit ring and $6,850. “It feels great. I didn’t really have very many chips for most of the time – it all just kind of happened at once. It’s a good feeling,” said Chauvin.
The poker professional from Fountain Valley has been playing poker since he was in high school, but decided to make this career not too long ago. “About two and a half years ago. I moved to LA with friends and thought I’d give it a shot. I used to play only tournaments about 10 years ago, and now I play almost only cash games. But I mix it up once in a while and I’ve done pretty well lately.”
Chauvin explained that winning two rings is by far his best accomplishment in poker, and wouldn’t mind getting his face up on one of the banners at The Bicycle Casino. “Just getting better and doing my best” is the two-time Circuit champion’s main focus right now.
Event 4: Harry Arutyunyan has taken down Event #4: $400 Omaha 8 or Better at The Bicycle Casino for $8,700, topping a field of 88 entries in this two-day event. This is his fourth career World Series of Poker Circuit ring, bringing his total earnings close to $1.5 million.
“It feels great! Especially in a mixed game,” smiled Arutyunyan. Over the seasons, it has become clear that many players have become attached to chasing rings and trophies, and that is no different for Arutyunyan. “Right after Cherokee. It was right after that where I started to go after the rings. Before that I was just playing for fun. Even right now I play for fun,” he explained.
The four-time Circuit champion started playing more poker because of his friends, and has become more involved in the game over the years but it is still a hobby for him. “I have businesses. I run water companies – but poker is for fun. Now, it’s just a pack of us. We’ve got a lot of rings,” laughed Arutyunyan.
Event 5: Herb Karp has just taken down Event #5: $250 No-Limit Hold’em for $11,290 and his first ever World Series of Poker Circuit ring. He topped a field of 250 entries and crossed $100,000 in career earnings. “It feels great. How much is this (ring) worth – can I sell it?” joked Karp.
When talking about his poker accomplishments, Karp proudly cashed the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2019 after playing it for the very first time. “I doubled my money. It was great!” While winning a ring is clearly a proud moment for Karp, he was beaming with pride when talking about his Main Event cash.
Karp is a retiree and grinds poker now. “I’ve loved poker since I was 11 years old playing with my friends for nickels. I was turned on to this by a former client of mine online and I just fell instantly in love with the game. My wife plays also,” smiled Karp.
Event 6: Sean Yu - After two days of play, Sean Yu has done it again – for the eighth time in fact. Yu won Event #6: $600 10-Game Mix for $10,200 and his eighth career World Series of Poker Circuit ring, in addition to his gold WSOP bracelet. “It feels pretty good. Especially at The Bike here at my home casino,” smiled Yu. He has now won three out of eight Circuit rings on his home turf.
“The money first – it drives me. But having a ring validates my hard work that I put into the game. Anytime I ship a ring it feels so good,” said Yu. He only started playing ring events in 2014, so the steady flow of wins has been quite consistent for the local poker pro. “I’m very fortunate, you know,” said a humble Yu.
The eight-time Circuit champion has rings and bracelets, but he still has his a couple of more goals he’d like to achieve in his career. “One is to win a bracelet in a mixed event during the summer, and the other is a million-dollar score,” laughed Yu.
Event 7: Yoshi Kaji is the latest winner at The Bicycle Casino, winning Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold’em for $6,075 and his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring. “This is my first time winning,” explained Kaji.
Kaji moved to Los Angeles from Japan just four years ago and started playing poker right here just three years ago. He explained that he only plays this game for fun, and this is his first ever tournament cash and he managed to win the whole thing. The newly crowned champion has a full-time job but plays a lot of poker on the side.