News

With more than half the field gone, 30 finalists in the $5,150 main event of the WSOP Circuit at Horseshoe Council Bluffs will return tomorrow to the Whiskey Roadhouse tournament room to play down to the final nine. Leading with 121,400 chips is Jeff Banghart, winner of the second event here, $300 no-limit hold'em. Close behind with 108,200 was Jeff Bryan, who has two cashes in this series, including a third in $300 no-limit.  

Here are the seat assignments and chip counts:

Table   Seat             Name                Chip Count

With the $10,000 main event at Commerce Casino in full swing right now, there were not too many marquee names who came down for this tournament. Among the well-known players in the field was Bob Slezak, with a bracelet in Omaha hi-lo, a $131,000 win at the Orleans Open and a $439,000 cash for 15th in the 2007 WSOP main event. Another was Bernard Lee, who writes for ESPN and has a poker column in the Boston Herald. His cashes include $400,000 for a 15th in the 2005 WSOP main event and $239,143 for winning the World Poker Open main event in Mashantucket. One of the Circuit ring-holders in attendance was William Burdick, whose key to a win at an earlier $300 event here came on the first deal when he made a runner-runner straight to outdraw pocket aces and a set of kings. Only two ladies, Donna Bryan and Michelle Hiers, graced the room, with their husbands also playing. However, neither Slezak, Lee, Burdick or either of the two ladies was able to survive day one.