WSOPC Event #13: $1,700 MAIN EVENT

The battle for the highest honor of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Harrah's Cherokee Casino was a long one. The players duked it out for the better part of three days, and there was no shortage of action.

They gathered during the two opening flights of Event #13: $1,700 No Limit Hold'em, and a total of 1,451 players took their shot, creating a prize pool of $2,198,265. There were only 158 players who made Day 2, and they did not disappoint. They battled for 10 Levels on Day 2 and bagged up just the final nine players for the event's last day.

Donovan Dean entered the final day as the chip leader by a wide margin. He would not hold that chip lead for the entire final table, but he was able to never drop below second place in the standings. He fought his way to heads-up play with his opponent, AJ Rebhan, and after about an hour, he was pushed the final pot. He played rock-solid and seemed to keep level emotions throughout the entire final day as he worked his way to victory.

This is the third World Series of Poker Circuit ring for the crusher out of Alabama. Dean won the coveted Cherokee Monster stack for one of his rings, and the Cherokee Main Event for his other. This score of $326,206 is the second largest of his career, only falling short of his last Cherokee Main Event win by a few thousand.

Final Table Results

1. Donovan Dean - $326,206
2. AJ Rebhan - $217,454
3. Tommy Doyle - $153,664
4. Michael Hunsucker - $110,186
5. Tuan Nguyen - $80,192
6. Brett Bader - $59,249
7. Justin Hall - $44,450
8. Srinivasa Vadlamudi - $33,870
9. Sokchheka 'Chico' Pho - $26,281

Final Table Action

The final table started off slow. The players got through an entire level without an elimination before local favorite Sokchheka 'Chico' Pho was the first player to fall. Tommy Doyle took him out when he made a pair of aces on the river against the tens of Chico. That was quickly followed by the exit of Srinivasa Vadlamudi in eighth at the hands of the eventual champion. It is worth noting that this was Vadlamudi's third final table of the series.

Justin Hall was the next to fall when his inferior ace couldn’t improve against eventual second-place finisher AJ Rebhan. That was followed by quick eliminations of Brett Bader in sixth, Tuan Nguyen in fifth, and Michael Hunsucker in fourth, who were also casualties of Rebhan. He seemed to run pure at exactly the right time going into three-handed play.

Tommy Doyle was the wildcard on this final table. He doesn’t have a large record of live earnings, but he could be seen getting involved in pots quite often. He ran well, and even had the chip lead for a portion of the final table. However, when Rebhan started to run hot, the opposite happened for Doyle. He was the unfortunate third-place finisher after finally getting short and losing with three’s to the nines of the eventual champion.

Heads-up play then made it to the dinner break, where Dean still held a massive chip lead. They would return from dinner and only play for about ten hands before the final chips got in the middle between the two players. Dean's king-jack spiked a pair and took down Rebhan's pocket eights.

The rest is etched in the Cherokee history books.

Winners Reaction

Reflecting on his win, Dean expressed his satisfaction, stating, "It's always good to come out on top. That's what you play for. I came in with the most chips. I just put as much pressure as possible."

In a poignant moment, Dean shared a personal note about his little brother, who had suffered a four-wheeler accident earlier in the week. "I found out about the accident right after I bought in," Dean revealed. "He's in the hospital right now, and I'm going to visit him. I know he'll be fired up."

Discussing his approach to the game, Dean noted, "I guess in the main event. I probably have more success because I play super aggressive. So, the money means more to other people, so they, you know, play tighter. I can play super aggressively, and it helps pick up more chips."