Ring Event #3A/B/C/D: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-entry

Event #3
No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry
Buy-In: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 743
Prize Pool: $222,900

Duane Gerleman continues to dominate at Horseshoe Council Bluffs.

Council Bluffs, Iowa (April 4, 2016) -- Duane Gerleman has just won the record breaking re-entry event at Horseshoe Council Bluffs to earn his third career WSOP Circuit gold ring. Event #3 - $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry featured four starting flights and drew an impressive 743 entries. It broke the record for being the largest poker tournament ever in Iowa in terms of number of entries. Gerleman has dominated at this property and it is only fitting that he now is the winner of the biggest event ever in the state.

Gerleman is now a three-time gold ring winner and all three of his gold rings have come at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. Gerleman won his first ring in 2012 in a Limit Omaha 8 or Better tournament. His second gold ring came in 2015 in a $365 No-Limit Hold'em event and now he won his third gold ring in the re-entry event. He earned $44,577 for his first place finish and it is the largest WSOP score of his career.

"Everyone says I run good here, and I do run good here," said Gerleman. "I think I just come here with enough confidence."

This marked Gerleman's 34th career WSOP Circuit cash and half of those cashes have come at Council Bluffs. Of the 17 times he has cashed at Council Bluffs, he has reached the final table 11 times. His Council Bluffs resume also boasts a Casino Championship title. Gerleman won the Casino Championship at this property last year when he cashed four times and won one gold ring. During the 2015 series he recorded a first, a second, a seventh and a 14th place finish.

Another tournament Gerleman has excelled in is the Seniors Event in Las Vegas. The Seniors Event in Las Vegas draw huge fields and he has finished in the top 100 three times since 2008. He finished 23rd in 2008 out of 2,218 entries, 30th in 2010 out of 3,142 entries, and 92nd in 2013 out of 4,407 entries. He intends to head to Vegas to play in the Seniors Event again this year. He also plans to play in Colossus II.

After the summer in Vegas, Gerleman will most likely be heading to Cherokee, North Carolina to play in the 2016 Global Casino Championship. He earned 50 points for his victory in the re-entry today and that pushes his season total to 142.5 points. That should be enough points to earn an at-large bid and if he can pick up a few more points this series he will definitely be in. His Casino Champion title earned him a spot there last year and this will be the second consecutive year Gerleman will be part of the prestigious tournament. Last year he failed to cash in the National Championship, but did say that he did well in some of the side events and walked away as a winner on the series.

Gerleman is farmer and he lives in Iowa, but he lives all the way on the other side of the state in Ridgeway. Horseshoe Council Bluffs isn't geographically his home casino, but he has proven over the years that there is no poker room on earth he is more comfortable in.

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Event #3 was the third of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at the Horseshoe Council Bluffs series, but fourth to finish. The $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry tournament attracted 743 players generating a $222,900 prize pool. The top 81 players were paid.

The tournament featured four starting flights, two on Friday and two on Saturday. All four starting flights played 14 levels on Day 1. Day 2 began Sunday at 2 p.m. with 101 players remaining. Day 2 played until level 28 before bagging. Day 3 started Monday at 2 p.m. with six players left. The tournament concluded at about 4 p.m. near the end of Level 29.

Final table results:

1st: Duane Gerleman - $44,577 + Circuit gold ring
2nd: Kipp Smith - $27,484
3rd: Jeffrey Brin - $20,626
4th: Ron MacDiarmid - $15,101
5th: Gregory "Grit" Frederick - $11,406
6th: Josh Reichard - $8,727
7th: Ryan Tepen - $6,761
8th: Robert Kent - $5,303
9th: Andrew Van Blair - $4,211

Complete results can be found above under the "Results" tab.

Kipp Smith earned $27,484 for his runner-up finish.

Gregory "Grit" Frederick was eliminated in 5th place for $11,406. This marked Frederick's first career WSOP cash.

Cards will be in the air for Day 3 of Event #3 in 10 minutes. There are six players remaining and the eventual champion will take home a huge cash prize of $44,577.

Here are the chip counts to start the day:

- Day 3 a ction will start at the beginning of Level 28: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante

The tournament has bagged up for the evening and extended play to a third day. There are six players remaining and Kipp Smith leads. The final six players are all guaranteed a minimum payday of $8,727. Tomorrow's champion will earn a massive first place prize of $44,577 and a WSOP Circuit gold ring. Day 3 begins Monday at 2 p.m.

Here is a look at the Day 3 chip counts:

Robert Kent (pictured) was eliminated in 8th place for $5,303. This is the second time Kent has cashed in this event. In 2014 he finished 17th for $1,632.

The first full level of the final table saw zero eliminations. All nine players are still in the hunt as the clock rolls over to Level 26. In the last level Josh Reichard took over the chip lead from Ryan Tepen. Tepen fell to third in chips and two-time gold ring winner, Duane Gerelman, moved up to second in chips.

Here is a look at the current chip counts:

Seat 1: Kipp Smith - 425,000 (14 bbs)
Seat 2: Gregory "Grit" Frederick - 1,000,000 (33 bbs)
Seat 3: Duane Gerleman - 1,375,000 (45 bbs)
Seat 4: Ron MacDiarnid - 395,000 (13 bbs)
Seat 5: Andy Van Blair - 220,000 (7 bbs)
Seat 6: Jeffrey Brin - 490,000 (16 bbs)
Seat 7: Robert Kent - 845,000 (28 bbs)
Seat 8: Ryan Tepen - 1,150,000 (38 bbs)
Seat 9: Josh Reichard - 1,490,000 (49 bbs)

- 60 minutes remains in Level 26: 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante

Day 2 began with 101 players. The money bubble burst at 81 players and now just 24 players remain at the dinner break. Everyone remaining is guaranteed a minimum payday of $1,592. Players that make the final table will be guaranteed $4,211 and the champion will score $44,577.

Gold ring winners Josh Reichard, Josh Turner and Ryan Tepen are all still in the hunt and looking to add to their already impressive WSOP resumes.

Cards are scheduled to get back in the air at 8:20 p.m. local time.

Complete Day 2 chip counts and table draws can be found above under the "Reports" tab.

Here is a look at the top 10 stacks heading into Day 2:

Cards have just gone in the air for third starting flight of Event #3 - $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry. Registration will remain open until the start of Level 9, which is about 4:30 p.m.

Players failing to make it through Flight C may play in Flight D. Flight D is the final flight of Event #3. It begins at 5 p.m. with registration open until 9:30 p.m. Once registration closes for Flight D the prizepool will be created and announced.

Today's the last chance to play in this event. Don't miss out on a the potentially record setting event here at Council Bluffs. According to tournament director, Kevin Ferguson, the largest gold ring event in Horseshoe Council Bluffs history was in 2012 in this same event. The tournament drew 585 entries. With a good turnout out today that number could be surpassed. Yesterday's two flights drew a combined 265 entries and the clock currently reads that 159 players are already signed up for Flight C.