Sunday, January 22, 2017 1:02 AM Local Time
Flight B Chip Leader Sergio Ramirez
Flight B of the Circuit Main Event at Choctaw Casino drew 894 players, bringing the total entries for the event to 1,451. That makes this the fifth-largest Main Event in WSOP Circuit history. The 189 players who made it through today will join the 100 Flight A survivors for a total of 289 returning players for Day 2 tomorrow.
The Day 1B chip leader is Sergio Ramirez, who bagged 349,000 chips. Ramirez goes into Day 2 second in chips overall, just behind the 356,000 of Rocky Le. Rounding out the top five stacks from Flight B are John Newcombe (305,000), two-time ring winner Bob Beck (300,000), Gints Galvins (299,500), and Jason Strasser (298,500).
Other notables to survive today's flight included Bracelet winners Mike Cordell (239,500), Kevin Eyster (60,000), and Grant Hinkle (53,000), 2011 Choctaw Main Event Champion Huy Nguyen (107,000), and ring winners Caufman Talley (44,000), Ray Henson (133,500), Woody Moore (132,500), Allen Kessler (60,500), Greg Himmelbrand (109,000), Benjamin Reason (51,000), Sean Berrios (104,000) and Corey Bierria (37,500).
Players who busted out today and will not advance include six-time bracelet winner TJ Cloutier, bracelet winners Adrian Buckley, Ben Keeline, Jonathan Hilton, ring winners Maurice Hawkins, Valentin Vornicu, John Holley, and the current Casino Champion points leader, Nathanael Kogel.
The 289 players returning for Day 2 tomorrow are battling for a first place prize of $375,427. A total of 153 players will cash in this event, with a minimum payout of $2,917. A complete payout structure is available in the Prizepool tab.
Play resumes at 12 p.m. tomorrow for ten 60-minute levels of play.
The top ten stacks to start Day 2 are as follows:
1 - Rocky Le (356,000)
2 - Sergio Ramirez (349,000)
3 - John Newcombe (305,000)
4 - Bob Beck (300,000)
5 - Gints Galvins (299,500)
6 - Jason Strasser (298,500)
7 - Abraham Araya (270,500)
8 - Jonathan Gaviao (264,000)
9 - Shino Fujiwara (256,000)
10 - Jonathan Steitz (241,000)
Complete chip counts and table draw for the remaining players can be found in the Reports Tab.
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:57 PM Local Time
Players are now bagging and tagging for the night. A full day's recap along with players advancing and chip counts will be posted within the hour.
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:43 PM Local Time
Mike Cordell
The board reads when a player in early position shoves all in for around 55,000. Mike Cordell, on the button, thinks for a few minutes before plopping down a stack of chips to call.
Cordell turns over , and his opponent turns over for top pair.
The turn does not change the hand, but the river gives Cordell a pair of aces to win the hand and eliminate his opponent from play shortly before the end of the night.
"How the F*@$ do you call there?" the player asks aggressively as he tosses his chair back and storms away from the table.
Cordell quietly collects the pot.
Mike Cordell - 160,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:42 PM Local Time
The under-the-gun player raises to 6,000, and Corey Bierria calls from the big blind.
The flop is and both players check.
The falls on the turn and Bierria leads out for 5,500. His opponent calls, and the river is the . Bierria continues for 7,500. His opponent thinks for a minute, then puts out the chips to call.
Bierria turns over for a full house, and his opponent mucks his cards.
Corey Bierria - 60,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:39 PM Local Time
The tournament director has announced that each table will play four more hands before bagging for the night.
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:32 PM Local Time
Sean Berrios just ran into quads. According to Berrios, he held . After a series of raises another player moved all in for about 100,000 and Berrios called the last raise. His opponent held , and the remaining two fives fell on the flop. Berrios would need both remaining kings on the turn or river, but neither would appear.
Sean Berrios - 80,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:19 PM Local Time
Five-time Circuit ring winner John Holley has just been eliminated.
According to Holley, he held and all in preflop against . He spiked a king, but his opponent made a set to win.
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:19 PM Local Time
Hand #1:
In the first hand, Jon Alvarez opens to 5,700 in the cutoff, Travis Speck makes it 15,500 in the small blind, Alvarez four-bets to 40,000, and Speck goes all in for 126,700. Alvarez calls and has Speck covered.
Speck:
Alvarez:
The board runs out , and Speck gets the big double up, leaving Alvarez short-stacked.
Hand #2:
A few hands later, the player under the gun opens to 6,500, Alvarez moves all in for 12,000 in middle position, and Speck goes all in over the top from the cutoff. The remaining players fold and Speck has Alvarez at risk.
Speck:
Alvarez:
The board runs out . Speck's pair of aces is good and Alvarez hits the rail in the last level of the day.
Travis Speck - 285,000
Jon Alvarez - Eliminated
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:06 PM Local Time
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:03 PM Local Time
There are two players to see the board, and there's around 25,000 in the middle.
Jason Strasser checks in the small blind, and Mohsin Virani bets 18,000 in the cutoff. Strasser calls.
The river is the . Strasser checks again, and Virani pauses to think for nearly two minutes before checking behind.
Strasser turns over , and Virani mucks his cards.
Jason Strasser - 290,000
Moshin Virani - 45,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 11:03 PM Local Time
Jeff Moore raises to 4,500 in middle position and the button moves all in for 46,000. Moore calls to put his opponent at risk and they show down.
Moore:
Button:
The board comes . Moore flops quads to put a lock on the hand and picks up the pot.
Jeff Moore - 228,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:46 PM Local Time
Mike Cordell opens to 4,500 in early position and Greg Himmelbrand calls in the cutoff. The remaining players fold and they go heads up to the flop.
The flop is and Cordell bets out 5,800. Himmelbrand raises to 12,500 and Cordell calls.
On the turn, Cordell checks, Himmelbrand bets 21,500, and Cordell thinks for awhile before folding.
Greg Himmelbrand - 100,000
Mike Cordell - 56,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:36 PM Local Time
Hand #1:
Action folds to the hijack who raises to 6,000, and the cutoff calls. The button folds and Sean Berrios makes it 12,000 in the small blind. The hijack and the cutoff both call.
The flop comes . Berrios checks, the hijack checks, the cutoff bets 17,000, the hijack folds, and Berrios shoves all in for around 70,000.
The cutoff mucks his hand, and Berrios flashes , having flopped a set of twos.
Hand #2:
Action folds to Berrios on the button who limps in. The small blind completes, and Jonathan Gaviao checks his option in the big blind.
The flop comes . Both blinds check, Berrios bets 3,000, and both blinds fold.
Berrios shows for two pair.
Sean Berrios - 130,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:34 PM Local Time
The payouts have been announced. There are officially 1,451 entries, and the top 153 will make the money. A min-cash is worth $2,917, and the eventual winner will earn $375,427.
Here are the final table payouts. For the full payout structure, click the image or go the the "Prizepool" tab, above.
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:25 PM Local Time
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:20 PM Local Time
The cutoff raises to 3,600, Mark Fink calls in the small blind, and John Scarpulla calls in the big blind.
The flop comes and all three check.
On the turn, Fink bets out, Scarpulla moves all in for 12,800, the initial raiser folds, and Fink calls.
Scarpulla:
Fink:
Scarpulla's has the best set and the changes nothing. Scarpulla doubles up.
John Scarpulla - 38,000
Mark Fink - 46,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:14 PM Local Time
Moe Virani raises to 3,200 from under the gun, and the big blind is the only caller.
The flop comes and the big blind checks. Virani continues for 4,000 and his opponent calls.
Both players check the on the turn, and they check again on the river. Virani shows and his opponent mucks.
Moe Virani - 105,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:14 PM Local Time
A player in late position opens to 3,500, Woody Moore calls in the cutoff, and the big blind makes it 18,600. The initial raiser folds and Moore calls.
They go heads up to a flop of . The big blind checks and Moore moves all in. He has his opponent covered.
His opponent shakes his head and says, "I put you right on ace-queen preflop," and he folds.
Woody Moore - 105,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 10:00 PM Local Time
There's around 12,000 in the middle, and a board reading when a player in middle position bets 3,700. Steve Bierman calls in the hijack.
The turn is the . The player in middle position checks, and Bierman bets 7,000. His opponent pauses before mucking his cards.
Steve Bierman - 55,000
Saturday, January 21, 2017 9:57 PM Local Time
Registration is now closed. There are (unofficially) 1,451 entries, making this the fifth-largest WSOP Circuit Main Event in history. Here's the top of the record book:
1) 1717 - Horseshoe Hammond (2013)
2) 1615 - Horseshoe Hammond (2011)
3) 1565 - Choctaw Durant (2016)
4) 1523 - Horseshoe Hammond (2012)
5) 1451 - Choctaw Durant (2017)
6) 1428 - Choctaw Durant (2014)
Prizepool and payout info should be available later shortly.