Monday, January 30, 2017 6:36 PM Local Time
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Event #11
No-Limit Hold'em Main Event
Buy-in: $1,500 (+$175)
Total Entries: 610
Prizepool: $915,000
Debut gold ring and six-figure payday achieved by Neil Patel in the Horseshoe Tunica Main Event.
Tunica, Mississippi (January 30, 2017) – The World Series of Poker Circuit series at Horseshoe Tunica has crowned a Main Event Champion. It was Neil Patel reaping the spoils of victory when all was said and done. Patel outlasted a field of 610 entrants in Event #11: $1,675 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event to win his first career gold ring and pocket $192,152. The signature, WSOP tournament finished around 3:30 pm Monday afternoon in the Bluesville Music Hall.
Patel’s road to the top began with some bumps, prior to the Main Event even beginning, but in the end turned into an epic story for the books.
“I busted out of the Monster and the $580 twice. So, I had 150 bucks left and then gas to get back. I bought into the Nightly and I got third, which is 1,700 bucks,” Patel explained. He was a little upset that he did not win the Nightly tournament, which would have granted him a seat in the Main, but he did bank enough money. “So, I just bought into the Main Friday and bagged 239,000. And then I said ‘I’m winning this,’ I told myself.”
Riding a wave of confidence, Patel moved on to Day 2 of the tournament where he stuck to his game and waited for opportune moments to strike. The strategy allowed him to come across some big pots, propelling him to Day 3 along with some very tough competition.
An official final table of nine players made it to the third and final day of the Main Event. The table was stacked with experience, to say the least. Patel was up against the likes of six-time gold ring winner, Robert Hankins, four-time gold ring winner, Scott Stewart, and three-time gold ring winner, Martin Ryan.
“I was prepared because I knew there were some World Series ring winners at the table. You always keep that in the back of your head cause these guys are pros. They do this for a living... You can tell how they play,” said Patel “It was fun to play with them and I think that was a good experience for me.”
The 35-year-old held strong during Day 3 and eventually beat Cory Smith in heads-up play after waking up with pocket kings the same hand Smith found himself holding ace-king suited.
Poker is just one of Patel’s many hobbies. He has been very involved with the night club scene in recent years, stemming from his passion for music. He has a black belt in Karate. Needless to say, Patel is a man of many talents. He found poker in college, playing coin games with friends. He slowly started scaling to larger games and is now eager to progress.
“I’d like to play more. I have a job and that’s my first priority right now,” Patel claimed. The St. Louis resident is currently an IT Engineer for Nestle Purina who enjoys his job and the people he works with. However, Patel does aspire to continue with his poker career. “I love the game. So, I’d like to keep playing and hopefully I can make it somewhere.”
Beyond the competitive drive of Patel, there is another motive behind his poker ambition. “A lot of people label poker – gambling. I want to prove, also to a lot of people that poker is not just gambling it actually does take skill. I want to open up a lot of people’s eyes including people in my family,” explained Patel.
No matter the desire behind it all, the triumph at Horseshoe Tunica was a momentous milestone for Patel. He secured a massive score, sweet relief, and an early birthday present.
“It feels amazing… I turn 36 tomorrow. This is my birthday right here,” said Patel.
Here is a look at the final table results:
1st: Neil Patel - $192,152
2nd: Cory Smith - $118,149
3rd: Scott Stewart - $86,907
4th: Aaron Plaisted - $64,489
5th: Martin Ryan - $48,522
6th: Robert Hankins - $37,012
7th: Charlie Nguyen - $28,621
8th: Lytle Allen - $22,436
9th: Chris Davis - $17,824
Complete results can be found above, under the "Results" tab.
Monday, January 30, 2017 3:52 PM Local Time
Cory Smith opens the button to 155,000, and Neil Patel (pictured above) three-bets to 450,000 in the big blind. Smith verbally four-bet shoves for about 4,000,000 total.
"Did he say all in?" Patel double-checks with the dealer. When he confirms with a nod, Patel instantly calls to put Smith at risk.
Patel:
Smith:
The board runs out , and Patel's kings hold strong to earn him the pot and the title. The 35-year-old recreational player from St. Louis collects the top prize of $192,152 and his first gold ring. A more in-depth story, including quotes from the new champ, will be published shortly.
Smith (pictured above) finishes as the runner-up, collecting a career-best payday of $118,849.
Monday, January 30, 2017 3:38 PM Local Time
Pots have grown smaller over the last few orbits, with most of them reaching small showdowns for just a handful of big blinds. Cory Smith is getting slightly the better of them so far, though, and he's chipped his way back up to a deficit of less than 2:1
Neil Patel - 7,910,000 (132 bb)
Cory Smith - 4,310,000 (72 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 3:27 PM Local Time
Neil Patel raises to 150,000 on the button. Cory Smith calls in the big blind.
The flop comes . Smith checks. Patel bets 250,000 and Smith calls.
The turn brings another queen, the . Patel bets 300,000 and Smith calls again.
The turn isthe . Patel fires for a third time, betting 300,000. Smith calls once more and Patel flips over . Smith cannot beat the full house and his hand goes into the muck.
Neil Patel - 8,800,000 (146 bb)
Cory Smith - 3,400,000 (56 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 3:21 PM Local Time
Level: 29
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 10000
Monday, January 30, 2017 3:14 PM Local Time
Cory Smith opens the button with a raise, and Neil Patel three-bets from the big blind. The exact amounts aren't clear, but the call from Smith puts just over 800,000 in the pot.
The flop is . Patel continues for 500,000, and Smith quickly calls. The turn is the , and Patel checks. Smith takes his cue to bet the same 500,000, and Patel surrenders his cards into the muck. Smith wins the first significant pot of the heads-up duel.
Cory Smith - 5,350,000 (107 bb)
Neil Patel - 6,850,000 (137 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 3:12 PM Local Time
Neil Patel and Cory Smith are heads-up for the Main Event title at Horseshoe Tunica. The diamond-studded ring has been placed on the table in between them, and only two payouts are left to be determined.
Neil Patel - 7,715,000 (154 bb)
Cory Smith - 4,485,000 (88 bb)
Each of them are guaranteed to earn a career-best score of at least $118,849 this evening, with the ring and $192,152 going to the winner.
Monday, January 30, 2017 3:06 PM Local Time
Scott Stewart moves all in on the button. He has approximately 500,000 to his name. Neil Patel folds in the small blind. Cory Smith, in the big blind, decides to call.
Smith pleads for his hand to "hold," and Stewart desperately needs a double up.
The board runs out . Smith improves to a flush and Stewart is eliminated in second place.
Cory Smith - 4,485,000 (89 bb)
Scott Stewart - Eliminated in 3rd place ($86,907)
Monday, January 30, 2017 2:56 PM Local Time
Cory Smith opens the button to 115,000, and Neil Patel defends his big blind.
Both players check through the flop and the turn. The river is the , and Patel bets 225,000. Smith instantly calls, then mucks when he sees Patel's trip sixes with .
Patel is picking on Scott Stewart too, though. Stewart has opened his last two buttons to 100,000, and Patel has three-bet both times. He made it 1,000,000 the first time, and Stewart quickly surrendered. Patel's three-bet was 500,000 the second time, and he showed after Stewart folded.
Patel, who was among the tighter players at the start of this final table, has opened up quite a lead on his two opponents, and his aggression has escalated to match.
Neil Patel - 7,255,000 (145 bb)
Cory Smith - 4,125,000 (83 bb)
Scott Stewart - 820,000 (16 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 2:50 PM Local Time
Neil Patel opens to 105,000 on the button. Cory Smith folds in the small blind. Scott Stewart defends his big blind with a call.
The flop comes . Stewart checks. Patel bets 150,000. Stewart check-raises to 390,000 and Patel puts in a call.
The turn is the . Stewart leads out with 585,000. Patel calls.
The river is the . Stewart shuffles some chips around, sizing up a bet and eventually slides around 900,000 toward the center. Patel calls and Stewart instantly says "you win," tossing his hand to the muck. Patel flips over and scoops the sizable pot.
Patel cracks the five million mark and Stewart dips below one million.
Neil Patel - 5,400,000 (108 bb)
Scott Stewart - 925,000 (18 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 2:36 PM Local Time
Scott Stewart opens the button to 115,000, and Cory Smith defends his big blind.
The flop is . Smith checks, Stewart continues for 100,000, and Smith calls. Both players check through the turn. The river is the , and Smith leads for 250,000. Stewart raises to 1,500,000, and Smith surrenders his cards into the muck. Stewart wins the pot with no showdown.
The next hand, Neil Patel opens the button to 150,000, and both Smith and Stewart call from their respective small and big blinds. The flop is . It checks to Patel, who continues for 175,000, and only Stewart calls. Both players check through the turn. The river is the , and Stewart leads for 380,000. Patel raises to 1,125,000, and Stewart eventually folds, claiming an eight. Patel wins the pot with no showdown.
Cory Smith - 5,330,000 (107 bb)
Neil Patel - 3,895,000 (78 bb)
Scott Stewart - 2,975,000 (60 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 2:16 PM Local Time
Level: 28
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 5,000
Monday, January 30, 2017 2:09 PM Local Time
Level 27 concludes, and the three remaining players are on a 15-minute break. Here's how they'll stack up when the new level begins:
Cory Smith - 5,735,000 (115 bb)
Scott Stewart - 3,240,000 (65 bb)
Neil Patel - 3,230,000 (65 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 2:08 PM Local Time
"Put some sauce on it," Cory Smith says, opening to 90,000 under the gun. Scott Stewart three-bet shoves for 1,635,000 on the button, and action pauses briefly on Aaron Plaisted (pictured) in the small blind.
"All in for less," Plaisted says, calling off his last 1,620,000 to put himself at risk. Smith folds, and the two live hands are turned up.
Stewart:
Plaisted:
The flop misses Stewart, and the on the turn leaves him dead to two outs. He's just beginning to stand from his chair as the lands on the river, giving him the come-from-behind knockout with sixes full. Plaisted, barely covered, is eliminated in fourth place.
Scott Stewart - 3,405,000 (85 bb)
Aaron Plaisted - Eliminated in 4th place ($64,489)
Monday, January 30, 2017 1:53 PM Local Time
After the initial flurry of action, play has tightened up considerably in the recent orbits. Scott Stewart and Cory Smith are the two most active players at the table right now, and they just played a small pot with three streets of betting, the first such pot since four-handed play began.
It begins with Smith raising to 80,000 in the small blind and Stewart defending his big. The flop is . Smith continues for 80,000, and Stewart calls. The turn is the . Smith checks, Stewart bets 140,000, and Smith calls. The river is the , and Smith leads back out for 250,000. Stewart calls.
Smith shows , winning the pot with trip aces.
Cory Smith - 4,950,000 (124 bb)
Scott Stewart - 2,515,000 (63 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 1:29 PM Local Time
Action folds around to the blinds where Martin Ryan (pictured) moves all in for 255,000 from the small, and Cory Smith calls from the big to put him at risk.
Ryan:
Smith:
"And I'm ahead!" Smith is happy with what he sees.
The flop is a good start for Ryan, though, and the on the turn gives him the lead with one card to come. Smith has just two outs to the knockout, but the proverbial poker gods seem to be in his corner so far today. The river completes the board, giving him the pot with a pair of jacks.
Ryan, a three-time Circuit winner, is eliminated in fifth place.
Cory Smith - 4,800,000 (120 bb)
Martin Ryan - Eliminated in 5th place ($48,522)
Monday, January 30, 2017 1:16 PM Local Time
Aaron Plaisted opens the button to 220,000, and Martin Ryan three-bet shoves from the big blind. Plaisted has 660,000 chips behind, and he deliberates for about 90 seconds before calling to put himself at risk.
Plaisted:
Ryan:
The flop is just what Plaisted was looking for, and the on the turn locks up the pot one card early. The river is the meaningless , and Plaisted doubles up. Ryan is now running on fumes with the shortest stack at the table.
Aaron Plaisted - 1,805,000 (45 bb)
Martin Ryan - 260,000 (7 bb)
Monday, January 30, 2017 1:12 PM Local Time
Level: 27
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 5,000
Monday, January 30, 2017 1:10 PM Local Time
Neil Patel opens in middle position. Robert Hankins (pictured) moves all in for about 500,000. Patel claims he has to call and verifies that notion by turning over . Hankins tables and needs some spades.
There are no spades on the flop, which shows . The turn is the , sealing Hankin's fate. An irrelevant hits on the river.
Neil Patel - 2,900,000 (96 bb)
Robert Hankins - Eliminated in 6th place ($37,012)
Monday, January 30, 2017 1:01 PM Local Time
Scott Stewart opens to 60,000 under the gun, Martin Ryan calls in the cutoff, Cory Smith calls in the small blind, and Robert Hankins defends his big to create four-way action.
Smith checks dark as the flop comes , and his three opponents check behind. The turn is the , and Smith leads out for 150,000. Hankins raises to 360,000, and that folds Stewart and Ryan out of the way. Smith re-raises all in, though, and Hankins slips into the tank. He has exactly 500,000 chips left behind.
"Five no good?" Hankins asks as he ponders. Eventually, he surrenders his cards into the muck, and Smith wins the pot with no showdown to take over the chip lead.
Cory Smith - 3,750,00 (125 bb)
Robert Hankins - 500,000 (17 bb)