Friday, February 10, 2017 10:31 AM Local Time
Event #7
No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack
Buy-In: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 532
Prize Pool: $159,600
Eric Guth takes down the Monster Stack and earns his first career Circuit ring.
MILWAUKEE (February 10, 2017) -- Waukesha, Wisconsin native Eric Guth has won the Monster Stack event at Potawatomi. He defeated a 532-player field to earn his first career WSOP Circuit gold ring and take home the top prize of $34,310.
Guth said he had to grind his way through the event, and was card dead for the most part of Day 1. It wasn't until the end of Day 1 where he started seeing good cards. He managed to bag Day 1 10th in chips out of the 30 remaining players after running hot at the end of the night.
"The tournaments you win are usually when you get lucky. This is one tournament where I consistently grinded and patience paid off. I don't think I ever really sucked out on anybody," said Guth.
Guth made it to the unofficial final table 6th in chips out of 10 remaining players. The leader at the time was eight-time gold ring winner Valentin Vornicu. A win for Vornicu would have tied him with Alex Masek for the most Circuit gold rings won all-time. Vornicu's final table run didn't go as planned and he ended up busting in 6th place, keeping Masek as the sole all-time ring leader. Once Vornicu busted, Guth's chances of winning his first ring improved and he took full advantage.
Guth went on to beat Rudi Patitucci heads up for the title. Patitucci's second place finish earned him $21,216.
Guth used to play online poker and had a fair bit of success on the virtual felts. He once won the Pokerstars Sunday Million and said he has chopped several other online tournaments too. He has now transitioned to playing more live poker, but it has brought a change to his game.
"I play a little more patient; I don't bluff as much," said Guth about live poker. "It's a different ballgame, but it's a lot more fun than sitting at a computer."
This marked Guth's fourth career WSOP cash. He has two cashes at Horseshoe Hammond and one in Las Vegas. Prior to this victory, Guth's largest WSOP cash was a 6th place finish in a $580 no-limit hold'em event at Horseshoe Hammond in 2012.
Guth is a basketball referee. He referees all levels from 4th graders to high school varsity games. He has a full slate of games to referee this weekend, but he is looking to adjust his schedule to try to make room to play in this weekend's Main Event here at Potawatomi.
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Event #7 was the seventh of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at Potawatomi. The $365 no-limit hold'em monster stack tournament attracted 532 players generating a $159,600 prize pool. The top 54 players were paid.
Day 1 began Wednesday at 11 a.m. and lasted 21 levels. Day 2 began Thursday at 2 p.m. with 30 players remaining. The tournament ended at about 11:00 p.m. at the beginning of level 31.
Final table results:
1st: Eric Guth - $34,310 + Circuit gold ring
2nd: Rudi Patitucci - $21,216
3rd: Mariano Cefalu - $15,499
4th: Michael Lewis - $11,490
5th: Charles Levy - $8,641
6th: Valentin Vornicu - $6,591
7th: John Harth - $5,099
8th: Tony Provenzano - $4,001
9th: Jason Reno - $3,184
Complete results can be found above under the "Results" tab.
Thursday, February 9, 2017 10:59 PM Local Time
Eric Guth (pictured) has just won the Monster Stack event at the
Potawatomi World Series of Poker Circuit. The basketball referee bested 532 players in
the $365 no-limit hold'em Monster Stack tournament to pocket $34,310 and earn his first
career WSOP Circuit gold ring. He also earns 50 Casino Championship
points for his victory.
A full report on Guth's win will be made available tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a look at the final table results:
1st: Eric Guth - $34,310 + Circuit gold ring
2nd: Rudi Patitucci - $21,216
3rd: Mariano Cefalu - $15,499
4th: Michael Lewis - $11,490
5th: Charles Levy - $8,641
6th: Valentin Vornicu - $6,591
7th: John Harth - $5,099
8th: Tony Provenzano - $4,001
9th: Jason Reno - $3,184
Complete results can be found above under the "Results" tab.
Thursday, February 9, 2017 10:57 PM Local Time
Rudi Patitucci was eliminated in 2nd place for $21,216. Patitucci is a political consultant from Wilmette, Illinois. This marked his first career WSOP cash.
Rudi Patitucci - Eliminated in 2nd place
Thursday, February 9, 2017 10:47 PM Local Time
Mariano Cefalu has been eliminated in 3rd place for $15,499. This marked the 40-year-olds second career WSOP cash. In 2008 Cefalu finished in 21st place in a $1,500 no-limit hold'em event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas for just over $24k.
Mariano Cefalu - Eliminated in 3rd place
Thursday, February 9, 2017 10:34 PM Local Time
Michael Lewis has just been eliminated in 4th place for $11,490. This was Lewis' second cash of the series. He final tabled Event #1: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry and finished in 7th place for $10,647. He is the only player this series to have reached two final tables. Lewis has earned 47.5 Casino Championship points for his two cashes, which puts him in the top 10 of the standings and only five points behind current leader Matthew Johnson.
Michael Lewis - Eliminated in 4th place
Thursday, February 9, 2017 9:54 PM Local Time
The final four players are all guaranteed at least a payout of $11,490.
Seat 1: Rudi Patitucci - 1,975,000 (24 bb)
Seat 2: Mariano Cefalu - 4,600,000 (57 bb)
Seat 3: Eric Guth - 1,900,000 (23 bb)
Seat 4: Michael Lewis - 2,190,000 (27 bb)
- 50 minutes remain in Level 30: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Up-to-date results can be found above under the "Results" tab.
Thursday, February 9, 2017 9:43 PM Local Time
Charles Levy has been eliminated in 5th place for $8,641. This marked Levy's first career WSOP cash.
Charles Levy - Eliminated in 5th place
Thursday, February 9, 2017 9:37 PM Local Time
Valentin Vornicu has been eliminated in 6th place for $6,591. This marked Vornicu's 46th career Circuit cash. His elimination means that Alex Masek's gold ring record is safe for now.
Valentin Vornicu - Eliminated in 6th place
Thursday, February 9, 2017 7:57 PM Local Time
The tournament has reached its scheduled one-hour dinner break, but the six remaining players have decided to forgo the one-hour break and instead break for just 20 minutes.
Current chip counts:
Seat 1: Rudi Patitucci - 1,775,000 (35 bb)
Seat 2: Charles Levy - 1,550,000 (31 bb)
Seat 3: Mariano Cefalu - 2,000,000 (40 bb)
Seat 4: Eric Guth - 795,000 (15 bb)
Seat 5: Michael Lewis - 3,500,000 (70 bb)
Seat 6: Valentin Vornicu - 1,000,000 (20 bb)
- 50 minutes remain in Level 28: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Thursday, February 9, 2017 7:48 PM Local Time
John Harth has busted in 7th place for $5,099. This marks the first career WSOP cash for the Madison, Wisconsin native.
John Harth - Eliminated in 7th place
Thursday, February 9, 2017 7:41 PM Local Time
Tony Provenzano has busted in 8th place for $4,001. This marks Provenzano's first career WSOP cash.
Tony Provenzano - Eliminated in 8th place
Thursday, February 9, 2017 6:17 PM Local Time
With two quick eliminations, Michael Lewis has officially become the first player of the series to reach two final tables. He will need to manage at least a 6th place finish to improve upon his last final table finish in Event #1.
William Rothblott from Palatine, Illinois was eliminated in 10th place for $2,568 and Jason Reno from Madison, Wisconsin was eliminated in 9th place for $3,184. It was Rothblott's second career WSOP cash and was Reno's fourth career WSOP cash.
Up-to-date results can be found above under the "Results" tab.
Thursday, February 9, 2017 5:50 PM Local Time
The field is down to the final 10 players and the tournament has been reduced to one table. The final 10 players are all guaranteed a minimum payday of $2,568.
Eight-time gold ring winner Valentin Vornicu still is control of the chip lead. A victory for Vornicu would tie him with Alex Masek for the most Circuit rings won all-time. Michael Lewis is one spot away from reaching his second official final table this series. If he is not the next player eliminated he will be the first player this series to have reached two final tables. Lewis finished in 7th place in Event #1: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry for $10,647
Chip counts and seating assignments:
Seat 1: Rudi Patitucci - 762,000 (31 bb)
Seat 2: Tony Provenzano - 500,000 (20 bb)
Seat 3: Charles Levy - 1,600,000 (66 bb).
Seat 4: Jason Reno - 205,000 (8 bb)
Seat 5: John Harth - 1,500,000 (62 bb)
Seat 6: Mariano Cefalu - 2,200,000 (91 bb)
Seat 7: William Ruthblott - 194,000 (8 bb)
Seat 8: Eric Guth - 639,000 (26 bb)
Seat 9: Michael Lewis - 538,000 (22 bb)
Seat 10: Valentin Vornicu - 2,420,000 (100 bb)
- 15 minutes remain in Level 25: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante
Thursday, February 9, 2017 4:13 PM Local Time
The Monster Stack event is down to the final two tables. The 18 players remaining are all guaranteed to earn at least $1,740. Play will continue with two tables until the field is reduced to 10 players. At that point the tournament staff will redraw the players to one table. It will be an official final table once the field is reduced to nine.
The eventual champion will earn $34,310, a WSOP Circuit gold ring and 50 Casino Championship points.
The complete list of payouts can be found above under the "Prizepool" tab.
Thursday, February 9, 2017 2:51 PM Local Time
Cards are the air for Day 2 of the Monster Stack event. The first player to hit the rail on Day 2 was the Allen "The Chainsaw" Kessler. His payout amounted to $934. Kessler headed straight to the registration desk and entered the $2,200 High Roller event.
Two big names to keep an eye on Day 2 are Valentin Vornicu and Robert Hankins. The two players have a combined 14 gold rings - Vornicu has eight and Hankins has six. Vornicu started the day as the chip leader and Hankins started with about an average stack.
Valentin Vornicu
Robert HankinsThursday, February 9, 2017 1:35 AM Local Time
Thursday, February 9, 2017 1:34 AM Local Time
Day 1 has ended in the Monster Stack event and eight-time gold ring winner Valentin Vornicu will be the overnight chip leader. The day began with 532 unique entries and finished with 30 players. Vornicu isn't the only gold ring winner to be returning with chips on Day 2. Gold ring winners Robert Hankins (6), Allen Kessler (3) and Ting Ho (1) all have made it to Day 2.
Day 2 will begin tomorrow at 2 p.m. and continue until a winner is reached. The champion will earn $34,310, a WSOP Circuit gold ring and 50 Casino Championship points. For making it this far in the tournament the 30 remaining players are all guaranteed to cash for at least $934.
Top five Day 2 chip counts:
1. Valentin Vornicu - 1,313,000 (109 bb)
2. John Papierunk - 1,054,000 (87 bb)
3. Jason Reno - 700,000 (58 bb)
4. Mariano Cefalu - 645,000 (53 bb)
5. William Luciano - 579,000 (48 bb)
- Day 2 starts at the beginning of Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
- All remaining levels are 50 minutes long
The full list of chip counts and the Day 2 table draw can be found above under the "Reports" tab.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017 4:19 PM Local Time
Registration for the Monster Stack event has closed and the field is big. Almost every table in the Woodlands Dream Ballroom was needed to accommodate the large field. The tournament drew 532 unique entries - re-entry was not allowed. The prizepool totaled $159,600 and the first place payout is $34,310. The top 54 spots will be paid with a min-cash worth $613.
Final table payouts:
The full list of payouts can be found above under the "Prizepool" tab.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:55 PM Local Time
Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:01 PM Local Time
The Monster Stack event begins Wednesday at 11 a.m. The Monster Stack is one of the most popular events on the Circuit. It is a standard 2-day $365 no-limit hold'em Circuit event, but with one little twist. Players start with the twice as many chips, offering players much more play throughout the tournament.
Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack - 11 a.m.
- Players start with 20,000 chips
- Blinds begin at 25/50
- Registration remains open until the start of Level 9 (3:30 p.m.)
- Re-entry is not allowed
- Levels 1-12 are 30 minutes long, levels 13-21 are 40 minutes long and all remaining levels are 50 minutes long
- There is a one-hour dinner break after Level 12
- Day 1 will last 21 levels
- Day 2 will begin Thursday at 2 p.m.