Sunday, October 8, 2017 12:20 AM Local Time
Justin Boggs - Chip Leader
The two starting flights are complete in the $1,675 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Horseshoe Southern Indiana.
Friday's Day 1A flight drew a field of 184 entries, and another 240 joined Day 1B to bring the total field to 424 across both flights. That creates a prizepool worth $636,000 to be shared by the final 45 players. A total of 64 advanced to Day 2.
Former WSOP Main Event finalist Scott Montgomery bagged up the big stack of 316,500 chips after Day 1A, and that lead held until the final few minutes of Day 1B. As was the case a day prior, the action erupted during the closing level, and the overall lead was decided during the last couple shuffles.
Justin Boggs was the primary beneficiary of the late-night rush, making boat over boat to scoop the largest pot of the day right at the bell. He finished Day 1B with 531,500 chips, which has to be one of the most impressive Day 1 performances the Circuit has seen in its 13-year history. Boggs will carry an enormous lead into Day 2, returning with close to 200 big blinds.
Here's the top of the overnight leaderboard with 64 players advancing:
1: Justin Boggs - 531,500
2: Scott Montgomery - 316,500
3: Todd Chew - 305,500
4: Gary Vick - 270,000
5: Troy Weber - 261,000
Maurice Hawkins, the Circuit's all-time winningest player, is also among the top tier at the moment. Hawkins will return to a stack of 214,500 chips, good for 10th place overall. Kurt Jewell (249,500), Garry Simms (228,500), and Nick Pupillo (153,000) also advanced, as did this event's defending Champion, Robert Hankins (99,500).
Day 2 chip counts | Day 2 seat draw
Blinds will be 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante when play resumes, and the returning field will be less than 20 eliminations away from the money. They're scheduled to play 10 one-hour levels, by which time they'll likely be at the final table.
Day 2 begins at 2 p.m.
Sunday, October 8, 2017 12:03 AM Local Time
The final few hands are complete at each table, and the remaining players are bagging up for the night. A recap of the action will follow, along with the Day 2 seat draw.
Sunday, October 8, 2017 12:02 AM Local Time
Told you the fireworks were coming at Table 23. In one of the last hands of the night, the two largest stacks at the room's heaviest table went to war.
The pot begins with Justin Boggs opening to 6,000, and four players call, including Rob James.
The flop is , and all four players check.
The turn is the , and Boggs bets 16,500 when it checks to him for a second time. Only James calls, so it's heads-up to the river.
It's the . James leads out with a big bet of 75,000, Boggs moves all in, and James calls all in for about 170,000 total, putting himself at risk.
James shows for sevens full, but it's second-best. Boggs tables and celebrates the result, scooping the largest pot of the day with tens full. With it comes the overall chip lead, while James is relegated to the rail just prior to the conclusion of Day 1B.
Justin Boggs - 525,000
Rob James - Eliminated
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:58 PM Local Time
Each remaining table will play six more hands. Once all tables are finished it will be a wrap for Flight B.
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:56 PM Local Time
The Main Event prizepool was revealed at the tail end of Flight B. Between both starting flights a total of 424 entrants registered for the signature, WSOP tournament, 184 from Flight A and 240 from Flight B.
The sum of entrants generated a $635,978 prizepool. The top 45 players will receive a payday. Up top is $139,920 to go along with a Circuit gold ring and automatic bit to the 2018 Global Casino Championship.
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:55 PM Local Time
"You want to play a big pot?" Those are the words of Brian Reinert after he opens the pot to 8,000. He's talking to Rob James in the big blind, and the two have been flirting with an enormous pot for quite some time. This one might be it, as James three-bets to 27,400. Reinert smirks and calls.
The flop is , and James moves all in for 132,900. Reinert's eyes get wide, and he smiles broadly again at the predicament. "I folded top two to you before," Reinert says at one point. "So maybe you think you can just run over me."
James is sitting as still as a statue, and Reinert presses for more information. "Will you show if I fold?" There's no flinch from James, and Reinert eventually spins his cards into the muck.
James collects the pot, and he shows as he does. Reinert lets out a loud expletive at the news, but there's nothing bad-natured about it. The two men trade friendly comments as the hand finishes, with James winning this battle.
Rob James - 192,000
Brian Reinert - 170,000
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:28 PM Local Time
Brad Albrinck, who has been short for some time, open shoves on the button. The small blind folds. Garry Simms, in the big blind, asks for a count. The dealer totals up 23,500. Simms calls and the players face off.
Simms:
Albrinck:
The board runs out . In overkill fashion, Simms improves to a full house and eliminates Albrinck.
Garry Simms - 259,000
Brad Albrinck - Eliminated
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:26 PM Local Time
Justin Boggs is another of the players contending for the chip lead at Table 23, and he's doing his part to get to the top.
In his most recent hand, Boggs opens with a raise in middle position, and the big blind three-bet shoves for 20,000 or so. Boggs calls, but he's well behind for the knockout.
Boggs:
Opponent:
The first four cards are blanks on the board, but the river is not a blank. Boggs makes the only pair, eliminating his opponent and inching into the overall lead.
Justin Boggs - 260,000
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:14 PM Local Time
Libby Wilson got a quick mention earlier as a ring winner making another appearance at Horseshoe Southern Indiana. Wilson's first bullet of the day misfired, but she re-entered around dinner time with the ambitions of running it up.
That has been quite a sluggish process this evening, and Wilson has struggled to keep her stack around its starting point of 20,000. She had finally managed to work it up to more than twice amount that when she got involved in a pot against the player to her direct right a moment ago.
The board shows on the turn, and there's about 15,000 or so in the pot. Wilson calls a bet of 6,000 there, and she faces a repeat bet of 6,000 after the river. She calls again, and her opponent shows for treys full. It's good; Wilson open-mucks , dropping her back down around starting stack once again.
Libby Wilson - 22,000
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:05 PM Local Time
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:05 PM Local Time
Under the gun, a player goes all in for 16,700. Action folds to Garry Simms on the button. Once he confirms the count, Simms lays out a call. The blinds fold leaving the two players to showdown.
The all-in player shows . Simms turns over .
The flop comes and Simms takes the lead. The turn and river are the and , respectively.
Simms adds to his already-impressive stack with the knockout.
Garry Simms - 223,000
Saturday, October 7, 2017 11:01 PM Local Time
Last night, there was a tornado of activity over the course of the last two levels, with six-figure pots emerging one after another. It seems a similar trend is in order this evening, as the severity of play has escalated noticeably in the past few orbits.
Table 23 is the one with all the chips on it; at least four players there are in contention for the overnight chip lead. Rob James and Brian Reinert are two of them, and they were just involved together in a three-way pot.
The flop is , and James is the first to bet at the pot for 6,500. The player behind him moves all in for something like 50,000, and Reinert puts him at risk next to act. James speaks as he thinks: "I don't know how both of you can have the nuts, because I have pocket eights." With that, James folds, and the two live hands are shown down.
Reinert:
Opponent:
The turn is the , much to the chagrin of James, and the river completes the board. Reinert wins the pot with his set of sixes, thinning the field by one and surging back into the top spot on the leaderboard.
Brian Reinert - 210,000
Rob James - 175,000
Saturday, October 7, 2017 10:30 PM Local Time
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300
Saturday, October 7, 2017 10:30 PM Local Time
There are four cards on the board which reads , a sizable pot up for grabs, and three players still in the hand.
Jeter Brock bets 7,000 in the small blind. The big blind calls. It is now on Cory Oshita who takes a second before moving all in. Oshita has both is opponents covered. Brock calls without hesitation. The big blind gets out of dodge.
Oshita tables and Brock turns up . Both players hit a set, giving them a full house, but Oshita's jacks out match Brock's threes.
Brock is sent to the rail and Oshita chips up to a large, even number.
Cory Oshita - 200,000
Jeter Brock - Eliminiated
Saturday, October 7, 2017 10:21 PM Local Time
A player in early position opens to 4,000, and two players call before Andy Robinson three-bets to 17,000 in the small blind. Only the initial raiser calls, and the four-time ring winner is heads-up to the flop.
It comes . Robinson continues for 15,000, and his opponent instantly moves all in for about 48,000 total. Robinson calls to put him at risk. having the raiser slightly covered.
Robinson:
Opponent:
The turn and river complete the board with blanks, and Robinson collects the knockout pot to nearly double his own stack.
Andy Robinson - 155,000
Saturday, October 7, 2017 10:08 PM Local Time
John Richards moves all in from under the gun. A string of folds come one by one. It seems Richards' shove may go through until action stops at the big blind. A count of Richards all-in bet comes out to 20,400. The sole remaining player to act thinks for a minute then reluctantly calls.
Richards flips over a couple snowmen, . The big blind shakes his head while turning up . Richards' pocket pair is only faced with one over card going into the showdown.
The board lays out . The snowmen are good for a double up. Richard scoops the pot.
John Richards - 43,200
Saturday, October 7, 2017 10:05 PM Local Time
With registration closed, the staff has finalized the numbers. Another 240 entries were punched today, bringing the total field to 424 entries across both flights. That creates an unofficial prizepool worth $636,000, with the official numbers still pending.
There are 60 players remaining in Day 1B at the moment, and those that survive the rest of the day will join yesterday's 27 for Day 2.
Saturday, October 7, 2017 9:54 PM Local Time
Josh Reichard opens to 3,500 in middle position, and the player two seats over calls.
The flop is . Reichard continues for 3,800, and his opponent calls. They both check through the turn, and the river is the . Reichard bets 10,100, and his opponent calls.
Reichard tables , and his opponent mucks, giving him the pot with the third-nut flush.
Josh Reichard - 56,000
Saturday, October 7, 2017 9:45 PM Local Time
Level: 13
Blinds: 800/1,600
Ante: 200
Saturday, October 7, 2017 9:33 PM Local Time
Level 12 concludes, and the field is on its last 15-minute break of the day. Registration will close when they return for the final three levels of the night.