Event #1A/B/C: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry

After two close calls last season, Shane Gonzales finally got his ring at Harveys Lake Tahoe. It was a good one, too. Gonzales outlasted a field of 513 entries in the big $365 Re-Entry event, collecting $30,814 for his win. It is, by far, the largest payout on his tournament record.

Gonzales, 47, is a man of many talents from Concord, California. “I don’t really have a job,” he said. “Mostly just hustle poker and golf.”

Golf season is fading away with the autumn, though, and Gonzales and his buddies roll out the poker tables for a weekly home game. And when the WSOP Circuit comes to town, Gonzales always drops by to take a few shots.

“This is the only place I really play tournaments,” he said. “I don’t have the patience for them. But I run really good here.”

That’s a fact. Gonzales made two final tables at the stop last season, earning a third- and a sixth-place finish. He also cashed in the re-entry the year prior, but he didn’t have to settle for anything less than a win this time.

This one was mostly an uneventful tournament from Gonzales’ perspective. He was fourth in chips with 42 players left at the start of Day 2, and he had moved comfortably into the top spot by the time he reached the final table.

Stephen Bierman had been the chip leader to begin the day, and he ended up as the last man standing in Gonzales’ way. Despite entering the duel at a disadvantage, Gonzales pushed his way to the win, defeating Bierman to snag the ring that had been so elusive in the past.

[Full results]

A total of 42 players advanced through the starting flights, and they're set to resume the run this afternoon.

Steve Bierman has a huge lead at the moment. Bierman played Day 1B on Friday, and it went about as well as possible. He ended the day with 440,000 chips, nearly twice as much as anyone else.

Here's the top five:

1. Steve Bierman - 440,000
2. Richard Cotham - 224,000
3. Vincent Remmel - 216,000
4. Shane Gonzales - 215,000
5. Steve Foutty - 205,000

Steve Foutty is a three-time Circuit winner already, in good position to add to that total. Tony Bracy (187,000) is also near the top, as is Rico Carli (145,000), who's working on a record-extending 134th cash on the WSOP Circuit. Carli has three rings, too.

Day 2 chip counts  |  Day 2 seat draw

One minute after they restart, blinds will increase to 3,000/6,000 with a 1,000 ante. That puts the average stack around 20 big blinds, and they'll battle it out to a winner before the end of the day.

Everyone left will earn at least $956 today, with a ring and more than $30,000 reserved for the winner.

Play resumes at 12 p.m.

Registration is now closed for Event #1, and the numbers are in.

This multi-flight re-entry event generated a total of 513 entries across its three starting days.

Day 1A: 106 entries (10 advanced)
Day 1B: 159 entries (10 advanced)
Day 1C: 248 entries

The total prizepool is still pending. It will be calculated for Day 2 based on the number of players who advance.

With about 19 minutes left in Level 18, the field is reduced to 10 players. That marks the end of Day 1B, with a total of 20 players advancing through the first two flights.

Stephen Bierman did some good work this afternoon, turning his 10,000 starting chips into 440,000 by night's end. That puts him well out in front of the field so far, bagging up nearly twice as many chips as the nearest challenger.

Steve Foutty is one of those near challengers, ending with a very healthy stack of 205,000 chips. Foutty is already a three-time winner on the Circuit, looking to add another to his collection. Fellow ring winners Shawn Van Asdale (83,500) and Richard Sargent (74,500) also advanced through this flight.

Day 1B chip counts

In addition, eight players received payouts this evening:

11th: Joshua Kieval - $930
12th: Robert Donahue - $930
13th: Laura Barraza - $765
14th: Robert Lazarus - $765
15th: Alfredo Zamudio - $765
16th: Todd Moore - $640
17th: Kirk Williams - $640
18th: Ian Steinman - $640

There's still one more chance for players to advance to Day 2. This event's final starting flight, Day 1C, begins Saturday at 11 a.m.

With one minute left in Level 18, the field is trimmed to 10 players, signaling the end of Day 1A.

Vincent Remmel (216,000) and Shane Gonzales (215,000) finished one-two in the overnight chip counts. They're the ones setting the pace for the Event #1 field with two more starting flights to play. Ring winners Janet Fitzgerald (104,000) and Mike Murphy (71,000) also advanced through Day 1A, as did two-timer Gregory Armand (91,500).

Day 1A chip counts

In addition to those who survived until the end, two players received payouts this evening:

11th: Gary Kraemer - $664
12th: Dan Barker - $664

Anyone who doesn't have chips in a bag is eligible to play Day 1B on Friday. The session begins at 11 a.m.