EVENT UPDATES
view updates for day:
Monday, March 18, 2019 1:55 AM Local Time
Raghu Gudala, a 31-year-old IT consultant from Richfield, Minnesota, has earned a $16,906 payday and the first WSOP Circuit ring of his career by winning Event #4 at Hard Rock Tulsa, $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day).
Gudala, a native of India who moved to the US to pursue his master's degree -- and who took up poker as a pastime as well -- came into the final table with a very playable mid-pack stack. He then rode the winning side of a couple of major all-in collisions to a healthy lead beginning heads-up play against another international transplant, Venezuela-born Tomas Teran.
Teran, who now lives in Lake Charles, Louisiana, doubled up once against Gudala but was unable to seize control. Tran ended up with runner-up money of $10,441. Owasso, Oklahoma's Matthew Viejo took third for $7,539.
According to Gudala, success at poker didn't come easy. "It took me a while to learn the rythym and the skill of the game," he said. "I lost a lot of money."
Yet hard work pays off. Gudala, who frequents poker rooms in the Twin Cities, started winning smaller tournaments before moving up to higher stakes. This trip to Oklahoma marked his largest win to date, even if poker will remain a pastime for the foreseeable future. His IT career calls; he'll be returning to Minnesota in a day or two with his first piece of poker jewelry, and the largest cash of his blossoming poker career.
Sunday, March 17, 2019 11:08 PM Local Time
Event #4 has played down to its unofficial 10-player final table, with Lake Charles, LA's Tomas Teran leading the way with 578,000 in chips. Here are the remaining players, with seat assignments and chip counts:
Seat 1: Ty Austin - 434,000
Seat 2: Askia Ingram - 221,000
Seat 3: Dan Somogye - 138,000
Seat 4: Ryan Phan - 148,000
Seat 5: Woody Koawar - 322,000
Seat 6: Raghu Gudala - 382,000
Seat 7: Hen T. Tieu - 126,000
Seat 8: Tomas Teran - 578,000
Seat 9: Matthew Viejo - 371,000
Seat 10: Steve Pankey - 251,000
Sunday, March 17, 2019 7:28 PM Local Time
The prizepool information for Event #4 is now available under the "Reports" tab above, including these topline numbers:
Entries: 197
Prizepool: $65,010
Spots Paid: 21
1st Place: $16,906
Min-cash: $720
Sunday, March 17, 2019 7:02 PM Local Time
The late-registration period for Event #4 has ended with the start of Level 13. This event drew 197 entries. Complete prizepool information is being calculated and will be available in a short while.
Sunday, March 17, 2019 3:29 AM Local Time
A busy St. Patrick's Day Sunday at Circuit Hard Rock Tulsa continues with Event #4, $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day). This event begins at 2 pm and offers the following features:
- 15,000 in starting chips
- 20-minute levels
- Late registration available until the start of Level 9
- Re-entry event
Prizepool and payout information will be available later today.
Sunday, March 17, 2019 3:26 AM Local Time