Event #11A: No-Limit Hold'em Main Event Re-entry

The 2011/2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's St. Louis Main Event concluded on Monday when Tripp Kirk conquered the 625-player field to capture the $190,961 first-place prize and punch his ticket to this summer's National Championship, not to mention laying claim to his second gold ring.

Twenty-one players remained at the start of the third and final day, but it didn't take long for them to fall. Michael McKuin was the first player to exit, busting within minutes of the day's start. Not long after, WSOP Circuit phenom and unfailing casher, Alexandru Masek, joined him on the rail. That meant ten more players hit the rail before the final table was reached: Brad Davis (10th-$14,259), David Schwartz (11th-$14,259), Brett Schwertley (12th-$14,259), Peter Brooks (13th-$11,622), Ryan Tepen (14th-$11,622), Blake Cahail (15th-$11,622), David Davenport (16th-$9,594), Ryan Enis (17th-$9,595), Jeter Brock (18th-$9,594) and Dan Blakeman (19th-$8,021).

At the final table, Jerry Milanos became the first elimination after his    ran into the    of Tim Killday on a     flop. Neither the   turn nor   river helped Milanos, and he became the ninth-place finisher.

The next player to go was James Russell, who found himself all in preflop for around 700,000 holding    and racing against the    of Chris Conrad. Any excitement quickly dissipated when the     flop delivered Conrad a set and a huge lead. The   turn left Russell drawing dead, and he made his way to the payout desk in eighth place after the   was put out on the river.

A short time later, a flop of    , Jeff Fitzgerald checked to Charles "Woody" Moore, who bet 200,000. Fitzgerald responded with a check-raise to 460,000, Moore moved all in, and Fitzgerald quickly called off his stack. The cards were turned up and it was the first major cooler of the day.

Showdown

It was top two pair versus bottom set with Moore out in front. In order to survive, Fitzgerald needed to catch either an ace or nine, but it was not meant to be as the   appeared on the turn followed by the   on the river. Fitzgerald became the seventh-place finisher for $28,445.

After dinner, Lipsey opened for 130,000 and received a call from Killday, who then turned around and led out for 300,000 on the     flop. Lipsey thought for a few moments before moving all in and Killday snap-called.

Showdown

Lipsey had flopped top pair but ran straight into the nuts. The   left Lipsey drawing dead, and after the   was put out on the river, he made his way to the rail in sixth place. "You led out," Lipsey said to Killday. "That's what got me."

Minutes later, Gannesh Letchumanan moved his short stack all in preflop and got a call from Kirk. The blinds released and the hands were tabled.

Showdown

The board ran out           and Kirk's two pair sent Letchumanan to the rail in fifth place for $48,224.

Moore, fresh off a runner-up finish in the Council Bluffs Main Event, impressed many with a fourth-place finish in St. Louis. His demise came when he was in the small blind and limped, prompting Kirk to check his option in the big. When the flop fell    , Moore checked, Tripp bet 60,000 and Moore check-raised to 225,000. Kirk flatted and then snap-called when Moore shipped the   turn.

Moore knew he was in trouble when he showed   , but it was worse than he could have expected as he was drawing dead to Kirk's   . The   was put out on the river to seal the deal, and Moore shook hands with the other three players before taking his leave in fourth place.

When three-handed, it's unusual for two big hands to run into one another, but when they do there tends to be big fireworks. That's exactly what happened when a preflop raising war took place between Kirk and Conrad that saw the latter all in with    and up against the former's   .

Conrad, who began the day as chip leader, was clearly dejected, and even more so when the flop came down    . The   turn sent Conrad from his seat, while the   river sent him out the door in third place, good for $86,372.

Kirk began heads-up play with an almost 2-1 chip lead, and it didn't take long for the last hand to develop. On a board reading     , Killday checked to Kirk, who fired out 200,000. Killday thought for a moment before announcing, "All in."

"Call," Kirk snapped and rolled over   . Killday sheepishly turned over    and it was all over. Even before the   was put out on the river, Kirk was out of his seat celebrating with his friends. Killday sought comfort with his own rail, and will have a $118,119 payday to help ease the pain.

WSOP Circuit Harrah's St. Louis Final Table Payouts

That does it for PokerNews' coverage from the WSOP Circuit Harrah's St. Louis. Next stop? The Harrah's Chester stop near Philadelphia that runs from April 26 - May 7, 2012. Join the PokerNews Live Reporting Team the for all the action from the 2011/2012 WSOP Circuit's second-to-last stop.

Tripp Kirk and Tim Killday went to a flop of      . Kirk bet 200,000, Killday raised to 460,000 and Kirk called. The   came on the turn and both players checked to the   on the river. Killday slid a cool million into the pot and Kirk moved all in after just a few moments.

Killday tanked for a little while and eventually folded.

Tripp Kirk	10,015,000	1,915,000
Tim Killday	2,350,000	-2,050,000

It's unusual for two big hands to run into one another when three-handed, but when they do there tends to be big fireworks. That's exactly what just happened when a preflop raising war took place between Tripp Kirk and Chris Conrad that saw the latter all in with    and up against the former's   .

Conrad, who began the day as chip leader, was clearly dejected, and even more so when the flop came down    . The   turn sent Conrad from his seat, while the   river sent him out the door in third place, good for $86,372.

Chris Conrad

0

-3,650,000

Gannesh Letchumanan moved his short stack all in preflop and got a call from Tripp Kirk. The blinds released and the hands were tabled.

Kirk:    
Letchumanan:    

The board ran           and Kirk's two pair sent Letchumanan to the rail.

Gannesh Letchumanan

0

-940,000

Bradley Lipsey opened for 130,000 and received a call from Tim Killday, who then turned around and led out for 300,000 on the     flop. Lipsey thought for a few moments before moving all in and Killday snap-called.

Showdown
Lipsey |   
Killday |   

Lipsey had flopped top pair but run straight into the nuts. The   left Lipsey drawing dead, and after the   was put out on the river, he made his way to the rail in sixth place. "You led out," Lipsey said to Killday. "That's what got me."

Tim Killday	4,400,000	3,250,000
Bradley Lipsey	0	-2,100,000

The final six players are now on a one-hour dinner break, and so are we.

On a flop of    , Jeff Fitzgerald checked to Charles Moore, who bet 200,000. Fitzgerald responded with a check-raise to 460,000, Moore moved all in, and Fitzgerald quickly called off his stack. The cards were turned up and it was the first major cooler of the day.

Showdown
Fitzgerald |   
Moore |   

It was top two pair versus bottom set with Moore out in front. In order to survive, Fitzgerald needed to catch either an ace or nine, but it was not meant to be as the   appeared on the turn followed by the   on the river. Fitzgerald became the seventh-place finisher for $28,445.

Charles Moore	2,800,000	1,450,000
Jeff Fitzgerald	0	-1,500,000

There are only so many ways we can say action is slow, but it's slowed to a crawl here in St. Louis. There have been no notable hands, let alone flops, in the past 15 minutes. With 22 minutes left on the clock, players may be content to wait until after dinner to mix it up.

In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy-in to the National Championship:

WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*

*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah's St. Louis stop.