Event #10: No-Limit Hold'em Main Event

It's been an incredible four days here at Harrah's Cherokee, where the first ever World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event has come to a conclusion with North Carolina's own John Bowman topping a field of 856 entrants to win the title and $250,380 first prize. The Hickory native also won a seat in the WSOP National Championship as well as a 2013 WSOP Main Event seat (a special prize for the winner here at Harrah's Cherokee).

Just 11 players made it through that huge field to today's final day of play, led by Hugh Henderson who brought a hefty chip lead to Day 3.

After a slow-moving end to play late last night, today began with rapid action as two of the short stacks — Mark Handy and Todd Osborne — got their chips in on the second hands of the day on their respective tables, with both being eliminated. Handy took 11th after James Kinney knocked him out, while Osborne took 10th following a hand against Kory Kilpatrick. Both hands, coincidentally enough, saw the short stacks all in with small aces versus opponents' pocket tens, with the tens holding up both times.

Players then reassembled around the final nine-handed table, with start-of-day chip leader Henderson still in front. Before long, Jerry Monroe was forced to commit his short stack with the    against Kinney's   . With the board bringing no improvement for his hand, Monroe was eliminated in ninth.

The next couple of hours saw Raymond Weaver taking over, winning pot after pot to move up over 6 million by the first break at a time when no one else had half that much. Then Jonathan Moseley was the next short stack to fall in eighth after his    failed to catch up to Weaver's   .

Henderson's Monday was a struggle pretty much from the start of the final table, and after steadily sliding throughout the afternoon, he finally was knocked out in seventh after getting his short stack in with ace-six versus Daniel Weinman's queens and not being able to catch up.

During those first few hours, Kinney pushed up the counts and was even challenging for the chip lead, but lost a big preflop all-in pot with the    versus Weinman's    when four spades came on board. Then a short while thereafter, he was knocked out in sixth by Kilpatrick.

By then, both George Zinaty and Kilpatrick had become the short stacks with five left, and soon it was Weaver knocking out both in preflop battles. First, Weaver flopped a full house to knock out Zinaty in fifth, then the 69-year-old took out Kilpatrick in fourth by flopping the nut flush.

Weaver enjoyed a big chip lead at the start of three-handed play while Bowman found himself the short stack. But Bowman would double up once through Weaver, then soon after chipped up to take the lead. Finally, Weaver found himself ground down to short-stacked status, then ended up calling a river shove from Bowman with second pair when Bowman had an ace-high flush, ending Weaver's run in third.

Bowman began heads-up play with more than 13 million in chips to the stack of about 4 million of Weinman, and immediately began chipping away at his opponent. Finally, Weinman got his last chips in with the    versus Bowman's   , the latter flopped two pair, and two cards later Weinman was the runner-up and Bowman the champ.

Final Table Payouts

It's been a terrific time here in Cherokee where the WSOP Circuit's North Carolina debut has been met with great enthusiasm. Next stop, Council Bluffs, Iowa!

Thanks for following our coverage on PokerNews. And as they say around these parts, y'all come back now, ya hear?

Daniel Weinman raised to 200,000 from the button and John Bowman called. Both checked the     flop. The turn then brought the   and a check from Bowman. Weinman bet 200,000, and Bowman called.

The river was the  . Bowman checked again, and when Weinman bet 450,000, Bowman thought about 15 seconds before calling.

"I've got a four," said Weinman, showing   . Bowman turned over    for sevens, and took the pot.

John Bowman	15,455,000	860,000
Daniel Weinman	1,665,000	-860,000

The break is over, and the cards are in the air.

Raymond Weaver limped in from the small blind, John Bowman kicked it up to 275,000 in the big blind, and Weaver called. The flop fell    , and Weaver check-called a 300,000-chip bet.

The turn was the  , Weaver checked again, and Bowman fired 500,000.

"How much?" Weaver asked.

The dealer told him the amount.

"Make it 10," Weaver said, min-raising to one million.

Bowman asked for a count of Weaver's stack, and then moved all in for effectively 4.1 million or so. Weaver tanked for over two minutes, then folded.

"You have a flush?" he asked Bowman.

Bowman neither confirmed nor denied Weaver's suspicions.

John Bowman	10,750,000	1,950,000
Raymond Weaver	3,050,000	-2,460,000

The final trio of players are trading chips now, with each of the group winning a hand during the last orbit.

First it was Raymond Weaver calling a preflop open from John Bowman, then check-calling bets on the first two post-flop streets as the board came    , then  . The   appeared on the river, and that time Weaver checked and folded to a third barrel from Bowman.

The next hand saw Daniel Weinman opening from the small blind and Weaver again calling, then when Weaver led for 300,000 at the     flop, Weinman raised to 850,000 and Weaver stepped aside.

Next it was Weaver's turn to claim a pot. He limped in from the small blind, Bowman checked, and the flop came    . Weaver checked, then called when Bowman bet 125,000. Both checked the   turn, and when Weaver led for 300,000 after the   river, Bowman let his hand go.

John Bowman	8,100,000	-250,000
Raymond Weaver	5,800,000	-785,000
Daniel Weinman	3,220,000	895,000

Daniel Weinman opened to 160,000 on the button, Raymond Weaver called in the small blind, and John Bowman defended his big blind. The dealer fanned    , and both blinds checked to Weinman, who continued for 250,000. Weaver called, Bowman check-raised to 900,000, and Weinman moved all in for 1.47 million.

Weaver folded, and Bowman called.

Bowman:   
Weinman:   

Weinman held as the turn and river came  ,   respectively, more than doubling to 3.7 million.

The players are now on a 30-minute dinner break.

John Bowman	6,955,000	-2,425,000
Raymond Weaver	6,585,000	-615,000
Daniel Weinman	3,760,000	2,100,000

John Bowman opened to 160,000 on the button, Daniel Weinman three-bet to 420,000 in the small blind, and Bowman called.

The flop fell    , and Weinman led out for 325,000. Bowman raised to 800,000, and Weinman folded.

"I wish I was just all in preflop," Weinman lamented.

The next hand, Weinman opened to 160,000 on the button, and Raymond Weaver (small blind) and Bowman (big blind) both called. All three players checked on the     flop, and Weaver checked again on the   turned. Bowman fired 225,000, and only Weaver called.

The   completed the board, Weaver checked a third time, and Bowman tossed out 425,000. Weaver tank-called.

"Queen," Bowman said, tabling   .

"Nice hand," Weaver told him, tossing his two cards into the muck.

John Bowman	8,150,000	1,950,000
Raymond Weaver	7,200,000	-870,000
Daniel Weinman	1,750,000	-1,100,000

John Bowman and Daniel Weinman were heads up in a raised pot with the board reading     . Weinman led out for 685,000, and Bowman tanked for a bit before raising to 1.4 million. Weinman called.

The   completed the board, and Weinman checked. Bowman moved all in for just under two million, and Weinman snap-folded.

John Bowman	5,550,000	2,010,000
Daniel Weinman	3,700,000	-2,100,000

Raymond Weaver and John Bowman were just at it again, this time both playing from the blinds. Following a Weaver open and Bowman call, the flop came single-suited —     — and Weaver led with a bet of 300,000. Bowman made it 700,000, and Weaver called.

The turn was the  , and when Weaver checked, Bowman pushed all in for 1.08 million total. Weaver counted out the chips to call and put them forward.

Bowman tabled    for the flopped flush. "Even if I hit, you got me," said Weaver as he turned over   . The meaningless   river then fell and Bowman scooped the chips.

Raymond Weaver	9,400,000	-1,600,000
John Bowman	3,450,000	1,650,000

Raymond Weaver raised to 200,000 out of the small blind, and Kory Kilpatrick moved all in for 1.69 million in the big blind. Weaver tanked for a very long time - well over two minutes - before pulling out a stack of blues.

"I'll call ya," he finally said.

Kilpatrick ripped over   , knowing it was the best hand, and sure enough Weaver was behind with   .

Incredibly, the flop brought all clubs:    . Kilpatrick started to gather his things before Daniel Weinman pointed out that he was drawing live.

"It's like point-two percent," Kilpatrick chuckled.

Indeed, if the turn and river produced some variation of the  ,  , and  , Kilpatrick would survive.

It was all over when the suicide king ( ) turned however, and a meaningless   completed the board.

"You're still my hero, Raymond," Kilpatrick told him, extending his hand.

"You played great," Weaver responded as they shook hands.

Kilpatrick is off to the cage to collect $85,052, while Weaver now has just under 10 million chips.

Raymond Weaver	9,900,000	1,700,000
Kory Kilpatrick	0	-1,640,000