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Thursday, March 8, 2018 7:36 PM Local Time
Ari Engel
Ari Engel continued his dominance on the World Series of Poker Circuit on Thursday evening by winning his ninth career Circuit ring, which moves him into a tie with Alex Masek, Josh Reichard and Robert Hankins for second on the all-time ring list.
Engel defeated 108 entries and won $9,730 for his milestone ring. He now sits one behind Maurice Hawkins and Valentin Vornicu, who finished eighth in this event, for the all-time lead. The poker pro originally from Toronto defeated one of the tougher final tables of the series. Including his own previous accomplishments, at the start of the final table, there were 22 rings and two bracelets spread among the final nine players.
Aside from Engel and Vornicu, who now have 19 rings between the two of them, there was two-time bracelet and ring winner Frankie O'Dell and actor James Woods, who was at his second consecutive final table after finishing sixth in the $365 no-limit hold'em just two days earlier.
Official Report
Thursday, March 8, 2018 3:13 PM Local Time
With about 22 minutes remaining in level 19 with limits of 3,000/6,000, the Omaha Hi-Lo reached its final 10 players and they redrew for seats at the unofficial final table of 10. With one more elimination, the final nine players will be credited with making an official WSOP final table.
Everybody is guaranteed a cash of at least $675, but the winner will leave with $9,730. Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts of the final 10 players:
Seat 1: Ari Engel - 197,500
Seat 2: Don Garrett - 170,500
Seat 3: Jesse David - 173,500
Seat 4: James Woods - 67,000
Seat 5: Frankie O'Dell - 155,000
Seat 6: Darryl Mann - 137,000
Seat 7: Lynda Tran - 20,500
Seat 8: Valentin Vornicu - 38,000
Seat 9: Todd Gonzales - 63,500
Seat 10: Don Halpern - 54,000
Thursday, March 8, 2018 12:01 AM Local Time
Valentin Vornicu and Ari Engel are two of the most successful players in WSOP Circuit history. Between the two of them, they have a combined 18 rings and about $1.7 million in WSOP earnings alone. They are both known for their prowess in no-limit hold'em, but they finished up Wednesday's action in the $365 Omaha Hi-Lo event as the top two chip stacks.
The first of two non-hold'em events kicked off at 2 p.m. and bagged up after 16 levels of play. The field drew 108 entries, but by the day's end just 20 remained, with Vornicu and Engel sitting at the top of the heap.
Vornicu bagged up the chip lead, finishing the day with a whopping 146,000 and Engel sits behind him in second chip position with 124,000. They are the only two players that have a six-figure chip count. Darryl Mann (85,000), Jesse David (84,000) and Donald Halpern (72,000) round out the top five.
The remaining players will return on Thursday at 1 p.m. to play down to a winner. When cards get in the air, cashing will be the first thing on everybody's mind, with the top 12 spots finishing in the money. The eventual winner will leave with $9,730.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 6:49 PM Local Time
The staff finished calculating the payouts and with 108 entries, the
top 12 finishers will finish in the money. A min-cash is worth $675 and
the eventual winner will walk away with $9,730.
A complete look at the payouts can be found in the 'Prizepool' tab above or by clicking on the link in the document below:
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 6:29 PM Local Time
Players have two breaks under their belt and with level 9 underway, registration is closed for the $365 Omaha hi-lo event. There are 108 entries in the field, which generated a prizepool of $32,400.
The staff is calculating the payouts and they will be released shortly. There are 90 players remaining.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 4:20 PM Local Time
Players returned from their first break and after just a few hours of
play, there are already entries in the $365 Omaha Hi-Lo. There are
still a couple hours of play left before registration closes and the
field is final.
Here is a look at the structure for the event:
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 1:23 PM Local Time
The first of two non-hold'em events gets underway this afternoon. The $365 Omaha Hi-Lo is the only limit event on the schedule, it gets cards in the air at 2 p.m. and here are the details:
- Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips
- Limits start at 50/100 (25/50 blinds)
- Day 1 is scheduled for 16, 30-minute levels
- There is late registration and unlimited re-entry open until the start of level 6 (~5:30 p.m.)
- Players who survive the day will return on Thursday at 1 p.m. to play down to a winner