For the last week, the World Series of Poker Circuit has called Harrah��s Tunica home. The 12-event stop kicked off on Feb. 2 and culminates with the Main Event, which kicked off on Saturday, Feb 11. Of course the PokerNewsLive Reporting Team will be providing coverage of the Main Event, but we thought we��d set the stage with a look back at the preliminary events.
As many of you know, Tunica suffered a devastating flood last spring and all nine casinos temporarily shut down because over eight feet of water crept through the properties. Harrah��s Tunica was one of the hardest hit, but bounced back admirably. The latest WSOP Circuit is proof of this, as numbers have surpassed expectations in every event, including the opening event which drew an startling 1,128 players. That event was won by Chip Ervin of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who took home $59,660 for his efforts.
Another impressive victory came a few days later when 24-year-old Matthew Weber of Sacramento, California, outlasted 359 players in Event #4: $345 No-Limit Hold��em to capture the $23,719 first-place prize. He eliminated poker veteran ��Captain�� Tom Franklin in eighth place when his pocket tens held against Franklin's A?J?. Weber also eliminated Richard Ricardo, Jesse Jackson, and Steve Melton on his way to victory. In fact, Weber eliminated seven of his eight opponents at the final table. A remarkable feat indeed.
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Tunica events that have been completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Tunica Ring Event #1: No-Limit Hold��em Re-Entry
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$300+$45
1,128
$328,248
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Chip Ervin
Tuscaloosa, AL
$59,660
2
Willie Lawrence
Tallahassee, FL
$36,848
3
Eddie Carroll
Dayton, OH
$27,381
4
Travis Eller
Cookeville, TN
$20,595
5
AP Phahurat
Rogers, AR
$15,681
6
Thomas Mosier
Bloomington, IN
$12,082
7
Terry Kim
Ocean Springs, MS
$9,418
8
Rodney Shows
Hattiesburg, MS
$7,424
9
Jesse Menley
Hillsboro, MO
$5,917
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Tunica Ring Event #2: No-Limit Hold'em
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Tunica Ring Event #6: No-Limit Hold��em Six Handed
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$300+$45
344
$98,754
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Michael Urbaniak
O Fallon, MO
$22,714
2
Benjamin Kramer
Terre Haute, IN
$28,101
3
Matthew Weber
Sacramento, CA
$11,256
4
William Phillips
Metairie, LA
$7,598
5
Frank Smith
Hazel Green, AL
$6,302
6
Charlie Dawson
Owensboro, KY
$4,823
7
Jason Ivie
St. Louis, MO
$3,397
8
Tim Coleman
Nashville, TN
$2,674
9
Christopher Hewitt
Belleville, IL
$2,135
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Tunica Ring Event #7: No-Limit Hold��em
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$300+$45
433
$126,003
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Andrew Smith
St. Louis, MO
$27,426
2
Steve Melton
Noble, OK
$16,947
3
Chris Ashley
Martinez, GA
$12,383
4
David Clark
Dallas, TX
$9,194
5
Drew Dumanski
Richardson, TX
$6,933
6
Floyd Arnold
Marietta, GA
$5,306
7
Omar Zazay
Dallas, TX
$4,121
8
Tom Luce
Sharpsville, IN
$3,246
9
Joseph Tyson
Chesterfield, VA
$2,593
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Harrah��s Tunica Casino Champion is undecided. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. That event is limited to 100 players, and so far only a handful of players have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
Player
Qualified
David Nicholson
Horseshoe Bossier City Main Event Winner
Chris Gamboa
Horseshoe Bossier City Casino Champion
Robert Castoire
Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner
Mark ��Pegasus�� Smith
Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion
Bob Chow
Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner
Drazen Ilich
Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion
Gene Dudek
IP Biloxi Casino Champion
Jerry Monroe
IP Biloxi Main Event Winner
Michael Rosenbach
Lake Tahoe Casino Champ
Bryan Schultz
Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion
Tuan Phan
Harrah��s AC Main Event Winner
Hao Le
Harrah��s AC Casino Champ
Freddy Deeb
Bicycle Casino Main Event Winner
Huy Quach
Bicycle Casino Champ
Raja Kattamuri
Choctaw Casino Champ
Abraham Araya
Choctaw Main Event Champion
Gary Bolden
Caesars Palace Casino Champ
Kevin Calenzo
Caesars Palace Main Event Winner
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*
Player
Points
Rings
Cashed
Earnings
David Clark
165
1
7
$56,209
Russell Ivy
130
0
7
$72,703
Benjamin Kramer
127.5
1
7
$58,063
Daniel Lowery
120
0
5
$238,921
Alexandru Masek
117.5
1
5
$125,015
Jeremy Burleson
117.5
2
3
$48,474
Robert Newman
115
1
4
$45,619
Jennifer Parrish
115
0
9
$38,531
Matthew Chang
112.5
1
6
$23,149
Justin Gardenhire
110
1
4
$120,807
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Tunica stop.
Don��t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are still plenty of opportunities to play, including any of the remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule.
Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule
Event
Location
Dates
Circuit Event
Palm Beach Kennel Club
Feb. 16 - 27, 2012
Circuit Event
Caesars Atlantic City
March 1 - 12, 2012
Circuit Event
Harrah��s Rincon
March 15 - 26, 2012
Circuit Event
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
March 29 - April 9, 2012
Circuit Event
Harrah��s St. Louis
April 12 - 23, 2012
Circuit Event
Harrah��s Chester
April 26 - May 7, 2012
Circuit Event
Harrah��s New Orleans
May 10 - 21, 2012
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! In the meantime, see who qualifies for the National Championship this week by following our Live Reporting Team��s coverage from Harrah��s Tunica.
*Photo courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.