On Thursday, April 28, 2011, the World Series of Poker Circuit kicked off its latest $1,600 Main Event, this time right in poker��s backyard at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The winner of that event, along with the overall ��Casino Champion,�� will qualify for the upcoming $1 Million Freeroll National Championship. What��s the best way to capture the latter title? Play the preliminary ring events.
Each WSOP-Circuit stop hosts ten gold-ring events. Players can earn National Leaderboard points, based upon their performance in those events, and hopefully accumulate enough to qualify for the National Championship in May (coincidentally, that event will also be held at Caesars Palace). The player who earns the most points at each stop (AKA the "Casino Champion") automatically qualifies for that event. You can find a summary of the ring events (shown below) leading up to the Main Event, along with the current standings on the Event Leaderboard.
As always, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team is providing coverage of the Main Event, but here's a look at some of the ring events leading up to the Main Event.
Ring Opener has 16-Percent Increase
Last year, the first ring event at the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace drew 384 players. This year, 448 players forked over the $350 buy-in for a 16 percent increase in attendance. After two days of play, two Europeans outlasted a field, comprised mainly of Americans, to square off in heads-up action. In the end, Italian Giuseppe Biancoviso claimed victory and the $28,398 first-place prize.
The second ring event proved that the attendance increase in the opening event wasn��t a fluke. In fact, the $560 NLHE ring event drew 247 players, a 26 percent increase over last year��s field of 195 players. Combined, the first two ring events of the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace saw 695 entrants, up 18 percent from the same events in 2010.
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold��em
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$500+$60
247
$118,560
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Randy Huberty
La Grange, KY
$29,047
2
Brian Hunt
Pearland, TX
$17,948
3
Brandon Bowyer
Corona, CA
$12,967
4
Akio Ishii
Tokyo, Japan
$9,543
5
Barry Clapp
Calgary, AB
$7,149
6
Richard Jackson
Key West, FL
$5,448
7
Raju Jawalekar
Las Vegas, NV
$4,221
8
Neil Webber
Austin, TX
$3,323
9
Darren Michels
Henderson, NV
$2,658
Event #3 Plays Let��s Make a Deal
The final six players in the $350-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better Event opted to strike a deal that saw Terry Crowe named the victor, for which he earned his first WSOP-Circuit ring. Crowe is no stranger to poker, having worked for the World Poker Tour. Now he specializes in endorsements and sponsorships. With 19 major cashes and two tournament victories, Crowe may be in need of some endorsements himself.
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #3 Limit Omaha Eight or Better
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$300+$50
113
$32,555
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
*1
Terry Crowe
Los Osos, CA
$9,766
*2
David Jackie
Las Vegas, NV
$6,036
*3
Brian Bumpas
Long Beach, CA
$4,298
*4
Terry Stady
Albuquerque, NM
$3,122
*5
Faud Koubi
Van Nuys, CA
$2,313
*6
Brian Wilke
Colorado Springs, CO
$1,746
7
Joseph Mitchell
Not Listed
$1,343
8
Christopher Zurawski
Glen Ellyn, IL
$1,052
9
Bruce Hoyt
Gilbert, AZ
$839
*Denotes six-way deal
��It��s About the Ring��
Nhu ��Taylor�� Nguyen, a 28-year-old business owner from Houston, Texas, topped a field of 500 to take down Event #4 at the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace. After the win, she stated: ��I played really well, but I also caught some cards. I think I made the most of the situations where I had advantages and also did not ever give up, even when I lost a few big hands.�� She went on to elaborate as to why she declined an offer to chop the prize money: ��It was an easy decision for me. I was not going to settle for (one of the lower places). It��s not just about pride. It��s about the ring. I wanted to win the WSOP Circuit gold ring.��
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold��em
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$300+$50
500
$144,000
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Nhu ��Taylor�� Nguyen
Houston, TX
$30,962
2
Joel Nimmo
Pasco, WA
$19,142
3
Kennii Nguyen
Chicago, IL
$13,984
4
Jeremiah Degreef
Sandy, Utah
$10,367
5
Paul Balzano
Sunrise, FL
$7,796
6
Craig Goddard
Bognor Regas, UK
$5,947
7
Mehmet Karsli
Istanbul, Turkey
$4,601
8
Vincent Maglio
Revere, MA
$3,610
9
Raymond Lam
Vancouver, BC
$2,873
A Look at the Rest of the Ring Events . . .
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #5 Pot Limit Omaha
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$300+$50
123
$35,424
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Jessie Bryant
Conway, AR
$9,919
2
Blake Kelso
Las Vegas, NV
$6,130
3
Jordan Stone
Fayetteville, GA
$4,425
4
Gregory Aversa
Las Vegas, NV
$3,252
5
Ryan Mcclain
Warrensburg, MO
$2,431
6
James Cavanaugh
Santa Rosa, CA
$1,848
7
Richard Cresiski
Cambridge, MA
$1,492
8
Eric Froehlich
Springfield, VA
$1,122
9
Hoang Nguyen
Chicago, IL
$896
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold��em
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$500+$60
306
$146,880
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Robert Whalen
Cudahy, WI
$34,517
2
Daniel Eichhorn
Henderson, NV
$21,342
3
Daniel Sindelar
Las Vegas, NV
$15,500
4
Christopher Felix
Las Vegas, NV
$11,449
5
Michael Holm
Woodridge, IL
$8,595
6
Zachary King
Henderson, NV
$6,555
7
Vincent Maglio
Revere, MA
$5,078
8
Saeed Sotendeh
Toronto, ON
$3,992
9
Norihisa Okada
Gumma, Japan
$3,186
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #7 No-Limit Hold��em
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$300+$50
530
$152,640
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Todd Chew
Nowhere, IL
$32,809
2
Jeff Sluzinski
Las Vegas, NV
$20,290
3
Thomas Alex Hult
Borlange, Sweden
$14,823
4
Michael Wasserman
Las Vegas, NV
$10,989
5
Justin Kruger
Denison, TX
$8,264
6
Thomas
Aurach, Austria
$6,304
7
Joe Wailor
Seattle, Washington
$4,877
8
Adam Hui
Markham, ON
$3,827
9
James Glenn
Redding, CA
$3,045
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #8 NLHE Six-Handed
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
$500+$60
306
$146,880
Place
Player
Hometown
Prize
1
Michael Souza
San Diego, CA
$27,001
2
Christopher Amaral
Fall River, MA
$16,688
3
[Removed:321] Abedi-Arani
Las Vegas, NV
$15,500
4
Blake Kelso
Las Vegas, NV
$8,982
5
Peter Lockwood
Arlington, TX
$6,747
6
Hiroaki Harada
Costa Mesa, CA
$5,146
7
Rick Troendly
United States
$3,985
8
Jay Hong
Riverside, CA
$3,132
9
Rex Clinkscales
Las Vegas, NV
$2,498
WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Ring Event #9 No-Limit Hold'em
*Dao has already clinched his seat in the National Championship with a final-table appearance at the West Regional Championship at Harrah's Rincon.
You can check out our live coverage of the WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Main Event (which is happening now) on our Live Reporting page. In the meantime, don��t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship and your shot at the $1 million freeroll. There are still a few opportunities left on the WSOP Circuit schedule.
Remaining 2010/2011 WSOP Circuit Schedule
Event
Location
Dates
Circuit Event
Caesars Palace (Las Vegas)
April 14-30, 2011
Circuit Event
Harrah��s Chester
April 27-May 9, 2011
Regional Championship
Harrah��s New Orleans
May 9-May 22, 2011
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