Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Rincon
Harrah��s Rincon is one of the most popular World Series of Poker Circuit stops each and every year. The California poker crowd is apt to make the trip to the 662-room property north of San Diego, and Las Vegas locals often make the four-hour drive.
This year, Rincon marked the 14th out of 17 stops of the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit season and began on March 15. With 12 rings up for grabs and two spots being awarded to the $1 million WSOP Circuit National Championship (July 6 through 7 with the final table being played out July 11), not to mention the 100 guaranteed seats reserved for the top 100 point earners on the Circuit, Rincon was generating a lot of excitement, especially during Event #2: $565 No-Limit Hold��em.
That event drew 155 players and created a prize pool of $75,175, but it wasn��t until the last day of play, which began with 12 players, that all eyes turned to Alexandru Masek, a local part-time poker player from San Diego who was making a push for the final table. The four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner was looking to capture his record-tying fifth ring. Masek, a 27-year-old law school graduate, made the unofficial final table of ten with an above-average count, but the deck soon turned against him and he was eliminated in tenth place.
One man who did have some luck was Dean Buchanan, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Kirkland, Washington. The young pro navigated the final table all the way down to heads-up play where he ran into John Piotrowski. Their battle lasted three hours, but when the final hand fell, Buchanan ended up with all the chips and took home $19,934.
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #1: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 331 | $96,321 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Paquio | San Diego, CA | $21,844 |
| 2 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | $13,504 |
| 3 | Randy Reyes | Gardena, CA | $9,851 |
| 4 | Andrew Sapiro | Alamo, CA | $7,307 |
| 5 | Steve Crockett | Costa Mesa, CA | $5,505 |
| 6 | Jason Jacintho | San Diego, CA | $4,210 |
| 7 | Christopher Daniel | Tempe, AZ | $3,267 |
| 8 | Dan Natarelli | Simi Valley, CA | $2,572 |
| 9 | Mark Austria | Moreno Valley, CA | $2,053 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Event #2: No-Limit Hold'em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$65 | 155 | $75,175 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dean Buchanan | Kirkland, WA | $19,934 |
| 2 | John Piotrowski | Tucson, AZ | $12,318 |
| 3 | Ronald Phipps | Valencia, CA | $8,867 |
| 4 | [Removed:321] Sotoudeh | San Diego, CA | $6,499 |
| 5 | Richard Lanes | El Cajon, CA | $4,847 |
| 6 | Chris Back | Vancouver, BC | $3,679 |
| 7 | Tom Leach | Thousand Oaks, CA | $2,839 |
| 8 | Stuart Pfeifer | Los Angeles, CA | $2,227 |
| 9 | Jason DeWitt | Decatur, GA | $1,776 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Event #3: H.O.R.S.E.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 155 | $75,175 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Schulze | Glendora, CA | $8,324 |
| 2 | Sirous Baghchehsaraie | Cerritos, CA | $5,145 |
| 3 | Roderick Pahl | Missoula, MT | $3,664 |
| 4 | Justin Downing | San Diego, CA | $2,661 |
| 5 | Brent Carter | Oak Park, IL | $1,971 |
| 6 | Kenneth Morey | San Diego, CA | $1,488 |
| 7 | Steven Pineault | Poway, CA | $1,145 |
| 8 | Matthew Ardo | San Diego, CA | $897 |
| 9 | Brian Ali | Brooklyn, NY | $2,751 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #4: No-Limit Hold��em Re-Entry
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 487 | $141,717 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Natarelli | Simi Valley, CA | $30,182 |
| 2 | David Clark | Dallas, TX | $18,659 |
| 3 | Grant Foster | San Diego, CA | $13,631 |
| 4 | Michael Degroot | Marina, CA | $10,105 |
| 5 | Rene Luna | Tepic, Mexico | $7,599 |
| 6 | Sean Burson | Hidden Valley Lake, CA | $5,797 |
| 7 | Adrian Lopez | Sylmar, CA | $4,485 |
| 8 | Christopher Shadron | San Diego, CA | $3,519 |
| 9 | Connor Cronkhite | Erie, PA | $2,800 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Event #5: No-Limit Hold'em Turbo
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 159 | $46,269 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delbert Ramos | Montebello, CA | $12,130 |
| 2 | Katrina Lim | Las Vegas, NV | $7,495 |
| 3 | Josh Roberts | Jackson, CA | $5,395 |
| 4 | George Hanold | Costa Mesa, CA | $3,954 |
| 5 | Jack Converse | Yorba Linda, CA | $2,949 |
| 6 | James Particka | Chula Vista, CA | $2,238 |
| 7 | John Leon | Middletown, DE | $1,728 |
| 8 | Alex Ramos | San Diego, CA | $1,355 |
| 9 | Eddy Sabat | Lancaster, CA | $1,081 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #6: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 197 | $57,327 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Mackoff | Vancouver, BC | $14,555 |
| 2 | Scott Belander | El Cajon, CA | $8,990 |
| 3 | Patrick Wilmes | Moreno Valley, CA | $6,492 |
| 4 | Everett Carlton | St. Paul, MN | $4,768 |
| 5 | Jeffrey Coddington | Concord, CA | $3,562 |
| 6 | Gary Bousquet | San Diego, CA | $2,706 |
| 7 | Alan Ho | San Diego, CA | $2,091 |
| 8 | Michael Souza | San Diego, CA | $1,642 |
| 9 | Habib Khanis | San Diego, CA | $1,310 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #7: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 164 | $47,724 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Evans | Plano, TX | $12,519 |
| 2 | Matthew Lewey | Alton, IL | $7,738 |
| 3 | Bryan Devonshire | Henderson, NV | $5,570 |
| 4 | Joshua Saewitz | Lakeside, CA | $4,082 |
| 5 | Tom Braband | Las Vegas, NV | $3,045 |
| 6 | Shamus Crean | La Jolla, CA | $2,311 |
| 7 | Robert Wilkinson | El Segundo, CA | $1,784 |
| 8 | Wade Hamilton | Jamul, CA | $1,399 |
| 9 | Katie Dozier | Las Vegas, NV | $1,116 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #8: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$65 | 139 | $67,415 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corey Cutrell | Seattle, WA | $18,500 |
| 2 | William Berman | Carlsbad, CA | $11,433 |
| 3 | Branden Rupp | Las Vegas, NV | $8,253 |
| 4 | Andrew Rowland | San Diego, CA | $6,064 |
| 5 | John Lee | Suwanee, GA | $4,533 |
| 6 | Jonas Mackoff | Vancouver, BC | $3,447 |
| 7 | Brian Mintz | Cloverdale, CA | $2,664 |
| 8 | Chris Parsons | Mentor, OH | $2,093 |
| 9 | Leroy Spires | Las Cruces, NM | $1,671 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #9: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 220 | $64,020 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Harris | Dallas, TX | $16,004 |
| 2 | Christopher Cronin | Gilbert, AZ | $9,892 |
| 3 | Stephen Buell | Green Bay, WI | $7,200 |
| 4 | Casey Stewart | Canyon Country, CA | $5,325 |
| 5 | Alexandru Masek | San Diego, CA | $3,999 |
| 6 | Emmanuel Desmarais | Montreal QB | $3,051 |
| 7 | Dale Dacruz | Warwick, RI | $2,362 |
| 8 | Anthony Ditomaso | El Cajon, CA | $1,857 |
| 9 | Marcnelson Dimla | Corona, CA | $1,481 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #10: No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000+$90 | 87 | $84,730 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Cantu | Las Vegas, NV | $27,004 |
| 2 | Rocky Bernardo | Vienna, VA | $16,690 |
| 3 | Ashley Jarunpon | Sacramento, CA | $11,683 |
| 4 | Gavin Smith | Guelph, ON | $8,510 |
| 5 | Dan Casetta | Los Gatos, CA | $6,261 |
| 6 | Isaac Hagerling | Chicago, IL | $4,677 |
| 7 | Andrew Yeh | Las Vegas, NV | $3,751 |
| 8 | Matthew Crooks | San Francisco, CA | $3,127 |
| 9 | Gavin Griffin | Ladera Ranch, CA | $2,687 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon 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 |
| Matthew Weber | Harrah��s Tunica Casino Champ |
| Kurt Jewell | Harrah��s Tunica Main Event Winner |
| Charles Flett | Palm Beach Casino Champ |
| James Harnden | Palm Beach Main Event Winner |
| Tuan Phan | Harrah��s AC Main Event Winner |
| Hao Le | Harrah��s AC Casino Champ |
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 | 202.5 | 1 | 8 | $74,868 |
| Mark ��P0ker H0�� Kroon | 137.5 | 1 | 6 | $61,156 |
| Rex Clinkscales | 135 | 0 | 9 | $39,780 |
| Daniel Blakeman | 132.5 | 1 | 5 | $139,308 |
| Chris Parsons | 132.5 | 0 | 6 | $72,849 |
| Russell Ivy | 130 | 0 | 7 | $72,703 |
| Benjamin Kramer | 130 | 1 | 8 | $58,600 |
| Michael Cooper | 130 | 0 | 7 | $55,092 |
| Alexandru Masek | 127.5 | 1 | 6 | $126,454 |
| Roman Valerstein | 125 | 0 | 5 | $116,282 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon 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 | 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 |
*Photos courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.
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 the Harrah��s Rincon.
