Previewing the 2012-2013 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Rincon
The eighth stop of the 2012/2013 World Series of Poker Circuit presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof at Harrah��s Rincon kicked off on Dec. 6 with the first of 12 ring events. Many of those tournaments have concluded throughout the week, but the stop won��t climax until this weekend��s $1,675 Main Event, which you can follow by clicking here.
In the meantime, we thought we��d set the stage by taking a look at the preliminary events thus far, which included a historic performance by Alexandru Masek, who won his record-tying fifth gold ring in Event #1 $365 No-Limit Hold��em. The 27-year-old law school graduate from San Diego moved into a three-way tie alongside Mark ��Pegausus�� Smith and Kyle Cartwright.
��I feel really good. I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now,�� Masek told WSOP officials shortly after his win. ��I feel like I got close quite a few times (to winning the fifth), and that's tournament poker. Now, it's great to finally get number five to come out.��
Masek navigated a field of 205 players to make the final table, which turned out to be a nine-hour affair. What��s more, the winner of the same event the previous year, Randy Paguio, was also at the final table. Fittingly, the two experienced players made it to heads-up play. That meant WSOP Circuit history would be made because either Masek would win ring number five, or Paguio would go back-to-back. As fate would have it, lady luck favored Masek, who took home $15,989 for the win.
��When I won before, I don't think back then I realized how hard it is to win,�� Masek said. ��[The drought of not winning] made me realize just how good I ran when I was winning.��
Check out Masek��s postvictory interview with the WSOP��s Nolan Dalla:
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+$65 | 157 | $47,100 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandru Masek | San Diego, CA | $15,989 |
| 2 | Randy Paguio | San Diego, CA | $9,878 |
| 3 | Kevin Swad | Bloomington, IN | $7,132 |
| 4 | Keith Morgan | Encinitas, CA | $5,238 |
| 5 | Kevin Krickhahn | El Cajon, CA | $3,913 |
| 6 | Lance Martinez | Mukilteo, WA | $2,974 |
| 7 | Titan Leard | San Clemente, CA | $2,297 |
| 8 | Kenton Taylor | El Centro, CA | $1,804 |
| 9 | Robert Hoag | San Diego, CA | $1,439 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 205 | $61,500 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Souza | San Diego, CA | $12,718 |
| 2 | Robert Pagcaliwagan | Oceanside, CA | $7,859 |
| 3 | Thomas Rogers | Milwaukee, WI | $5,657 |
| 4 | Charles Deets | Oceanside, CA | $4,146 |
| 5 | Paul Hendee | Redwood, Valley, CA | $3,093 |
| 6 | Neil Scott | Mammoth Lakes, CA | $2,347 |
| 7 | Michelle Owen | Surrey, British Columbia, Canada | $1,811 |
| 8 | Joseph Hurvitz | San Diego, CA | $1,421 |
| 9 | Mary Anne Madruga | San Diego, CA | $1,133 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #3 H.O.R.S.E.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 71 | $21,300 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Schultz | San Diego, CA | $7,241 |
| 2 | Frank Lin | Los Angeles, CA | $4,481 |
| 3 | Jeff Myers | Los Angeles, CA | $2,950 |
| 4 | Fernando Ortiz | San Diego, CA | $2,065 |
| 5 | Kenneth Leflore | El Cajon, CA | $1,530 |
| 6 | Henry Ferguson | Los Angeles, CA | $1,197 |
| 7 | Alexander Lee | San Diego, CA | $985 |
| 8 | Kevin Krickhahn | El Cajon, CA | $851 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 400 | $120,000 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Wynn | Las Vegas, NV | $26,405 |
| 2 | Carter Myers | Breckenridge, MI | $16,314 |
| 3 | Gary Fessia | Chula Vista, CA | $11,921 |
| 4 | Darius Johnson | Vallejo, CA | $8,851 |
| 5 | Dave Para | La Mesa, CA | $6,674 |
| 6 | Shawn Daniels | Wayne, PA | $5,108 |
| 7 | Sean Yu | Irvine, CA | $3,967 |
| 8 | David Clark | Dallas, TX | $3,125 |
| 9 | Lucien Breault | Ewa Beach, HI | $2,496 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #5 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 141 | $42,300 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donna Delfin | Folsom, CA | $11,844 |
| 2 | Todd Davis | Jacksonville, FL | $7,320 |
| 3 | John Meekhael | Anaheim, CA | $5,284 |
| 4 | Raymond Padgett | Santa Paula, CA | $3,883 |
| 5 | Connor Cronkhite | Erie, PA | $2,903 |
| 6 | Jack Converse | Yorba Linda, CA | $2,207 |
| 7 | Adam Laskey | Fargo, ND | $1,706 |
| 8 | Chad Thyzel | Temecula, CA | $1,340 |
| 9 | Eric Revak | Santee, CA | $1,070 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 135 | $40,500 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Nguyen | San Diego, CA | $11,341 |
| 2 | Saul Frank | Escondido, CA | $7,009 |
| 3 | Thomas Johnson | Mansfield, TX | $5,059 |
| 4 | Ivan Mahood | Maple Ridge, BC, Canada | $3,717 |
| 5 | Peter Zaferis | Temecula, CA | $2,779 |
| 6 | Sam Ashley | Southlake, TX | $2,113 |
| 7 | Daniel Rincones | Cullacan, Mexico | $1,633 |
| 8 | Tavish Margers | Santee, CA | $1,283 |
| 9 | Chris Ruby | Temecula, CA | $1,024 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #7 No-Limit Hold��em Six Handed
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 126 | $37,800 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Vornicu | San Diego, CA | $10,858 |
| 2 | Eddy Asady | San Diego, CA | $6,712 |
| 3 | Casey Stewart | Canyon Country, CA | $4,838 |
| 4 | Jason Tang | El Cajon, CA | $3,501 |
| 5 | Dwight Englekirk | Zephyr Cove, NV | $2,543 |
| 6 | Brian Coan | Riverside, CA | $1,854 |
| 7 | William Ellis II | Blue Springs, MO | $1,356 |
| 8 | Jarod Ludemann | Wells, MN | $1,356 |
| 9 | Jack Converse | Yorba Linda, CA | $995 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Ring Event #8 No-Limit Hold��em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 162 | $48,600 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nancy Birnbaum | Atlanta, GA | $13,122 |
| 2 | David Anderson | Murrieta, CA | $8,109 |
| 3 | Brent Carter | Oak Park, IL | $5,837 |
| 4 | Chad Wassmuth | Lewiston, ID | $4,278 |
| 5 | Jonathan Chehanske | Brigantine, NJ | $3,191 |
| 6 | Misato Black | Las Vegas, NV | $2,422 |
| 7 | Daniel Rincones | Culiacan, Mexico | $1,869 |
| 8 | John Kral | San Diego, CA | $1,465 |
| 9 | Glenn Castens | Carlsbad, CA | $1,169 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon Champion is undetermined. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. Here's a look at the players who have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Player | Qualified |
|---|---|
| Adam Teasdale | Harrah��s Atlantic City Main Event Champion |
| Brandon Fish | Harrah��s Atlantic City Casino Champion |
| Cary Marshall | Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion |
| Daniel Gilmer | Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino Champion |
| John Crncic | River Rock (Vancouver) Main Event Winner |
| Sandra Wong | River Rock (Vancouver) Casino Champion |
| Josh Williams | Horseshoe Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner |
| Mike Leah | Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion |
| Dan Heimiller | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner |
| Jonathan Taylor | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion |
| Quan Nguyen | Bossier City Casino Champion |
| Jeff Gibralter | Bossier City Main Event Champion |
| Kyle Cartwright | IP Biloxi Main Event Winner |
| Cory Wood | IP Biloxi Casino Champion |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yossi Azulay | 165 | 0 | 12 | $79,218 |
| Charles ��Woody�� Moore | 150 | 0 | 7 | $46,997 |
| Rex Clinkscales | 145 | 0 | 6 | $35,499 |
| Caufman Talley | 142.5 | 2 | 5 | $82,963 |
| Aaron Massey | 142.5 | 1 | 5 | $55,252 |
| Carter Myers | 125 | 1 | 6 | $49,713 |
| Donna Delfin | 112.5 | 1 | 3 | $26,908 |
| Ashly Butler | 112.5 | 1 | 4 | $25,415 |
| Ari Engel | 105 | 1 | 4 | $68,762 |
| Trevor Deeter | 105 | 1 | 6 | $33,098 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Rincon stop.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
| Date | Event Location |
|---|---|
| Jan. 3-14, 2013 | The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles) |
| Jan. 10-21, 2013 | Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma) |
| Jan. 24 - Feb. 4, 2013 | Harrah��s Tunica (Mississippi) |
| Feb. 7-18, 2013 | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) |
| Feb. 14-25, 2013 | Palm Beach Kennel Club (Florida) |
| Feb. 28 - March 11, 2013 | Caesars Atlantic City |
| March 14-25, 2013 | Horseshoe Cleveland |
| March 27 - April 8, 2013 | Foxwoods (Connecticut) |
| April 4-15, 2012 | Harrah��s Cherokee (North Carolina) |
| April 11-April 22, 2013 | Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Iowa) |
| April 25 - May 6, 2013 | Harrah��s Philadelphia |
| May 9 - May 20, 2013 | Harrah��s New Orleans |
| May 21-23, 2013 | Harrah��s New Orleans (National Championship) |
For more information on the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit season, visit WSOP.com. Also, be sure to follow our live updates from the WSOP Circuit Harrah��s Atlantic City in our Live Reporting Section.
*Photos courtesy of WSOP.com.
Follow the WSOP Circuit Harrah's Rincon Main Event by clicking here.
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