Lee Wins WSOPC ring, WSOPC Lodge Main Underway

Bernard Lee Wins First WSOPC Ring

As the World Series of Poker Circuit played out its preliminary events in Colorado, Event 9 became one to watch.

The $365 NLHE Turbo tournament had 179 entries and a $53,700 prize pool, and the heads-up match was much-discussed on social media. Alexandru Masek was vying for his historic ninth WSOPC ring, while Bernard Lee was seeking his first. In the end, Lee persevered and captured that first ring, along with $14,500.

“To beat the player with the most WSOP rings makes it that much more special,” Lee said. “We live for titles as professional poker players, and this one is truly memorable.”  He also mentioned that he dedicated the win to Maya, his nine-year-old daughter, who just celebrated her birthday last week.

WSOPC Lodge Nears Final Table

The World Series of Poker Circuit was in Black Hawk, Colorado, and the Lodge Casino hosted the series of tournaments. Event 11 was the NLHE Main Event, which began on May 2 and required a $1,675 buy-in.

Day 1A brought in 142 players, with 27 of them surviving the night. Alexander Greenblatt held the chip lead by a wide margin with 410,500 chips.

Day 1B added another 188 entries, completing the prize pool at $495K for the 330 entries. The top 33 players were to be paid with $116,325 reserved for the winner.

Day 2 brought 69 players back for more tournament action, but many of them left before the money bubble burst. Aaron Frei was eliminated in 34^th place to start the payouts for the rest of the group, and Jason Gole was the first to cash for $2,955. Others who followed to the cashier cage included Joe Kuether, Bernard Lee, Alexandru Masek, and Tim West.

George Medina was eliminated in 13^th place just before the dinner break and took home $7,148 for the finish. The chip counts showed that Alexander Greenblatt held the chip lead at that point with 1,865,000 in his stack.