WSOPC Foxwoods Finishes, SHRPO Nears Main

WSOP Circuit Finishes First Stop of New Season

The World Series of Poker Circuit got underway only a few weeks after the WSOP ended (temporarily) in Las Vegas. Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut was the first stop on the 2013-2014 schedule, and there were 12 tournaments for players from August 8-20.

Of the preliminary events, the one that caught the most attention was Event 9, the $580 NLHE event. The winner was Ari Engel, who defeated Aaron Massey heads-up to claim the win and nearly $30K. An even bigger feat was winning his sixth WSOP Circuit ring, which ties him with Alex Masek for second place, as the only player with more is Chris Reslock with seven.

The primary attraction at Foxwoods was the $1,675 NLHE Main Event, and it drew 591 entries to create an $888,568 prize pool. The top 63 players were paid, including names like David Singer, Grant Lang, and Leo Wolpert. Ultimately, though, Jason Strasser emerged victorious for the title, seat in the National Championship, and more than $186K.

1^st place: Jason Strasser ($186,600)

2^nd place: Wes Wyvill ($115,069)

3^rd place: Joe Morneau ($84,414)

4^th place: Bryan Leskowitz ($62,555)

5^th place: Mike Guadano ($47,095)

6^th place: James Rubin ($35,898)

7^th place: Scott Baker ($27,545)

8^th place: Keith Donovan ($21,770)

9^th place: Frank Pezzullo ($17,357)

SHRPO Nears Main Event

The Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, was preparing for the $10 Million GTD Main Event, but many of the preliminary events of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open tournaments were still playing out. There were some big events of the 33 on the schedule.

Event 7 was a significant one, offering a $1 million guarantee for a $560 buy-in. It attracted 3,389 players for an actual prize pool of $1,694,500, and the final table included names like Samuel Barnhart, Wendy Freedman, and Bryan Campanello. Raymond Piccin ultimately defeated Darren Rabinowitz to win the title and $291,087.

Cory Blum won Event 8, James Sutherland took down Event 9, and Jason Like conquered Event 10. Other winners over the past week included Jacob Schindler, John Holley for two events, Jorie Polokoff, Bennie Sims, Matthew Kirby, and Luis Vasquez.