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2010 Harrah's Tunica
World Series of Poker Circuit Event

Doyle's Casino Does Accept US Players!!!

Event #1 -- No Limit Hold'Em

This two day event was the start of things at Harrah's Tunica, and saw Michael Crump as it's first champion. Mark "Pegasus" Smith, who fell short of another WSOP circuit victory and a 5th circuit gold ring, was part of a 304 player field. Buy in was $340 per player and the prize pool reached $83,064 that went to the top 30 finishers. The first day finished with 21 players left and Mark "Pegasus" Smith as the chip leader with 367,000 in his stack. A final table with 9 players was defined after the bust of Mike Bowling in 10th place around 3:30 PM when his K Q lost to the pocket A's of William Ryan Enis.

With blinds at $5,000/$10,000 and a $2,000 ante, first to leave in 9th place was James Whittinghill who lost to the pocket 8's of Smith. David Couch followed in 8th after seeing his all-in with pocket K's run over by the pocket A's belonging to J. Austin Hijar. Joseph Pace lost his all-in and finished in 7th when Gerard Thorpe won the hand Ace high. Hijar's performance at the tables was capped with a 6th place payout after losing to Michael Crump who made two pair (A's and 6's) on the flop. Smith finished in 5th place after the all-in move he made with K Q lost to the A 10 of Jerold Rogers. Gerold Thorpe ended up in 4th when he lost his all-in with 10 Q, attempting to make a gutshot straight draw. Enis was sealed in 3rd after losing to the 9 high straight of Crump.

Heads up began with $10,000/$20,000 and a ante of $3,000 with Crump having a huge chip lead over Rodgers. With a few hands into the action, Rodgers moved to the middle with 2 9 A 10 on the turn, having 10 5 and was called by Crump with A 9. A Queen on the river ended the match and rewarded Crump with the gold ring of WSOP circuit champions.

1. Michael Crump -- $20,185
2. James Jerold Rogers -- $12,277
3. William Ryan Enis -- $8,738
4. Gerard Thorpe -- $6,246
5. Mark "Pegasus" Smith -- $4,992
6. J. Austin Hijar -- $3,746
7. Joseph Pace -- $2,500
8. David Couch -- $2,027
9. James Whittinghill -- $1,719

Event #2 -- No Limit Hold'Em

The second event found 293 players at the tables, competiting for the title of champion. Prize pool rose to $79,863 and was paid to the last 30 remaining. Event buyin was $340. Players did bustout left and right, making was for the final table action which began on Day 2.

First to go in 9th was Joseph Mcarthur who had done well, but decided to move all-in preflop with A 3. He was called by Kevin Buck with A 8 who paired his 8 card on the turn for the win. Now after one hour of play, the remaining eight players decided to strike a deal for the cash and just continue on for the ring. What you see below you are the 'official' payouts for the tournament, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. But the action did not stop with the next hand seeing Jack Armstrong and Donald Holford leave in 8th and 7th as they became the victims of quad 8's made by Joshua Kassinger on the river in a three way hand. Jeff Houston finished in 6th when his A 6 was outdone by the better hand made by James Mink. Next player railbound was Kassinger in 5th who went in with K J and lost to the Ace high hand of Houston White. Kevin Buck went to the cashier's cage for the 4th place payout after meeting the paired Aces of Mink. Soon after White placed his confidence in pocket 10's and went all-in. Unfortunately he was not rewarded and ended a great effort in 3rd place.

Heads up began with blinds at $20,000/$40,000 with a $5,000 ante and Elliott having a 5 to 1 chip lead over Mink. The winning hand was made when Elliott went all-in pre flop with A K and was called by Mink holding A 2. No additional help came from the board and Jonathan Elliott won his first WSOP circuit gold ring.

1. Jonathan Elliott -- $19,401
2. James Mink -- $11,804
3. Houston White -- $8,402
4. Kevin Buck -- $6,006
5. Joshua Kassinger -- $4,800
6. Jeffrey Houston -- $3,602
7. Donald Holford -- $2,404
8. Jack Armstrong -- $1,949
9. Joseph Mcarthur -- $1,653

Event #3 -- No Limit Hold'Em

This event attracted 286 players who paid $550 each for a seat. Prize pool grew to $133,310 that was divided between the top 30. Notable table action in this report will be given from the start of the final table on Day 2.

First two eliminations took place when Gerald Banach, Jason Mayfield and Doyne Finney went all-in preflop. Banach held pocket A's, Mayfield had pocket K's and Finney turned over pocket Q's. Four more heart cards came by the river, complementing the Queen hearts card held by Finney which "flushed" the other two players from the table. (Banach in 9th and Mayfield in 8th.) Phillip Parker took home the winnings from 7th place after failing to overcome the pocket Q's held by Shawn Brown. Ryan Watson lost to the paired Kings of Brown and finished in 6th place. Next, after receiving a 4 card flush draw on the flop, Darren Dwyer went all-in and was called by Brown who held pocket A's. Unfortunately, nothing else came to help Dwyer and he ended up walking over to the cashier's cage in 5th place. Robert Hankins took a all-in chance with pocket 7's and lost to the pocket J's of Finney to end his quest for the ring in 4th place. Third place went to Charles Dawson who could not keep up with the paired Kings belonging to Finney.

With heads up starting at 8:22 PM, blinds were at $12,000/$24,000 and ante of $4,000. After a few hands, both were all-in with a flop of 7 2 6. Finney had 7 5 for top pair, but Brown held 6 2 for two pair. The remaining cards bricked out and Shawn Brown earned his first WSOP gold Circuit ring, you know, the one worn by champions.

1. Shawn Brown -- $32,397.00
2. Doyne Finney -- $19,703.00
3. Charles Dawson -- $14,024.00
4. Robert Hankins -- $10,025.00
5. Darren Dwyer -- $8,012.00
6. Ryan Watson -- $6,012.00
7. Phillip Parker -- $4,013.00
8. Jason Mayfield -- $3,253.00
9. Gerald Banach -- $2,760.00

1. David Arthur Johnson -- $47,321
2. Peter Sullivan -- $26,879
3. Brian Roberts -- $16,782
4. Kenneth Piel -- $13,508
5. Radwan Khuri -- $10,892
6. David Brown -- $8,255
7. Adam Stein -- $5,458
8. Daniel Gordon -- $4,321
9. Dustin Gardner -- $3,729

Event #5 -- Seniors No Limit Hold'Em

Buy in was $230 for the 409 Seniors who sat down at the tables. Prize pool rose to $73,946 for the top 45 finishers of this two day event. The second day saw the final table begin at 4:19 PM with blinds at $10,000/$20,000 and a $5,000 ante. First to leave was John Payne who decided to move all-in dark and was called by John Bovin with A K. The 9 2 Payne was brandishing was only good enough for a 9th place finish. Michael Stephens lost to the better hand and ended up in 8th and Alfred Bailey lost to the pocket pair of another player and picked up the cash for 7th. After Roger "Georgia Boy" Lee busted in 6th, the remaining players struck a deal for the cash and continued to play.

The last and winning hand for the ring took place when Patterson moved to the middle with A 9 and was called by Donald Britt with K 9. None of the cards helped either player, so Rodgers Patterson made his claim to WSOP fame with his first tournament win.

1. Rodgers Patterson -- $16,356
2. Donald Britt -- $9,835
3. Edward Blevins -- $7,045
4. John Bovin -- $5,036
5. Russell Muller -- $4,030
6. Roger Lee -- $3,024
7. Alfred Bailey -- $2,011
8. Michael Stephens -- $1,634
9. John Payne -- $1,383

Event #6 -- No Limit Hold'Em

Well, this is a new one for the record books. The champion, 24 year old Derek Puza, has only been playing No Limit Hold'Em for one month before winning his first WSOP Circuit Championship. This two day event had 572 players in the field, helping to create a prize pool of $105,762 that went to the top 63. Buy in was $230. After 563 hopefuls were sent to the sidelines, the nine for the final table began their battle at 9:00 PM on Day 2.

First bustouts in 9th and 8th place were John Lopez and Keith Woernle who both lost to the A to 5 straight of Dutch Magrath respectively. In 7th place was Jody Atkins after being clubbed by the quad 4's belonging to Derek Puza. Ray Martin laid claim to 6th place, losing to the pocket 4's of Derek Puza. Zane Garner took home the cash for 5th when his K Q suited all-in failed to the pocket K's of Dutch Magrath. Larry Brown also went to the cashier's cage for the 4th place payout, after his pocket 7's lost to the higher pair made by Magrath. Then in 3rd, Ricky Gibson saw his quest for a gold ring squashed when he lost his all-in move.

The heads up began with both players close in chips. They both agreed the two players agreed to chop 1st and 2nd place prize and play on for the ring. In the final hand of the tournament saw call an all-in preflop from Magrath with Js-10d. Magrath turned over Ah-Kd. The flop came Qs-2s-8h, keeping Magrath in the lead, but giving Puza an inside straight draw. The turn was devastating for Magrath after a 9h was dealt, making him the runner up and giving Puza the win.

1. Derek Puza -- $22,218
2. Dutch Magrath -- $12,956
3. Richard Gibson -- $8,620
4. Larry Brown -- $6,631
5. Zane Garner -- $5,309
6. Ray Martin -- $3,977
7. Jody Atkins -- $2,655
8. Keith Woernle -- $2,158
9. John Lopez -- $1,830

Event #7 -- No Limit Hold'Em

The winner of this event learned how to turn lemons into lemonade as he began playing poker full time after being laid off in 2008. What was a side line of fun became full time income when his income dropped to $200 a week. Hankins came out first in a field of 408 players. A prize pool of $73,752 was split up between the top 45. Buy in was $230 per player.

When the final table started, Hankins was third in chips but knew he was on his way to victory. First to go was Brandon Jackson in 9th after having his pocket A's cracked by the pocket J's of Robert Taylor by the river. In 8th was Gregory Burns followed by Robert Taylor in 7th whos all-in move with A 2 was dominated by the A 9 belonging to Damjan Radanov. Radanov also busted Leo Stephens in 6th when another King paired his A K that left the A 2 of Stephens in the shadows. David Simon finished in 5th when his all-in move with A 4 lost to a better hand. Bobby "Bob the Chip Builder" Bryan was eliminated in 4th after losing his remaining stack to Radanov with J-9 against his opponent's A-10.

After Michael House was eliminated in 3rd, Hankins and Radanov, each with comparable chip stacks, made a deal. While details were not disclosed, the agreement resulted in Radanov taking 2nd place for an official payout of $9,809 while Hankins took the ring and an official payout of $16,314.

1. Robert "Skinny" Hankins -- $16,314
2. Damjan Radanov -- $9,809
3. Michael House -- $7,036
4. Bobby Byram -- $5,023
5. David Simon -- $4,019
6. Leo Stephens -- $3,016
7. Robert Taylor -- $2,006
8. Gregory Burns -- $1,630
9. Brandon Jackson -- $1,379

Event #8 -- No Limit Hold'Em

A field of 249 players each paid $340 for a seat to Event #8. Prize pool grew to $67,059 for the top 24 at the tables. John White is a retired nuclear physicist and the newest champion made at a WSOP Circuit event. (How many players would have stayed if they knew there was someone this smart in the field?)

After enough eliminations took place to create the final table, it got underway with blinds at $6,000/$12,000 and ante of $2,000. Busting out in 9th place was Bobby Woodruff after his pocket nines were defeated by another player. Wayne Gatheright claimed 8th place money when his push to the center was met by the pocket A's of White. Peter Hernandez failed to overcome the pocket 3's of his opponent and finished in 7th. David Kopacz who is a WSOP Circuit champion with the ring to prove it, failed to capture another and left the table in 6th. With just a few chips remaining in his stack Roy Salinas could not improve his 9 2 offsuit and picked up the money for 5th place. Lawrence Beach had his pocket 6's crushed and ended up railbound in 4th. A short-stacked Dale Curtis was the 3rd place finisher after being outflopped with A-J suited vs. John White's Q-2 off.

Heads up started with blinds at $15,000/$30,000 and a $4,000 ante. In the final hand, Schorr was all-in with A-2 vs. White's A-5. The board came Ks-Qs-4h-3d-Kc to give White kings with a 5-high kicker and the win. Schorr collected $10,475 for 2nd place.

1. John White -- $17,129
2. Robert Schorr -- $10,475
3. Dale Curtis -- $7,430
4. Lawrence Beach -- $5,304
5. Roy Salinas -- $4,245
6. David Kopacz -- $3,185
7. Peter Hernandez -- $2,126
8. Wayne Gatheright -- $1,723
9. Bobby Woodruff -- $1,462

Event #9 -- No Limit Hold'Em

A total of 230 people paid $340 each for a seat at the tables for this event. The pool reached $61,530 which went to the last remaining 25 players. While Day 1 saw the elimination of 221 players, Day 2 had the remaining 9 sit down for the final table.

Bobbie Talbot became the first to leave in 9th after losing to the full house (10's/4's) of Ray "Fibber" McGhee. Soon after Bruce Sturgeon went to the rail after losing his all-in, finishing 8th. John Murtagh finished in 7th losing to the two pair of Ben Clayborn. A King high flush belonging to Glyn Banks sent Danny Nelson out for some fresh air in 6th place. Banks then used his pocket 6's to bust Robert Russell in 5th. Ben Clayborn finished in 4th after his all-in with As-3s on the river on a board of 2d-2c-4s-Js-8c was met by McGhee who made the call, revealing 2s-4d for a flopped boat. In 3rd place was Benjamin Carli after meeting the full house (Q's/8's) McGhee made by the turn.

Heads up action saw McGhee with a 2-1 chip lead over Banks. In the final hand of the night, Banks was all-in with Ac-7c vs. McGhee's pocket jacks. Jacks held up to give McGhee $15,715 first place money and the Circuit Event ring.

1. Raymond Mcghee -- $15,715
2. Glyn Banks -- $9,611
3. Benjamin Carli -- $6,818
4. Benjamin Clayborn -- $4,867
5. Robert Russell -- $3,895
6. Danny Nelson -- $2,923
7. John Murtagh -- $1,951
8. Bruce Sturgeon -- $1,581
9. Bobbie Talbot -- $1,341

Event #10 -- No Limit Hold'Em

Coming closer to the championship event, we see the buyins are rising as 242 players paid $440 to enter Event #10. Payouts went to 24 players who split a $88,496 cash pool. And the lion's share of the pool went to local favorite and country musician Luther Lewis. This is a guy who is truly liked by everyone who knows him. Lewis went into the final table with the chip lead of 480,000.

Action began at 3:20 with blinds at $5,000/$10,000 with ante of $2,000. After the elimination of the first 7 players, at a decisive chip disadvantage to Lewis, Brock called his heads-up opponent aside. After a couple of minutes of discussion, the tournament was over with Brock taking home an official payout of $13,823 and Lewis the official $22,604 first place prize and the Circuit Event gold ring.

1. Luther Lewis -- $22,604
2. Jeter Brock -- $13,823
3. Mike Ashar -- $9,805
4. Ray Hall -- $7,000
5. Zack Lawmaster -- $5,602
6. Thomas Culberson -- $4,204
7. Scott Standridge -- $2,805
8. Michael Wolf -- $2,274
9. Terry Alvert -- $1,929

Event #11 -- No Limit Hold'Em

There were 210 players who ponied up the $550 for a seat at the tables. Cash pool hit $96,450 and went to the top 22 finishers in this two day event. The final table began with blinds at $4,000/$8,000 and a $1,000 ante. First player gone in 9th was Brett Connally when his all-in with pocket 5's were no match for the pocket Q's of Herbert Tapscott. Rose Cooney, one of two women who made the final table, finished in 8th after her K Q was decimated by the pocket A's of another player. Robert Meyer took one on the chin when his A K lost to the pocket 3's of Charlie Dawsonand ended up 7th. Erik Badgley lost out to a Queen kicker for 6th place and Charlie Dawson finished in 5th when his pocket 6's could not hold up for him. Michael Jordan ended up in 4th losing to the Ace high hand of Tapscott. Then Lisa Farmer, who played very strong this final table, failed to double up and went to the cashier's cage for the payout for 3rd place.

With blinds at $10,000/$20,000 and antes $3,000, heads up was between Sanders with 700,000 chips against Tapscott, who had a 1.7 million chip stack. In the final hand of the tournament, Sanders was all-in with pocket nines vs. Tapscott with pocket fours. Tapscott flopped a set before blanks hit the turn and river for the winning hand.

1. Herbert Tapscott -- $25,369
2. Michael Sanders -- $15,577
3. Lisa Farmer -- $11,024
4. Michael Jordan -- $7,870
5. Charlie Dawson -- $6,298
6. Erik Badgley -- $4,726
7. Robert Meyer -- $3,154
8. Rose Cooney -- $2,556
9. Brett Connally -- $2,170

Event #12 -- Ladies No Limit Hold'Em

With a buy in of $230 per player, a total of 162 ladies took to the tables. Pool size reached $26,028 and went to the top 18 finishers. Day 1 saw the field played down to 12 players. When Day 2 began, it took one hour for the final table to become established. Action started at 2:00 PM.

Sherry Hollis fell victim to the paired Kings of Louraine Roberts for a 9th place finish. Deborah Woit also was busted by Roberts when shw was outkicked by a Queen card, resulting in 8th. Karen Massey ended up in 7th after meeting the paired Queens of Donna Jetter. Next, Marie Hernandez lost to the Jack kicker belonging to Jetter which busted Hernandez in 6th. Louraine Roberts made a valiant all-in with A J, but it was not enough to overcome the pocket Kings of Jennifer Embrey, resulting in a 5th place win for Roberts. But soon Embrey went to pick up the cash for 4th when she lost to the 7 high straight of Jetter, and Lisa Craven finised in 3rd.

Now it was heads up time between Donna Jetter and Anne Manning. Jetter went to work, bleeding Manning's stack to just below 400,000. The final hand saw the two all-in with Manning showing 6h-6c and Jetter turning over Jh-Jc. The board came 10c-4s-7c-Kh-Qh, giving Jetter the win. Jetter pocketed $7,091 for first along with the gold WSOP Circuit Event ladies pendant. Manning collected $4,367 for second.

1. Donna Jetter -- $7,091
2. Anne Manning -- $4,367
3. Lisa Craven -- $3,084
4. Jennifer Embrey -- $2,202
5. Louraine Roberts -- $1,762
6. Marie Hernandez -- $1,322
7. Karen Massey -- $882
8. Deborah Woit -- $716
9. Sherry Hollis -- $606

Event #13 -- No Limit Hold'Em

This two day event had 180 players pay $340 each to get in on the action. Pool size rose to $46,980 going to the top 18 finishers. Larry Hicks, a former member of the state of Illinois House of Representatives, outlasted 179 opponents to take down event #13 of the 2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah's Tunica. Hicks was among a strong final group of ten players which included 2009 World Series of Poker Event #28 bracelet winner, Mike Eise and the winner of the 2009/2010 Harrah's Tunica Seniors Circuit Event, Rogers Patterson.

After the elimination of the first 7 at the final table, it was time for the last battle to take place. Heads-up action was between Hicks and Laser with Hicks holding a monstrous chip lead over his opponent. In the final hand, Hicks was all-in with A-10 off vs. Laser's 9-10 offsuit. The jack-high flop followed by a 6s turn and 10c river was the end of the tournament. Laser officially earned $7,883 for second place.

1. Larry Hicks -- $12,792
2. Alvin Laser -- $7,883
3. David Clough -- $5,567
4. David Taylor -- $3,975
5. Nathan Foust -- $3,181
6. Michael Warren -- $2,387
7. Michael Eise -- $1,593
8. Steven Pionk -- $1,292
9. Rogers Patterson -- $1,095

Event #14 -- No Limit Hold'Em

The buyin for this event was $340, resulting in a pool of $54,837 that went to the top 21. The champion Austin Schaal made a number of five figure cashes playing online, but this was his first time playing at a live final table. Once the field busted out to the last nine, here is how he did it.

Having blinds at $3,000/$6,000 and ante of $1,000, first to go in 9th was Michael Hamner. Hamner lost out to the flush made by another player. Jonathan Frey lost to the straight made by Brandon Garner. David Stafford was railbound in 7th after meeting the Queen kicker of Garner. Garner busted in 6th place after running his pocket nines into Schaal's pocket aces. Soon after Anthony Sansone was headed to the cashier's cage for a 5th place payout courtesy of the 10 kicker of Schaal. Daniel Pancotto was the 4th place finisher. He earned $4,475. Schaal then turned his attention to Steven Trimmer and went to the middle with pocket 10's that held to the river, sending Trimmer to the sidelines in 3rd place.

Schaal had more than a 3-1 chip lead heads up against Gary Shenberg. A few hands later, Schaal moved all-in on after the turn on a 10s-Js-8c-9s board. Shenberg knew what was coming, but with a short stack, called with 10-8. Schaal quickly turned over 8h-Qs for the straight. A blank on the river earned Schaal $14,425 for first place and the Circuit Event ring.

1. Austin Schaal -- $14,425
2. Gary Shenberg -- $8,856
3. Steven Trimmer -- $6,268
4. Daniel Pancotto -- $4,475
5. Anthony Sansone -- $3,581
6. Brandon Garner -- $2,687
7. David Stafford -- $1,793
8. Jonathan Frey -- $1,453
9. Michael Hamner -- $1,234

Event #15 -- No Limit Hold'Em

Over the past two days, a total of 230 players competed for the title of champion. The buy in was $340 and the prize pool reached $61,530 for the top 25. When the final table got underway, the comeback by Robert Hahs was absolutely incredible. Down to less than two big blinds at one point during final table play, Robert Hahs survived seven all-ins to win Event #15.

With blinds at $3,000/$6,000 and ante at $1,000, first to go in 9th place was Joseph Efford after losing to the two pair (Q's and 7's) of David Dao. Alex Gyr was stonewalled by the pocket Ks of Jeffery Ehman and finished 8th. But Ehman was next to leave in 7th after his all-in with pocket 3's was met by the pocket A's of Mark Eddleman that held to the river. In Choe was beaten badly when his all-in with pocket 10's met with the full house made by Perry Ernest (Q's/7's), and finished in 6th place. Rusty Farrin met his demise by the Ace high hand of Eddleman and left the table in 5th. Mark Eddleman made his move to the middle with pocket Q's, but lost to the straight made by Robert Hahs and ended up in 4th place. Perry Ernest lost to the flopped straight of Dao to receive the winnings for a 3rd place finish.

After about nearly 8 hours of play, heads-up action got underway. Dao and Hahs had considerable chip stacks with blinds and antes at 12,000/24,000/4,000. After doubling through each other twice, the two decided to chop the remaining prize pool. The final hand of the night saw Dao all-in with As-6s vs. Hahs' pocket 7's. The sevens held for Hahs, giving him the win.

1. Robert Hahs -- $15,715
2. David Dao -- $9,611
3. Perry Ernest -- $6,818
4. Mark Eddleman -- $4,687
5. Rusty Farrin -- $3,895
6. In Choe -- $2,923
7. Jeffery Ehman -- $1,951
8. Alex Gyr -- $1,581
9. Joseph Efford -- $1,341

Event #16 -- No Limit Hold'Em

A total of 196 entrants paid $440 each for a seat in this two day event. Pool size grew to $70,648 going to the top 21 remaining. The champion John "Cowboy" Land plays mostly cash games, but started tournaments a few years ago.

On Day 2 the final table started at 3:30 PM with blinds at $5,000/$10,000 and ante of $2,000. Gary Lucht busted in 9th after his all-in with A Q was met with pocket A's belonging to Wayne Philpot. Terry Crosby picked up the cash for 8th after he lost to the A K of Scott Uithoven. Christopher Gray was the 7th place finisher and Philpot followed him in 6th when he lost his all-in bid with J Q to the A K of Crosby. Soon after, Matt Lawrence was all-in from the big blind and got a call from Land from the small blind. Lawrence's As-10s was unable improve over Land Ad-Kc on a jack-high board, busting Lawrence out in 5th. Shawn Johnson was railbound in 4th, losing to a King kicker from another player. Terry Crosby was the 3rd place finisher after Niekerk's pocket nines held against his A-4 all-in.

The final hand of the night came with Niekerk all-in with Jc-6h vs. Land with pocket queens. The flop came 7h-Kd-5s. Though it appeared it was all but over, Land refused a congratulatory handshake from Niekerk. "Naw man, don't jinx me," he cautioned. But after a deuce of diamonds on the turn, formalities were permitted and the two men shook hands as a benign 3c hit the river. "Man, this is awesome, I can't believe it," said Land after his win.

1. John "Cowboy" Land -- $18,579
2. Brian Niekerk -- $11,410
3. Terry Crosby -- $8,075
4. Shawn Johnston -- $5,765
5. Matthew Lawrence -- $4,613
6. Wayne Philpot -- $3,462
7. Christopher Gray -- $2,310
8. Scott Uithoven -- $1,872
9. Gary Lucht -- $1,590

Event #17 -- No Limit Hold'Em

The $550 buy in attracted 234 players to the tables. Pool size reached $108,090 with cash going to the last 24 in the field. Fifty years after scooping his first pot, Scott Meena wins circuit Event #17 at Harrah's Tunica. He's played poker since he was 8 years old. Back then he says they all played for baseball cards. The Rossi brothers who also played with Meena since childhood, were on hand to root their buddy on as he sat down to the final table with the chip lead.

With the blinds at $5,000/$10,000 and ante of $2,000, Wayne Gatheright left the table in 9th when he lost to the straight made by John Yancey. Corrie Wunstel was all-in with K-J against Scott Meena's pocket queens. The queens held to the river and Wunstel went to the cashier's cage for the 8th place payout. Meena then proceeded to bust Eric Koffman in 7th with a set of 10's made on the flop. Yancey was eliminated in 6th with an all-in hand with 8s-5h vs. Ben Mintz's pocket nines that Yancey couldn't improve on. Benjamin Mintz was next on the Meena hit list, finishing in 5th after losing to the pocket J's of Meena. Then Meena added Michael Ashar to the names of the fallen when he paired his Queen card on the flop. Ashar walked away in 4th.

After Radwan Khuri finished in 3rd, it was time for the heads up. Heads up play saw Meena with about a 4-1 chip lead over Daniel. Daniel picked up a few pots to narrow the margin to 3-1 after doubling up just before the dinner break. After the players returned, Meena extended an offer that would have ended the match-up right then and there. Daniel initially refused, but after losing a few 25,000 brown chips, decided to take the deal. And that is how Scott Meena earned his first gold WSOP circuit ring.

1. Scott Meena -- $27,605
2. Ricky Daniel -- $16,884
3. Radwan Khuri -- $11,976
4. Michael Ashar -- $8,550
5. Benjamin Mintz -- $6,842
6. John Yancey -- $5,134
7. Eric Koffman -- $3,426
8. Corrie Wunstel -- $2,778
9. Wayne Gatheright -- $2,356

Event #18 -- No Limit Hold'Em

This event drew 202 players, each paying $1,080 for a seat at the tables. Pool size reached $195,940 going to the top 21 finishers. Day one saw the field trimmed down to the final nine who played their final table on Super Bowl Sunday.

Action began with blinds at $5,000/$10,000 and ante of $2,000. Players fell quickly as more attention seemed to be paid towards the Super Bowl than the poker table. They went so fast that heads up began well before the half time in the football game.

As the final minutes of the first half of Super Bowl XLIV ticked away, Schultz offered to chop first and second prize with Lawrence for the ring. "I have money," Schultz told Lawrence. "What I don't have is a ring." It was an incredibly generous offer for Lawrence, who had just caught a river straight to survive and had less chips than his opponent. Even still, he tanked for a while before deciding to forfeit the Circuit Event gold ring and take the money. First and second places paid $51,534 and $31,644, respectively.

1. Barry Schultz -- $51,534
2. Matthew Lawrence -- $31,644
3. Ray Martin -- $22,396
4. Damjan Radanov -- $15,989
5. Jeremy Drewery -- $12,795
6. Christopher Sullivan -- $9,601
7. Gary Lucht -- $6,407
8. Marcus Barnes -- $5,192
9. Kenneth Blanton -- $4,409

1. Matt Stout -- 116,300
2. Brian Gabrielle -- 104,000
3. Tim Morgan -- 100,200
4. Robert Kalteux -- 95,000
5. Shane Zell -- 87,300
6. Radwan "Doc" Khuri -- 84,500
7. Paul Wasicka -- 82,200
8. Kevin Hercules -- 80,400
9. Robert Thornhill -- 74,600

Paul Wasicka, Shane Zell and Dwyte Pilgrim

1. Paul Wasicka -- 454,000
2. Shane Zell -- 336,500
3. Dwyte Pilgrim -- 322,000
4. Richard Robb -- 224,500
5. Carter Phillips -- 200,000
6. Larry Gurney -- 137,500
7. Matt Stout -- 102,500
8. Jerry Saucier -- 77,000
9. Robert Thornhill -- 53,000

2010 Harrah's Tunica Championship Event Winner Paul Wasicka

1. Paul Wasicka -- $139,422
2. Larry Gurney -- $94,448
3. Richard Robb -- $62,965
4. Shane Zell -- $44,975
5. Carter Phillips -- $35,980
6. Dwyte Pilgrim -- $26,985
7. Matthew Stout -- $17,990
8. Jason Thornhill -- $14,616
9. Jerry Saucier -- $12,368