Chris Bell already owns a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. Now, you can add a win in the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship in Atlantic City to his list of accolades. Bell took down the title on Wednesday night after outlasting a field of 136 players to scoop a grand prize of $358,000.
It took four levels of play before anyone was eliminated from the final table. Right after the dinner break on the Boardwalk, Seth Fischer 3bet all-in before the flop with A-8 of clubs and ran into the pocket jacks belonging to Jason Burt. No ace came when a king-high board fell and Fischer departed the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship in ninth place, banking $32,000.
Nick Mitchell, known in online circles as “agriffrod,” fell in eighth place. On a 10-6-2-3-J board, Mitchell committed his chips with A-J for top pair, top kicker. Micah Raskin called and tabled the “Doyle Brunson,” 10-2, for two pair and that was all she wrote for Mitchell, the 38th ranked player on PocketFives.com. Mitchell picked up $40,000.
Burt ran A-8 of clubs into Bell’s pocket queens in his final hand to exit in seventh place for $51,000. Following him out the door from the $10,000 buy-in tournament’s final table was recent World Poker Tour (WPT) champ Andy Frankenberger, who shoved all-in with A-2 on a flop of 5-4-A. However, Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki had him dominated with A-K and promptly spiked a king on the turn for top two pair. Frankenberger banked $66,000.
Todd Terry was the next to go. About 30 minutes after Frankenberger met his demise, Terry followed suit by open-shoving before the flop with Q-3 of hearts and receiving a call from Klodnicki, who held A-8. Klodnicki hit two pair on the flop and never looked back; in fact, Terry was drawing dead by the river. His fifth place finish in the Regional Championship, which was filmed for television, was good for $87,000.
Raskin held K-10 offsuit in his final hand and was in a race against Klodnicki’s pocket sixes. The board filled out A-9-8-4-9, missing Raskin entirely and sending him to the rail. Fourth place meant a payday of $117,000.
After gaining momentum by doubling up through Bell, Ketan Pandya went busto in third place. Pandya picked up pocket tens in his final hand, but ran into Bell’s wired pair of queens. Bell had improved to a full house by the river and Pandya pulled down a $159,000 payday.
Klodnicki’s remaining chips hit the middle of the table with 6-4 on a flop of 5-3-6 for top pair and a two-way straight draw. Bell tabled pocket threes for bottom set, which held when the turn and river came a nine and a queen, respectively. The stacks were counted down after the river card to ensure that Klodnicki had in fact been eliminated and the former gold ring winner earned $221,000 for second place.
Here were the final results from the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship in Atlantic City:
1. Chris Bell – $358,295
2. Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki – $221,452
3. Ketan Pandya – $159,851
4. Micah Raskin – $117,457
5. Todd Terry – $87,808
6. Andy Frankenberger – $66,758
7. Jason Burt – $51,607
8. Nick “agriffrod” Mitchell – $40,538
9. Seth Fischer – $32,362
Every member of the final table qualified for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, a $1 million freeroll that will be held in Las Vegas in May. All told, 30 players have qualified for the freebie thus far, including Poker News Daily’s very own Bernard Lee, who made the final table in the Chicago Regional Championship. The Regional and National Championships are brand new additions to the WSOP Circuit for the 2010-2011 season.
