The top performers of the 2010-11 World Series of Poker Circuit season gathered at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Friday afternoon for Day 1 of the inaugural WSOP Circuit National Championship. The invite-only freeroll tournament offered a prize pool of $1 million up for grabs, with first place collecting $300,000 and the first WSOP bracelet of the year.
Thousands of players from all of the country participated in WSOP-C events over the course of the year, but it was only the top 100 qualifiers who earned a seat into the National Championship. Seats were awarded to the top point scorers at the various stops on the circuit, as well as Main Event winners, and players who made one of the four Regional Championship final tables.
Ninety-seven of the 100 qualifiers came to play on Friday, as Gary Friedlander, Brett Richey and Dennis Summers were unable to play for various reasons. Among the big names who secured seats were Steve Zolotow, Allie Prescott, Ali Eslami, Todd Terry, Blair Hinkle, David “Doc” Sands, Chris Bell, Andy Frankenberger, Shannon Shorr, Allen Kessler, Dwyte Pilgrim, Tim West, Bernard Lee, and Steve Brecher.
La Sengphet, one of only two women who qualified for the National Championship, cruised through Day 1 to finish with an overwhelming chip lead over the remaining 35 players. Sengphet finished the day with 165,000 chips, more than three times the average stack heading into Day 2. Sengphet earned her seat by cashing seven times and winning two WSOP-C rings during the 2010-11 season, collecting more than $67,000 for her efforts on the year.
Sengphet played masterfully throughout Day 1, but it was one bold play that caught the attention of the Caesars poker room toward the end of the night. According to Bluff Magazine, Sengphet called a four-bet preflop and then check-called her opponent down with second pair on a board that brought four to a flush. That pot was worth 150,000, boosting her to the top of the field in the final level of the day.
Joining Sengphat near the top of the leaderboard were Huy Nguyen, Jonathon Poche, Shiva Dudani, and Charles “Woody” Moore. Several familiar faces also survived the day, including Bernard Lee, Chris Klodnicki, Dwyte Pilgrim, Allen Kessler, Tim West, and Kyle Cartwright, who made a name for himself during the season by capturing three Circuit rings, including one at the WSOP-C Harrah’s St. Louis Main Event. He earned close to $200,000 within three months on the WSOP Circuit this year and has drawn comparisons to the tour’s all-time greats like Pilgrim and Men “The Master” Nguyen.
The remaining 35 players at the National Championship will play down to a final table of nine on Saturday, with the action beginning at Noon local time. The ten players who reach the “unofficial” final table will all receive a minimum payday of $27,500 — not bad for a $0 investment.
Here’s a look at the leaders heading into Day 2:
1. La Sengphet — 165,000
2. Huy Nguyen — 122,700
3. Jonathon Poche — 121,400
4. Shiva Dudani — 96,000
5. Charles “Woody” Moore — 95,100
6. Curt Kohlberg — 94,600
7. Stan Quinn — 92,600
8. Adam Hui — 75,100
9. Rico Carli — 72,800
10. Bernard Lee — 70,900
Payouts:
1. $300,000
2. $200,000
3. $135,000
4. $100,000
5. $75,000
6. $55,000
7. $42,500
8. $35,000
9. $30,000
10. $27,500
