A $345 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament kicked off the festivities at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event stop in Hammond, Indiana. The Horseshoe Casino’s opening attracted 1,412 players, the largest field ever assembled on WSOP Circuit felts.
Last year, the opening event at the Hammond WSOP Circuit stop saw 1,187 runners take to the felts. In the end, Perry Ernest from Naperville, Illinois emerged victorious from the pack and turned his $345 investment into a $70,000 first place payday. The previous record for the largest turnout for a WSOP Circuit Event tournament came in 2006, when 1,345 players descended on the Grand Casino for an event in Tunica, Mississippi. Now, this year’s Hammond event will hold that accolade.
2009 marks the WSOP Circuit’s second trip to Hammond. A total of 11 Harrah’s properties around the United States will play host to the Circuit over the next seven months, with the series concluding in May in New Orleans. A press release by WSOP officials on Friday outlined the scene inside the Horseshoe Casino: “The Horseshoe Casino holds the largest poker room in the Midwest, with 34 tables. WSOP Circuit attendance boosted the poker facility to a whopping 112 tables, most of which are located inside ‘The Venue,’ which is a state-of-the-art special events center attracting many of the biggest names in music and entertainment.”
Hammond is located about a 20-minute drive away from downtown Chicago and is accessible via the Indiana Toll Road, Interstate 90. The casino operates shuttles into the city, which can be seen from the riverboat’s dock on Lake Michigan. A total of 13 events will play out at the gaming establishment in 2009. Here’s a look at the remaining schedule. All times are Central:
Saturday, October 17th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in
Sunday, October 18th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$1,100 buy-in
Sunday, October 18th at 3:00pm
Ladies No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$235 buy-in
Monday, October 19th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$345 buy-in
Monday, October 19th at 3:00pm
Pot Limit Omaha, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$2,125 buy-in
Tuesday, October 20th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in
Tuesday, October 20th at 3:00pm
Pot Limit Omaha with $100 Rebuys
$235 buy-in
Wednesday, October 21st at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$2,125 buy-in
Wednesday, October 21st at 3:00pm
HORSE, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in
Friday, October 23rd at 12:00pm
WSOP Hammond Main Event, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$5,200 buy-in
Saturday, October 24th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in
Sunday, October 25th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$345 buy-in
Last year, online poker pro Steve “MrSmokey1” Billarakis took down the Hammond WSOP Circuit stop’s Main Event, earning $208,000. He defeated Thomas “tommyboy83” Koral heads-up and a total of 164 players entered. The host venue underwent a massive $500 million renovation last year and is one of the premier casinos in the Chicago metro area.
After Hammond, the WSOP Circuit Event staff heads south to the Horseshoe Southern Indiana for a 12-event schedule that begins on October 23rd. The $5,150 buy-in Main Event kicks off on Halloween. The Horseshoe Southern Indiana is located in Elizabeth, Indiana, which is across the river from Louisville, Kentucky. It’s within driving distance of several large metropolitan areas including Indianapolis, Nashville, and Cincinnati, and boasts one of the largest riverboats in the world.
This is the sixth WSOP Circuit season, with other stops scheduled for Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, San Diego, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and New Orleans.
