2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit Season Six Official Report Event #3

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit Season Six
Horseshoe Casino (Chicago)Hammond, IN
WSOP Circuit (October 16-25, 2009)
Event #3
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In:  $1,000 (+100)
Total Entries:  223
Total Prize Pool:  $211,110
October 18-19, 2009

Official Report

Event #3 Headlines

1.What a Comeback!  Justin “Fluffdog” Filtz Overcomes 18 to 1 Heads-Up Chip Disadvantage and Wins Second WSOP Gold Ring

2.Wisconsin Poker Pro “Fluffdog” Becomes First Player with Two Wins at Chicago’s WSOP Circuit

3.Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) Continues to Draw Huge Fields — Attendance Up 17 Percent Over Last Year

Event #3 Champion (Justin “Fluffdog” Filtz)

•The 2009 World Series of Poker Circuit winner of Event #3 held at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) is Justin “Fluffdog” Filtz, from Stevens Point, WI.

•Stevens Point is located in central Wisconsin.

•Filtz is a 22-year-old professional poker player.

•Filtz was born in Tucson, AZ.

•Filtz’s nickname is “Fluffdog,” which he uses as a screen name when playing online.  He was tagged with the nickname while in high school because of his “fluffy” hair style.

•Filtz won last year’s $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event held at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland).  The thus becomes the first player in history with two major wins in Chicago.

•Filtz has been playing professionally since he turned age 18.  He mostly played online for three years.  Then, when he turned 21, Filtz started playing in more live games and tournaments.  He attended the WSOP in Las Vegas in 2008.

•Filtz already has an impressive record in WSOP-related tournaments.  He not only has won two gold rings with this victory, he also cashed three times at the WSOP in Las Vegas.  Most notably, Filtz finished third in the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em championship ($2,500 buy in) in 2008.

•Filtz now has $286,668 in WSOP winnings.

•Filtz collected $51,727 for this win, plus a seat in the WSOP Circuit Main Event (Chicago) later this week.

Winner Quotes (Justin “Fluffdog” Filtz)

•On making a great comeback victory:  “I knew when I was down that I was going to get it in 60-40 or 40-60 and had to win that.  He wins that, and it’s over.  But I won the first one, and then another.”

•On drawing out against his opponent at one point on a key hand when he made a straight versus pocket aces:  “Yeah, that was pretty sick.”

•On his expectations coming into this WSOP Circuit:  “I came here to play in most of the events, plus the Main Event.  Last year, I got a free entry into the Main Event (with my win), but I caught food poisoning.  I ate the night before and it was really bad.  I am not going to do that this year.  I’ll be ready to play my best.”

The Final Table / In-the-Money Finishers

•The chip leader when final table began was Brian Zimcosky, who started out play with 875,000 in chips.  He enjoyed a slight chip lead over rival Justin “Fluffdog” Filtz, with 796,000.  The remaining seven players were all outchipped by at least a 2 to 1 margin.  Fittingly, Zimcosky and Filtz would maintain their advantages and ended up playing heads-up for the title.

•Three of the nine finalists were former WSOP Circuit gold ring winners, including Chris McMillian, Matthew Humphrey, and Justin “Fluffdog” Filtz.

•Finalist Chris McMillian was shooting for his third WSOP Circuit gold ring.  He previously won events at Horseshoe Southern Indiana in 2007 and 2008.

•The ninth-place finisher was Eric Matulis, from Shorewood, IL.  He is a 34-year-old poker player.  Matulis had previously cashed in some major online tournaments as well as making a Heartland Poker Tour final table, where he finished seventh.  Ninth place paid $6,300.

•The eighth-place finisher was Michael “MJ” Bernstein, from Chicago, IL.  He is perhaps best known for his blog at the website PokerPages.com.  Bernstein had previously made it to final tables, with his biggest win taking place at the Borgata in Atlantic City earlier this year in a $1,000 buy-in event where he won $160,000.  The 28-year-old poker pro originally from Long Island pocketed $6,751 for eighth place in this tournament.

•The seventh-place finisher was Chris McMillian, from Huntington, WV.  He runs a landscaping business.  McMillian has enjoyed great tournament success in the past, with eight cashes in WSOP Circuit events alone.  He won two gold rings, in addition to a second-place finish.  This marked McMillian’s fourth WSOP Circuit final table – all at events held in Indiana.  For seventh place, McMillian received $7,602.

•The sixth-place finisher was Mike Picardi, from Darien, IL.  He is a 33-year-old business manager.  Picardi collected $9,019 in prize money.

•The fifth-place finisher was Matthew Humphrey, from Avon, IN.  He is a 26-year-old professional poker player.  Humphrey previously won a gold ring at the WSOP Circuit event held at Harrah’s New Orleans in 2007.  Humphrey now has seven Circuit cashes and three final table appearances.  He added $11,301 to his poker bankroll.

•The fourth-place finisher was Shawn M. Reed, from Chicago, IL.  He is a 35-year-old financial advisor.  Like many of his rivals at this final table, Reed had several previous cashes in major tournaments.  Reed cashed twice at the WSOP in Las Vegas, as well.  Fourth place paid $14,997.

•The third-place finisher was Drew Youngblood, from Dearborn, MI.  He is a 26-year-old poker pro.  Youngblood made the final table at a WSOP event earlier this year, finishing sixth.  He also has three total cashes in WSOP play.  Youngblood collected a very respectable $21,195 for finishing third.

•When heads-up play began, Brian Zimcosky enjoyed a slight chip advantage over Justin “Fluffdog” Filtz.  The two finalists battled for about 45 minutes, during which Zimcosky dominated play and amassed better than a 10 to 1 chip lead.  Zimcosky continued to apply pressure and led by an 18.5 to 1 margin at one point.

•Filtz managed to double up twice before the turning point took place.  The key hand was when Filtz had 10-8 and was all-in on the turn with a pair of tens, along with an outside straight draw.  Zimcosky had played his opponent perfectly and showed pocket aces.  Filtz was a dog and had 10 outs to survive.  Filtz managed to catch a seven, which made a straight.  That hand put the former WSOP Circuit winner close to even in chips.  It took another hour for Filtz to complete his memorable comeback.

•The runner up was Brian Zimcosky, from Ann Arbor, MI.  He is a 21-year-old student currently attending the University of Michigan.  Zimcosky, a heads-up specialist, recently won an online tournament for more than six figures.  Predictably, he was both shocked and distressed to lose his chip lead in this event and had to settle for $31,962 for second place.

•The winner was Justin “Fulffdog” Filtz, who earned $51,727 plus an entry valued at $5,000 into the WSOP Circuit championship here in Chicago.

The Tournament

•This was the third tournament of the new WSOP Circuit season.  The first event, held three days earlier, attracted the largest field in WSOP history — with 1,412 entrants.  This tournament (Event #3) attracted 223 entries, which is up from last year’s attendance — 162 players.

•Through the first three events of the 2009 WSOP Circuit series at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland), attendance is up 17 percent over last year.  The combined number of entries total 2,185 players through three completed events.  Last year’s first three events totaled 1,865 entrants at this same point.

•The tournament was No-Limit Hold’em.  The buy-in was $1,000 (+100).  The total prize pool amounted to $211,110.  The top 27 finishers collected prize money.

•The tournament started at noon on October 18th and was played over two days.  The entire duration of the tournament lasted about 26 hours.

•After Day One, six tables returned for Day Two.  Play resumed at 2 pm and played down to the final nine, which occurred at about 10 pm.  The final table was completed in about five hours, ending at 3:10 am in front of a nearly empty room.

World Series of Poker Circuits (History)

•The World Series of Poker Circuits began in January 2005.  WSOP Circuits were designed to bring the excitement of the world’s largest and most prestigious poker series to more players and fans in various regions throughout the United States.  Over the past five years, WSOP Circuits have taken place at Harrah’s Entertainment properties in the following locations:

Las Vegas, NV (Caesars Palace, Harrah’s, and Bally’s/Paris)
Lake Tahoe, NV (Harvey’s Lake Tahoe)
San Diego, CA (Rincon)
New Orleans, LA (Harrah’s)
Tunica, MS (Tunica Grand)
Council Bluffs, IA (Harrah’s)
Elizabeth, IN/Louisville, KY (Horseshoe Southern Indiana)
Hammond, IN/Chicago, IL (Horseshoe Casino)
Atlantic City (Caesars, Harrah’s, Showboat)

•This begins WSOP Circuit season number six.  This season officially began on October 16, 2009 at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicago) and will conclude seven months later on May 19, 2010 at Harrah’s New Orleans.  This year, there are 11 WSOP Circuit stops held at the following locations:

Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland)
Horseshoe Southern Indiana
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Tunica Grand
Harrah’s Council Bluffs
Caesars Atlantic City
Harrah’s Rincon
Harrah’s St. Louis (new location)
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Harrah’s New Orleans

•Only three locations have hosted WSOP Circuits during all six seasons.  They are:

Harrah’s Atlantic City
Harrah’s New Orleans
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe

•WSOP Circuit stops typically include 10-15 tournaments played over a two-week period (some of the more popular events run longer and include as many as 23 events).  Buy-ins range from $200 for the lower tournaments up to $5,000 for championship events.  During the first two years of WSOP Circuits, all championship events had a $10,000 buy-in.  This has been reduced to a $5,000 buy-in since the 2006-2007 season began.

•WSOP Circuits consistently attract large fields and payout impressive prize money.  Here are the ten largest poker events in WSOP Circuit history:

1,412 — Horseshoe Casino (Chicago), Oct. 16-17, 2009 — Event #1
1,345 — Tunica Grand (Mississippi), Jan. 7-8, 2006 – Event #3
1,187 — Horseshoe Casino (Chicago), Oct. 24-25, 2008 – Event #1
1,181 – Harrah’s Atlantic City, Dec. 5-6, 2008 – Event #1
1,106 — Caesars Atlantic City, Mar. 5-6, 2007 – Event #1
1,056 — Caesars Atlantic City, Mar. 5-6, 2008 – Event #1
1,050 — Caesars Atlantic City, Mar. 7-8, 2008 – Event #3
983 — Caesars Atlantic City, Mar. 6-7, 2009 – Event #3
954 – Caesars Indiana, Oct. 20, 2005 – Event #1
940 — Tunica Grand (Mississippi) Jan. 5-6, 2006 – Event #1

•Winners of WSOP Circuit tournaments receive a gold ring as the token of their achievement.  This prize is patterned after the coveted gold bracelet, which is awarded to all winners of WSOP events in Las Vegas.

•The player who has won the most WSOP Circuit gold rings is Men “the Master” Nguyen, with four victories.  Nguyen also has 12 WSOP Circuit career cashes.

•The player who has won the most WSOP Circuit championship events is Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, with three Main Event victories.  Ferguson won Main Events at Harrah’s Rincon (2005), Harrah’s Las Vegas (2005), and Harvey’s Lake Tahoe (2007).

•The player with the most prize money winnings in WSOP Circuit history is Chris “Jesus” Ferguson.  His combined career earnings currently total $1,359,143.  Ferguson has cashed six times.

World Series of Poker Circuit at Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland)

•This is the 51st WSOP Circuit tournament series played since January 2005.

•What is now the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) originally opened up as the Empress Casino, back in 1993.  The casino has since been sold twice and has undergone both expansion and renovation.  It is now the largest casino (measured by number of tables and gaming devices) in the greater Chicago area.  The current Horseshoe Casino configuration has more than 100 live table games, 3,200 electronic gaming devices, and a 34-table poker room, making it one of the largest casinos in the Midwest.

•Poker pioneer Jack Binion bought and took over the Empress Casino in 2001.  He renamed the property as the “Horseshoe Casino.”  It became officially known as “Horseshoe Hammond,” since it is actually located in Hammond, IN.  Harrah’s Entertainment purchased the casino from Binion in 2004, and retained the name.  However, in an effort to align itself with the Chicago area, the casino is now known as the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland).

•The Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) underwent a $500 million renovation, which was completed last year.  On August 8, 2008 (8-8-08) entertainment diva Bette Midler hosted and performed at the grand re-opening.

•The Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) is the closest gaming facility in proximity to downtown Chicago, which is just 16 miles away.  In fact, the downtown skyline can be seen from many parts of the casino, which is located along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

•A large marina is adjacent to the casino, which holds many water craft.  The casino is a popular destination for boats which come to the resort from all over the region, especially during summer months.

•The casino is located less than a mile from the Indiana-Illinois border.  The closest major airport is Midway, on Chicago’s south side.  Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is about an hour away.  The casino offers shuttle service to many parts of Chicago and the region.

•The Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) draws visitors predominately from the Chicago area.  However, the WSOP Circuit attracts many players from all over Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio.

•This marks the second year that the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) has hosted a WSOP Circuit stop.  Last year’s field came close to setting attendance records.  A big turnout is also expected this year, and the first event of the new 2009-2010 season did not disappoint.  The Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) has now hosted two of the three largest WSOP Circuit tournaments in history.

•The Horseshoe Casino poker room regularly holds 34 tables.  However, the WSOP Circuit took over the special events center called “The Venue.”  This additional floor space holds 78 more poker tables.  This means the Horseshoe Casino holds up to 112 poker tables combined, making it the largest capacity facility of any WSOP Circuit event.

•“The Venue” is regularly used for shows and attracts many of the biggest names in music and entertainment.  The Venue holds up to 3,000 people.  But most of the theatre seating was moved aside for nearly two weeks in favor of poker tables, all packed with players.  In just the last 14 months, The Venue has hosted the following performers:

Paul Anka
The Bee Gees
Lewis Black
Cedric the Entertainer
Alice Cooper
Bill Cosby
Robert Cray
Melissa Etheridge
Aretha Franklin
John Fogerty
Brad Garrett
Vince Gill
Eddie Griffin
Chris Isaak
Alicia Keys
B.B. King
Korn
Gladys Knight
Howie Mandel
Moody Blues
Liza Minelli
Wayne Newton
Don Rickles
Kenny Rogers
Seal
Sarah Silverman
Stone Temple Pilots
Hank Williams, Jr.

In addition, many other acts and top international stars have performed at The Venue.

•This is one of two major poker tournaments held annually at the Horseshoe Casino.  In addition to the WSOP Circuit, the casino will be hosting the “Chicago Poker Classic,” to be held February 26 through March 7, 2010.  This tournament is expected to offer nine major events, plus several second chance tournaments.  Attractions include $350,000 in added prize money, plus a brand new Porsche Cayman luxury car as the grand prize.  A complete schedule of the 2010 Chicago Poker Classic will be forwarded to media at the completion of this year’s WSOP Circuit events.

Errors and Omissions (Previous Reports)

•None

Note:  All results are official and may be reprinted by media.

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For further information about the Horseshoe Casino Poker Room and related events, contact Jason Newman, Poker Room Manager at: jnewman1@horseshoe.com or call (219) 473-5963.  For information about the Horseshoe Casino (Chicago), contact Leah Eisenstein at: leah@expagency.com or call (312) 239-2339.

For official news and the latest updates from the 2009 World Series of Poker and the WSOP Circuits, visit:  www.worldseriesofpoker.com

For statistics and historical information from the 2009 World Series of Poker and the WSOP Circuits, contact Nolan Dalla at:  nolandalla@aol.com or nolandalla@gmail.com

For official photographs from the 2009 World Series of Poker and WSOP Circuits, visit:  http://pa.photoshelter.com/user/impdi   For specific media photo requests, email image22@aol.com and list “Urgent Media Request” as the subject line.  Note:  All photos must be credited as follows:  “IMPDI 2009”

HORSESHOE CASINO (CHICAGO)

Horseshoe Casino Senior Vice President and General Manager:  Dan Nita
Director of Table Games:  Jose Lebron
Poker Room Manager:  Jason Newman
Special Events Manager:  Amie Hill
Tournament Director:  Charlie Ciresi

WORLD SERIES OF POKER

World Series of Poker President and Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
WSOP Vice President — Ty Stewart
Director of Communications – Seth Palansky
Regional Vice President of Specialty Gaming — Howard Greenbaum
WSOP Events Manager — Angele Marshall
WSOP Marketing Manager – Elizabeth Anne Hill
WSOP Tournament Director – Jack Effel
WSOP Media Director – Nolan Dalla

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF POKER

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize.  Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970.  In 2009, the event attracted 60,875 entrants from 115 different countries to the Rio in Las Vegas and awarded over $174 million in prize money.  The creation of the new delayed Main Event final table more than doubled ratings on ESPN year-over-year.  In December, 2008 the WSOP was named the 7th most admired sports brand in North America by the Turnkey Team Brand Index trailing only the more established NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and PGA Tour among sports properties.  In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker Europe.  For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit our website at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

ABOUT HORSESHOE CASINO

The all-new 500 million-dollar Horseshoe Casino, a Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. property, just 20 minutes from downtown Chicago is the premier entertainment and gaming destination in Chicagoland.  Where legendary gaming lives on, Horseshoe boasts more than 350,000 square feet with 3,200 slot machines, nearly 100 table games, the largest poker room in the Midwest, keno and more.  The Venue at Horseshoe Casino is proud to offer the ultimate concert and entertainment destination.  In conjunction with AEG Live and created by the award-winning designers of Sceno Plus, The Venue offers a premier experience in a flexible space that can hold up to 4,000 guests.  Dining elegance is not overlooked and guests can choose from a variety of dining options including; Jack Binion’s Steak House which overlooks Lake Michigan and recent winner of the 2009 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, around-the-globe variety at the Village Square Buffet, a taste of Chicago at Benny’s Home Cookin’, and scrumptious fare at J.B.s Gourmet Sandwiches and Salads. For more information, please visit: www.chicagohorseshoe.com.

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