2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit Season Six Official Report Event #5

2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit Season Six
Horseshoe Casino (Chicago) Hammond, IN

WSOP Circuit (October 16-25, 2009)
Event #5
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In:  $300 (+45)
Total Entries:  635
Total Prize Pool:  $179,585
October 19-20, 2009

Official Report

Event #5 Headlines

1.David “the Knight” Sesso Slays the Competition at WSOP Circuit in Chicago

2.Former ‘Medieval Times’ Entertainer-Turned Poker Pro Wins First Live Major Tournament – Receives $40,392 and Gold Ring.

3.Horseshoe Casino is Poker Central in Chicago – Attendance Up 18 Percent; Prize Pools Up 13 Percent Over Last Year

4.More Than 600 Players Compete in Horseshoe Casino’s Weekday Tournament

Event #5 Champion (David “the Knight” Sesso)

•The 2009 World Series of Poker Circuit champion of Event #5 held at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) is David “the Knight” Sesso, from Schaumburg, IL.

•Sesso is a 27-year-old professional poker player.  He mostly plays poker online, and specializes on multi-table tournaments.

•Eight years ago, Sesso initially attended college at Illinois State and studied performing arts.  He eventually decided he did not want to continue the program and ended up taking a job at Medieval Times, which is a re-enactment of jousting, battles, and showmanship on horseback in a dinner-theatre setting.  Sesso, who is physically fit and enjoys playing sports, was cast as a knight/stuntman who battled in the arena every show, often while riding a horse.  He performed for five years.  However, during one performance, Sesso was severely injured.  His hand was cut badly and he was not able to continue performing.  While working at the dinner-theatre, Sesso began playing poker online during his free time and discovered he had both a passion and talent for the game.

•Sesso selected “the Blue Knight” as his online poker name, an obvious connection to his former trade.  But he later became known simply as “the Knight.”  Sesso also plays under the screen name “Hollywood 5.”

•Sesso is one of poker’s most dedicated young players.  He is currently ranked 99th in the world in online tournament winnings, according to the popular website Pocket Fives.

•Sesso is constantly studying and learning ways to improve his game.  He often posts at the website:  www.pokerpwanage.com

•Sesso has only played in five live tournaments, to date.  This was his first victory.

•Sesso has taken a cautious but very consistent approach to building a bankroll.  He initially started out with only a few hundreds dollars.  He built his bankroll up to $10,000, which has since hit six-figures.  Sesso also enjoys several backing relationships which will allow him to play in more live poker tournaments in the future.  He has plans to play in bigger events as he progresses.

•Sesso admits to not doing as well in cash games.  He concentrates most of his play in online tournaments, although he now intends to play in more live tournaments, as well.

•Sesso has never played in the WSOP Main Event.  He says that will be his goal, for next year.

•Sesso won first place and $40,392 in prize money, which was his first WSOP-related in-the-money finish.

Winner Quotes (David “the Knight” Sesso)

•On his previous occupation at Medieval Times:  “I rode a horse.  I played the role of a knight.  I grew my hair really long, so I had the whole character working.  But it was hard work.  We had to practice all the time.”

•On being called “the Knight,” which is his poker nickname:  “When I was starting out online, I had to pick out a screen name.  And so, since I played the role of the Blue Knight in the show, that fit.  I did not know it was a police thing.”

•On how he became a professional poker player:  “When I was working at Medieval Times, we started out playing $10 poker, here and there.  Then, when the Moneymaker thing hit, I started playing online.  I was not winning much.  I saw Moneymaker win on TV and I saw that people were actually making a living playing poker.  I decided I could do that if I applied myself, but I was not sure how I was going to get there.  I would take shots (at casinos in the Chicago area), but did not do very well.  After I got injured, I put all my energy into poker.”

•On his injury and how it impacted his career:  “I got sliced across the finger.  But I finished out the show.  There were only a few strikes left and we played it out to the end.  But then I went backstage and I took my glove off.  You could tell it was bad.  I was mauled, I mean completely ripped open.  So, I was really scared.  I was five years into the job and had no real other options.  It was not what I was planning, so that was when I decided I had to do things my own way and try something new.”

•On starting out playing poker:  “I started with just $100 and was playing in $4.40 tournaments.  I played a ton of them, and actually started doing quite well.  Next, I started playing in $30 buy-in tournaments, and turned that into $9,000 within about a week.  I admit, I had a very good run.  And after, that I started playing regular online tournaments and turned that into $27,000.  Then, I had investors making me offers.  I decided to take up one offer and so far this year I have made about $150,000 playing MTTs (multi-table tournaments).”

•On how he became proficient as a tournament player:  “Multi-table tournaments are my specialty.  I still lose money in cash games, I think.  The thing about tournaments is when you get close to the money, you can exploit people.  Many people are just trying to move up and get to the money.  So, you can really turn up the heat and be aggressive against them and they are going to let you take it.  You have added value.  The stacks are also a lot shorter in MTTs, so you can figure out where people are at.  You can tell the player will have certain things, whereas in cash game you really do not know what someone has until the river, usually.  I think I am okay at cash games, but in tournaments I never really feel uncomfortable.  In the last eight months I have really been playing in bigger tournaments, there is not one time where I really felt uncomfortable about the situation.  But in cash games, I get that feeling sometimes – like at least once a week.”

•Explaining what he means by “uncomfortable” with a poker decision:  “Like ‘what do I do here?’  In tournaments, I am not in no-man’s land.  I know where I am at, at least most of the time.”

•On what winning a WSOP Circuit event means for his confidence and career:  “I always dreamed of taking down one of these things.  I’ve already been crushing tournaments online and winning money.  But to me this is like a sort of validation.  Some people still say online players are not as good.  But as far as I am concerned, online players are sneaking up and playing so well right now.  We play in so many more tournaments and we are starting to dominate poker.  This is a chance to show everyone that we are really good – this is like only my fifth (live) tournament.”

•On what to expect of Sesso in the near future:  “I’m playing in the $5,000 championship (here in Chicago) later this week….you are going to see me a lot more next year, at the World Series.  My dream is always to play in the WSOP Main Event — the 10K.  So, I hope my dream comes true next year.  I really feel I am ready to do it.”

•On what he foresees for the WSOP Main Event final table, which will be played in two weeks in Las Vegas:  “Honestly, I spend so much time focusing on my own game, that the only player I know this year is Phil Ivey.  I have not paid that much attention since I spend so much time playing, improving, and talking to other players.  So, I do not have an opinion on who is going to take it.”

The Final Table / In-the-Money Finishers

•When final table began, the chip leader was David “the Knight” Sesso, who enjoyed a decisive lead with nearly 1.7 million in chips.  Jean “Prince” Gaspard was second with about 950,000 in chips.  Close behind was Gary Kreymer, with about 860,000 in chips.  The remaining seven players each had 650,000 and less.

•Sesso enjoyed the chip lead from start to finish while at the final table.

•The only former WSOP Circuit gold ring winner among the final nine was Jean “Prince” Gaspard.  He won last season’s WSOP Circuit Main Event championship finale held at Harrah’s New Orleans (May 2009), where he pocketed $211,722 in prize money.

•The ninth-place finisher was Joaquin Sosa, a 50-year-old poker pro from Chicago.  Sosa has now cashed five times in WSOP Circuit events, and made it to four final tables.  He pocketed $3,874.

•The eighth-place finisher was Christopher Cardenas, from San Antonio, TX.  He collected $4,382.

•The seventh-place finisher was Robert Rusak, from Chicago, IL.  He is a 28-year-old auditor and graduate of DePaul University.  Rusak received $5,179.

•The sixth-place finisher was Greg Koutelidakis, from Buffalo Grove, IL.  He is a 25-year-old poker pro who formally worked in marketing.  Koutelidakis was eliminated about two hours into the finale and was paid $6,409 for sixth place.

•The fifth-place finisher was Jean “Prince” Gaspard, from Evanston, IL.  Gaspard had a shot to win his second WSOP gold ring, but went card dead late and had to settle for fifth place.  The former professional basketball player, who has since taken up poker full time, collected $8,324 in prize money.  Gaspard now has 8 WSOP cashes and 3 WSOP Circuit cashes for his career.

•The fourth-place finisher was Mike Lee, from Wheeling, IL.  He is a 31-year-old freelance web designer who has constructed websites for several pro athletes including Dwayne Wade, Dee Brown, and others.  Lee previously cashed in an event at the 2008 WSOP in Las Vegas.  He earned a nice payout totaling $11,371.

•The third-place finisher was Gary Kreymer, from Northbrook, IL.  He is a 47-year-old mortgage broker.  Kreymer has previous cashed at some other tournaments.  The married father of three made his best showing here in a WSOP Circuit event, good for $16,384 in prize money.

•When heads-up play began, David Sesso enjoyed slightly less than a 5 to 1 chip advantage.  It only took ten minutes for Sesso to vanquish his final foe.

•The final hand came when Bob Grim moved all in pre-flop with A-6.  Sesso called and showed A-Q.  Sesso’s superior hand held up and the two high cards played to scoop the final pot of the tournament.

•The runner up was Bob Grim, a 25-year-old poker pro from Arlington Heights, IL.  Grim mostly plays online.  He had to settle for $24,962, the payout for second place.  Afterward, Sesso complimented his opponent and mentioned that Grim played well, and was the only player at the final table who adjusted his game properly to match what Sesso was doing.

•The winner was David “the Knight’ Sesso, who won his first live tournament ever, worth $40,392.  He also received an entry into the WSOP Circuit Main Event in Chicago, valued at $5,000.

The Tournament

•This was the fifth tournament of the new WSOP Circuit season.  The first event in Chicago attracted the largest field in WSOP history, with 1,412 entrants.  This tournament (Event #5) attracted 635 entries, which was more than twice the field size of last year’s same event held on a Monday-Tuesday (262 entries).

•Through the first six events of the 2009 WSOP Circuit series at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland), attendance is up 18 percent over last year.  There have been 3,021 entrants who have played in six total events.  Last year at this time, there were 2,590 entrants.

•Through the first six events now complete, $1,137,999 in prize money has been awarded.  Prize money is also up this year, 13.5 percent over the same point last year.  Through the first six events of 2008, $1,002,573 had been awarded.

•The tournament was No-Limit Hold’em.  The buy-in was $300 (+45).  The total prize pool amounted to $179,585.  The top 63 finishers collected prize money.

•The tournament began at noon on October 19th and was played over two days.  The entire duration of the tournament lasted about 25 hours.

•After Day One, there were six tables which returned for Day Two.  Play resumed at 2 pm and played down to the final nine, which occurred at about 6 pm.  The final table was completed in about five hours, ending at slightly before midnight.

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 is WSOP Circuit season number six.  The season officially began on October 16, 2009 at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicago) and concludes 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 Harrah’s properties 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.

__________________________________

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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