2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit Season Six Official Report Event #12

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

WSOP Circuit (October 16-25, 2009)
Event #12
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 (+55)
Total Entries: 328
Total Prize Pool: $159,080
October 24-25, 2009

Official Report

Event #12 Headlines

1.Fred Winter Freezes the Competition in Chicago

2.Fred Winter Wins His Second WSOP Circuit Gold Ring – Takes Top Prize in Event #12

3.“My Kind of Town, Chicago” — Attendance Up 12 Percent, Prize Money Up 20 Percent Over Last Year

4.The Amazing Comeback! Tanya Murphy Returns After First Day with Fewer Chips than One Big Blind; Manages to Survive Several Hours and Finishes in Third Place

5.Former NFL Detroit Lions Player Eric Stolz Finishes as Runner Up

Event #12 Champion (Fred Winter)

•The 2009 World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event champion at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicagoland) is Fred Winter, from La Grange, IL.

•Winter is a 35-year-old controller who works in accounting and finance for a Fortune 500 company.

•This marked Winter’s second WSOP Circuit career victory. He won last year’s $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #2) at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicago) where he collected $55,159.

•Winter officially collected $38,173 for first place in this tournament.

•Winter also cashed in an event for the first time at last year’s WSOP in Las Vegas, which was a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament (98th place). He now has four WSOP Circuit cashes (including two wins) and one WSOP cash, totaling $101,324 – all earned within the past year.

•Winter plays occasionally at the Horseshoe Casino poker room. He says he would like to play more often. But his full-time job occupies much of his time during the week, allowing him to play mostly on weekends.

Winner Quotes (Fred Winter)

•On winning his second WSOP Circuit gold ring: “My first gold ring is in a trophy case (at home). I plan to put this one up next to that.”

•On his future goals and plans in poker: “I am definitely shooting for a gold bracelet. I cashed the first time this year (in Las Vegas). That’s always nice. I will also definitely play more Circuit events. But hopefully, sometime in the near future I will have a bracelet to add to the collection.”

•On his preference of online versus live poker: “I play online some. But me having a full-time job, it is tough to dedicate the time to playing. With the Circuit coming here it is easier for me because I can make plans to attend and pretty much play over the whole weekend.”

•On how he got started in poker: “I came up during the Moneymaker era. I played in home games and progressed from there.”

•On his plans for the prize money won: “I’ll reinvest it as part of my poker bankroll.”

•On whom he hopes will win the WSOP Main Event, which will be played in two weeks: “You know, I like Darvin Moon. I think he is a nice guy. He is kind of like me, just a middle-aged guy who plays when he can. I hope he takes it. It would be awesome if it were Darvin and Ivey heads-up. Hopefully, he gets the money in good and holds up.”

•On playing in the WSOP Main Event someday: It’s tough to take off that much time for the Main Event. But maybe one of these years I will get a chance to play.”

The Final Table / In-the-Money Finishers

•Players agreed to make a deal when play became four-handed. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

•The fourth-place finisher was John Schroeder, from Aurora, IL. He is a 25-year-old auditor. Schroeder officially collected $10,886.

•The third-place finisher was Tanya Murphy, who was one of the real stars of this event. Incredibly, Murphy ended the first day with only 4,500 in chips. When she returned to play on Day Two, the required big blind was 6,000. With not enough chips to even post a full blind, Murphy somehow managed to double up three times. Even more astounding, several hours later – she had the chip lead! Murphy ended up accepting third place money totaling $15,550. She works as an insurance sales consultant and lives in Muskego, WI. Murphy ended up being the highest female finalist in any WSOP Circuit event played this year in Chicago. Murphy previously cashed once at the WSOP in Las Vegas, as well.

•The runner up was Eric Stolz, from West Bloomfield, MI. Stoltz, who now works as a personal trainer, once played for the NFL’s Detroit Lions from 1996-1999. He previously has three Heartland Poker Tour cashes. Stolz’s official payout amounted to $23,595.

•The winner was Fred Winter, who officially collected $38,173 and his second WSOP Circuit gold ring.

The Tournament

•This was the twelfth tournament of the new WSOP Circuit season, and the 12th of 13 events held at this Circuit series in Chicago. The tournament attracted 328 entries.

•The buy-in was $500 (+55). The total prize pool was $159,080.

•Attendance for this event increased by 21 percent over last year. In the 2008 for the exact same event, there were 270 entrants.

•With all events at the 2009 WSOP Circuit series at the Horseshoe Casino now complete, combined total attendance increased by 12 percent over last year:

2008 – 4,298 total entrants
2009 – 4,747 total entrants

•With all events at the 2009 WSOP Circuit series at the Horseshoe Casino now complete, total prize money awarded increased by 20 percent over last year:

2008 – $2,564,097 in total prize money
2009 – $3,080,056 in total prize money

•The tournament began at noon on October 24th and was played over two days. Play lasted 14 hours on Day One – with 39 survivors. The following day, play lasted just seven hours, due largely to a deal that was made. The entire duration of the tournament lasted about 21 hours.

World Series of Poker Circuits (History)

•The first event held this year at the WSOP Circuit in Chicago (Event #1) set a record as the largest WSOP Circuit of all time, with 1,412 entrants.

•The World Series of Poker Circuits officially 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 event kicks off 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.

•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) —

1.EVENT #9: Please correct final results to show:

3rd Place – Gary Datro
6th Place – Steffan Naas

(These two players were mistakenly reversed on the EXCEL results for Event #9)

2.EVENT #5: The 31st-place finisher was Mike Ceko. He wishes to be listed on all poker records as MIKE CEKO III.

3.EVENT #2: The 8th place finisher was MARK S. SMITH, a.k.a. “Pegasus,” from Georgetown, KY (Note that Mark Smith, from Lafayette, LA is incorrectly credited by some websites — wrong).

4.EVENT #8: The 4th place finisher was JOE MAGIERA (Note that the EXCEL sheet had his name incorrectly listed as MAGLIERA – wrong).

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
Co-Tournament Director: Steve Frezer

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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