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Monday, September 28, 2015 9:29 PM Local Time
Event #12
One-Day No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 112
Prize Pool: $33,600
September 28, 2015
Rodriguez breaks through for first tournament win; avenges fifth-place finish in this summer’s Monster Stack.
Circuit events wrap at PBKC; John Vale earns Casino Champion honors in a runaway.
West Palm Beach, Fla. (September 28, 2015) — Christian Rodriguez got the WSOP victory that was coming to him Monday night at the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The Boynton Beach, Fla. pro bested 112 players in Event #12, a $365 last-chance ring event, to nab his first tournament trophy along with a $10,079 first prize. Even with no previous victories under his belt, Rodriguez’s young resume is already quite decorated.
“I went to Vegas this summer and made it to the final table in the Monster Stack,” he said. “I ended up getting fifth – four spots away from a bracelet. It was good money, but I really wanted to win. This is my first official win and for it to be a Circuit ring feels fantastic.”
Referring to his $335,000 score as only “good” is a bit of an undersell, but as he mentioned, it was a few spots shy of a win. He returned to the felt for the 2015/2016 Circuit season and again experienced success early final tabling the $580 prelim at the Kennel Club.
“It’s beyond redemption,” he said of winning the ring. “I final tabled the [PBKC] $580 re-entry and got seventh in that one. I fell short there and it feels fantastic to close it out […] Keep going after your dreams. That’s all I can say.”
In addition to Rodriguez, the eighth-place finish of John Vale yielded another tournament headline. Vale preceded his deep run in Event #12 with first-, fourth-, another eighth-place and a ninth-place finish. In all, he amassed 127.5 points toward the property’s Casino Champion race and won the title handily. Putting his performance in perspective, over the course of the first four stops of the season combined, no other player has been able to top 110 points. His solid play earned him a berth in the season-ending WSOP Global Casino Championship where he’ll compete alongside the PBKC Main Event champion for his share of a guaranteed $1,000,000 prize pool and a gold bracelet.
The PBKC series marked the fourth of 21 stops on the 2015/2016 schedule and is one of two times the WSOP will call South Florida home this season. With the conclusion of Event #12, it’s officially wrapped, but Circuit action kicks off again at Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Ind. this Thursday.
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Event #12 was the last of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The $365 one-day no-limit hold’em event attracted 112 players. The total prize pool came to $33,600 and the top 12 finishers were paid.
The tournament began Sunday, September 27 at noon ET and played out in its entirety in one day. Action concluded during Level 23 (~9 p.m.) making the total duration of the event about nine hours.
Final results:
1st: Christian Rodriguez - $10,079
2nd: Mark Dumonski - $6,230
3rd: Blake Dennison - $4,436
4th: Javier Zarco - $3,222
5th: Haribhai Gopaul - $2,387
6th: Elliott Merlin - $1,802
7th: Daniel Gilmer - $1,386
8th: John Vale - $1,086
9th: Steven Bennett - $866
10th: Brian Reinert - $702
11th: Ernest Hogan - $702
12th: Zachary Laxen - $351
13th: Eugene Nussbaum - $351
Monday, September 28, 2015 6:28 PM Local Time
Event #12, a $365 one-day tournament, kicked off today at noon ET. Less than seven hours later the 112-player starting field is down to 10 and combined to the unofficial final table.
The finale boasts a pair of headliners in John Vale (pictured) and Javier Zarco. Vale is in the midst of his fifth cash of the series and has officially secured the title of Palm Beach Kennel Club Casino Champion. Having locked up a 10-point score in Event #12 thus far, he's guaranteed a total of at least 120 points putting him comfortably in front of second place Bobby Hodson. His efforts over the last two weeks have included first-, fourth-, eighth- and ninth-place finishes and he's earned himself a seat in the season-ending WSOP Global Casino Championship.
Second in the headline department is chip leader Javier Zarco. Less than five hours ago, Zarco finished runner up in the $1,675 Main Event to Peter Vitantonio. The deep run marked his fourth career second-place WSOP-related finish. If he's able to hang on to his advantage here at the Event #12 final table he'll earn an ever-elusive WSOP trophy.
Other notables still in the hunt include Daniel Gilmer, Brian Reinert and Mark Dumonski.
Seating assignments and chip counts:
Seat 1: Blake Dennison - 38,000
Seat 2: Javier Zarco - 239,000
Seat 3: Mark Dumonski - 150,000
Seat 4: Daniel Gilmer - 188,000
Seat 5: Christian Rodriguez - 258,500
Seat 6: John Vale - 40,500
Seat 7: Steve Bennett - 29,500
Seat 8: Gopaul Haribhai - 70,000
Seat 9: Brian Reinert - 88,000
Seat 10: Elliott Merlin - 41,500
Cards are in the air for the tournament's final playing session now. Roughly 15 minutes remain in the 2,500/5,000 with a 500 ante level. All players are assured a score of at least $702 while the tournament's winner earns $10,079, a Circuit gold ring and 50 points toward an at-large WSOP Global Casino Championship berth.
We will update you again when the tournament concludes.
Monday, September 28, 2015 3:20 PM Local Time
The last of the ring events at the Palm Beach Kennel Club -- a $365
one-day tournament -- drew 112 players marking a nice year-over-year
uptick in attendance. The prize pool totals $33,600 and pays the top 12
finishers. The 12th-place player pockets $702 while the eventual
champion earns $10,079, a Circuit gold ring and 50 points toward John
Vale's Casino Championship lead.
Full prize structure:
The clock currently reads 63 players remaining in Level 9. One of the
more notable names still in the hunt is that of Vale. Vale recorded his
fourth top-eight finish of the 12-day series yesterday in Event #11 and
looks to put the finishing touches on a great series with another deep
run and the Casino Championship title.
We will update you again when the tournament reaches the 10-handed final table.
Monday, September 28, 2015 12:02 PM Local Time
Cards are in the air for the twelfth and final ring event, a $365 one-day tournament. It's early, but the field appears to be intimate meaning it will be ripe with Casino Championship points. Here's a look at everything you need to know about today's play:
Noon - Event #12: $365 One-Day No-Limit Hold’em
-$365 buy-in gets players 10,000 chips
-Blinds begin at 25/50
-All levels are 20 minutes in length
-Registration remains open through Level 6 (until about 2:15 p.m.)
Speaking of the Casino Championship, John Vale recorded his fourth top-eight finish of the series last night busting ninth in Event #11. He now claims 110 points toward the 12-tournament race and is in pole position with a berth in the WSOP Global Casino Championship on the line.
Top 10 point earners as of Monday:
1. John Vale - 110 points
2. Robert Hodson - 90
3. Cody Pack - 87.5
4. Joseph Patalano - 67.5
5. Raymond Ruszkowski - 62.5
6. Christopher Staats - 55
7. Jonathan Abla - 50
8. John DePersio - 50
9. Joshua Beckley - 50
10. Alex Miller - 50
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 3:34 PM Local Time
