This is the central page for information about the ongoing WSOP Circuit series at Harvey's Lake Tahoe. Check back here (wsop.com/n/8bk) daily for updated schedule and results.
5 November 2018 (Stateline, Nev.) -- The World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harveys Lake Tahoe reached a conclusion Monday evening with the completion of Event #13. A total of 13 WSOP gold rings were handed out over the course of the 12-day series. There were many familiar faces who participated, a handful of repeat winners, and one player who rose above the re
Festivities kicked off on Thursday, October 25th with Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack. The one-day tournament finished with Charles Ambrogi capturing the first ring of the series. From there, some big names began making highlights.
The popular Multiflight Re-Entry event drew a total of 473 entrants across three starting flights, which generated a prizepool of $156,090. Going into Day 2 of Event #2, Adam Owen, who boasts over $500,000 in WSOP earnings, was in control of the chip lead. Owen took his lead and ran it all the way to the winner’s circle, capturing his first career gold ring.
Another notable name, Bernard Lee, came in and scooped up his second gold ring by winning Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo. Lee now has nearly $475,000 in Circuit earnings. Doubling up on rings was a feat also accomplished by three others during the series.
Dustin Fox defeated a field of 208 players in the Six Max (Event #5) to win his second gold ring. Jasthi Kumar registered for Event #9, the exact event he conquered last season, and successfully defended his title. Kumar walked away with gold ring number two and $24,238 for his victory in the $600 buy-in tournament.
The Monster stack (Event #8) had a turnout of 332 entrants, generating a six-figure prizepool of $109,560, which paid out the top 36 players. When all was said and done, it was Scott Sanders posing for a winner’s photo with his first gold ring in hand. It was a solid achievement for the Bay Area native, but he would not stop there.
Following the Event #9 results, the race for Casino Champion began to heat up. Joe Grew was leading with three cashes, a gold-ring victory in the PLO (Event #6), and 85 points. However, there were multiple gunning for the top spot, including Fox, Kumar, Jacob Dahl, and Kevin Davis.
Davis was steadily cashing in nearly 50% of the ring events with one final table appearance where he finished in 4th place. He then went on to run deep in Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo. Davis finished as the runner-up, earning another 37.5 points and putting him in the lead with five cashes for 90 points total.
Maxwell Young was the player who edged out Davis to win Event #11. The win provided Young with his fourth career Circuit gold ring and $13,213.
Moving on to the Main Event (Event #10). The signature, WSOP tournament attracted 442 entries amid two separate starting flights and accumulated a prizepool of $669,630. Flight A had 176 entrants and finished with five-time gold ring winner, Scott Stewart, leading.
Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo ran in between the two Main Event flights. Stephen Song, who bagged in Flight A the night before, went on to win the one-day event claiming his first gold ring. The ring solidified an already-impressive start to the 2018/19 Circuit season.
Flight B of the Main Event brought in another 266 entrants. By the end of the night, Michael Hubbard bagged a giant stack that was good for the overall chip lead going into the next stage.
Day 2 began with 54 survivors. The money bubble was near, as the top 45 finishers would receive a WSOP cash. There were plenty of notable names making the money. Kumar finished in 40th ($3,027), Vinny Moscati 29th ($4,192), Owen 28th ($4,192), Stewart 27th ($4,788), and Valentin Vornicu 22nd ($5,538).
By the end of Day 2, there were only four players remaining, and it was a prominent group to say the least. Three-time gold ring winner, Brett Murray, and two-time gold ring winner, Nick Pupillo, were both present and both going for their second Circuit Main Event title. The other two competitors were none other than Sanders and Song, each with a ring at the series already, and each in contention for Casino Champion.
Day 3 of the Main Event was set to begin on Monday, November 5, as was the restart for the final event of the series, Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack. Davis, the points leader, was among the final eleven in Event #13. To lock up the Casino Championship Davis had to place in the top six, otherwise he would have to fade Song and Sanders getting enough points to pass him.
Song dropped in 4th place in the Main Event, leaving him with 100 points. Davis ended up bowing out in 8th place in Event #13, rounding his total off with 107.5 points. The only player in the way of Davis was Sanders who still had chips in the Main Event.
Completed Events
Event #1: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Re-entry - Joe Ambrogi Skips Hockey to Lock Up His First WSOPC Ring
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Multiflight Re-Entry - Better Late Than Never; Adam Owen Wins his First WSOPC Ring
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Single Re-Entry - Slow and Steady Wins the Race as Bernard Lee Takes Down His Second WSOPC Ring
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em w/ Single Re-Entry - A Long Time Coming For Ruth Hagen Who Takes Down Her First WSOPC Ring
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Max - Dustin Fox Goes Back to Back with a Win In Event #5
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #6: $400 Pot Limit Omaha - Joe Grew Wins Event #6 After Making Three Final Tables
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1-Day) - Lian Liu wins Event #7 for first Circuit ring
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack - Fun Heads-Up Match Ends with Scott Sanders Scoring Monster Stack Gold
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Big Blind Ante - Jasthi Kumar Defends His Event #9 Title Winning Second Gold Ring
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #10: $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - Scott Sanders wins Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event for Second Gold Ring
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo - Maxwell Young Grabs Fourth Gold Ring with Turbo Triumph
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo - Stephen Song Captures First Ring Solidifying Great Start to the Season
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack - Shahin Shojaeyan Wins Final Ring Event of the Series
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Casino Champion Update
Kevin Davis is the Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino Champion. Davis finished the series with 107.5 points from six cashes.
About the Winners
Event #1 - Joe Ambrogi
Joe Ambrogi has been playing poker for over 15 years and in Event #1 he was able to lock up his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring. On the night he won, Ambrogi was supposed to be playing hockey, but he ran deep instead, besting a field of 268 players.
Ambrogi is a cash game specialist and plays poker professionally. He's recently returned from a trip to Vietnam and immediately he hopped into the World Series of Poker Circuit series at Harvey's in Lake Tahoe. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Ambrogi is now living in Stateline, NV.
"If I ran deep I was just going to skip the game basically," Ambrogi said. His time was well spent though as he'll take home $13,132 for his victory.
Event #2 - Adam Owen
Adam Owen is a 25-year old poker pro from Folkestone, UK. After his victory in Event #2, Owen now has over $500,000 in World Series of Poker earnings. For his victory Owen took down $28,473 and his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring. Owen also cashed for $655 on Flight 1B, which brings his total winnings for this event up to $29,128.
For Owen, the circuit ring comes after many close brushes with World Series of Poker stardom. Owen has on more than one occasion been in a position to capture a bracelet but hasn’t quite been able to close one out just yet. This circuit ring represents Owen’s first victory at the World Series of Poker.
Owen attributed his success to running good but said that some of it was momentum as well. Owen’s on a bit of a hot streak as of late, winning four tournaments in the last few weeks, two in England and one in Reno as well as this one.
“It sounds a bit silly, but I think there’s something in it, in momentum.” Owen explained about his hot streak. “Like when you’re used to making deep runs you’re going to be a bit more patient, I would say and you’re going to identify spots a lot better. You’re going to generally be more used to the situations that you find yourself in.”
Event #3 - Bernard Lee
Bernard Lee has been a staple in the poker community for over ten years. Early in his career, Lee earned notoriety with a deep run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, finishing 13th for $400,000. Lee would use that T.V. time to become one of the most recognizable poker media personalities, hosting several podcasts, commentating, and becoming one of the biggest poker voices in New England.
But Lee also has a track record of impressive poker results, starting with that deep Main Event run in 2005. Lee has brushed with success at the World Series of Poker and elsewhere on many occasions, with a runner up finish in a bracelet event in 2017 as well as one previous Circuit ring. Now he can add another Circuit ring to his resume.
Lee's goal this series was to lock up his second World Series of Poker Circuit ring, and he made it happen.
“This was the goal,” Lee said. “The goal was to get a ring. I came here, and I said, I feel like I’m playing really well right now. Let’s go get this second ring. It happened.”
Event #4 - Ruth Hagen
Ruth Hagen has played the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harvey’s in Lake Tahoe for the last five years and says she loves the stop. She's had several brushes with a WSOPC win before, but hadn't been able to close it out until now.
When play reached the final table, Hagen only had 57,500 chips, less than ten big blinds, but she was able to run it up and make a huge comeback. With a little patience and a run of good cards, Hagen was able to overtake Scott Stewart who had cruised through most of the tournament as the chip leader.
“I just waited,” Hagen said. “And then I caught some lucky flops against Scott. He’s a great player.”
This is the first ring for the 59-year-old who works in human resources. For her victory she will also take home $13,398 and 50 points towards the Global Casino Championship.
Event #5 - Dustin Fox
Roughly a year ago, Dustin Fox received a text from his mother. She told him, “You got it.”
“The craziest part is right before this event last year my mom...” Fox explained. “I was all down on poker. But my mom was just like ‘Use your skill. You got it.’ And the same thing… She texted me the same thing today. ‘You got it.’ Like out of nowhere. And I won again. Which is crazy because I’ve been getting killed all tournament.”
But it wasn’t just smooth sailing for Fox on his way to a second six-max victory in Lake Tahoe. He actually encountered quite a few speed bumps along the way. Six to be exact. In total, Fox bought into this event six time and was down between cash games and tournaments this series.
“I was really sad the whole time, but I was like, I have to keep trying,” Fox said.
Fox is 36-years-old and self employed. This victory earned him his second WSOPC ring.
Event #6 - Joe Grew
It’s been a busy week for Joe Grew, winner of Event #6: $400 Pot Limit Omaha for $9,206 and his first Circuit ring. Grew made three final tables in as many days, and finally sealed the deal with a four-card win.
“It doesn’t mean anything to me - I have won bigger tournaments” said Grew, commenting on winning his first ring. The newly-crowned champion has cashed for four times as much as he did in this tournament, but was clearly focused on the win after coming so close all week. He was tired from making two final tables the last two days, so that was why he decided to register the Pot Limit Omaha late in the day.
Event #7 - Lian Liu
Lian Liu secured his first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. The 33-year-old Poker Pro topped a field of 227 entries in Event 7: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo, taking home $18,733.
The payout more than doubled Liu’s WSOP earnings and marked his seventh cash, all coming from the Harveys Lake Tahoe Circuit. Liu bested a final table featuring the likes of Hank Sitton (5th - $4,680), Bernard Lee (7th - $2,764) and Stephen Bierman (8th - $2,172) on his way to winning his first ring.
Event #8 - Scott Sanders
Scott Sanders scored his first World Series of Poker gold ring late Thursday evening at the Harveys Lake Tahoe Circuit. His triumph came in Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack. The tournament drew a field of 332 entrants, generating a $109,560 prizepool, and took two days to complete.
In the end, it came down to Sanders and Marty Gorenc. It was a laid-back heads-up match that included banter, fans in the stands, and a few drinks for good measure. The two competitors were certainly having fun with it, a principle Sanders strongly stands by.
“If we don’t have fun then poker will never grow, right?” expressed Sanders. “What my goal is, is to grow poker. I want people to play poker, and poker is going to die if people don’t make it fun. So, that’s my goal in poker, just to make it fun for people.”
After a lot of back and forth, Sanders eventually scooped the final pot. The California native broke through to the top spot, earning $25,201 and now has just over $100,000 in WSOP earnings from eight cashes.
Event #9 - Jasthi Kumar
Jasthi Kumar seized his second World Series of Poker gold ring on Friday. The IT Professional, originally from India, achieved back-to-back victories in Event #9 at the Harveys Lake Tahoe Circuit.
This season, Kumar topped a field of 181 entrants in the $600 buy-in tournament to win $24,238. Last year, the buy in was $580, but Kumar won a bit more money, $28,502, on account of conquering a larger field of 228 entrants.
“I feel really great. When I made it to the final table I thought ‘ok, I’ve got a good chance to make it back-to-back this time,’” said Kumar. “I was second in chips… I had confidence that I could do it this time again.”
In the end, Kumar could not be stopped in his title defense. The California residence now lays claim to two gold rings, right around $340,000 in WSOP earnings, and 21 WSOP cashes.
Event #10 - Scott Sanders
Scott Sanders, a.k.a. “The Hamburger Man,” is the newest World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event Champion. The 30-year-old from San Jose, California navigated through three days of tournament poker at Harveys Lake Tahoe, conquering a field of 442 entrants in Event #10: $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event to win $147,314.
Sanders is a frequent player, mostly online, but does not claim to play poker for a living. The California kids’ main gig is serving up delicious burgers at In-N-Out, a job that he is noticeably proud to be a part of. In fact, Sanders is headed straight home because he works at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Sanders will be looking to play a bit more, and possibly travel to tournaments more often. Poker is a game that holds a special place in Sanders’ heart.
“I definitely want to continue to play and help grow the game, for sure. I got into poker from breaking my hip and being disabled. It really changed my life and my outlook on everything,” Sanders divulged “It stimulated my brain and gave me something to fight for when I couldn’t walk for a few months.”
“So, that’s why I want to spread the game,” he continued. “Because it has a lot of great things in it that people don’t understand what it could do to your mind to stimulate it and just make you feel positive and just have something to compete for even if you feel like you have nothing.”
Event #11 - Maxwell Young
Maxwell Young is truly a force to be reckoned with on the World Series of Poker Circuit. The 33-year-old Poker Pro reached the winner’s circle yet again with a win in Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo at Harveys Lake Tahoe. The conquest granted Young $13,213 and his fourth career gold ring.
“I mean, this one of all the rings is probably the least ‘special,’” stated Young. “But, I haven’t cashed since I’ve been here and I’ve fired like 10 bullets at this point, so it felt really good to win this.”
Two of Young’s previous rings came in Six Max events, a tournament style he greatly enjoys. Then, of course, the crown jewel of his ring collection was seized in none other than the Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event last year, which also entailed a payout of $147,699.
Young now has 22 WSOP cashes worth just over $300,000 combined. Here are some stats on the Circuit phenom: 68% of Young’s WSOP cashes are final-table appearances and 26% of those deep runs are gold-ring victories. Not to mention, all of Young’s WSOP accolades have come in the last three Circuit seasons.
Event #12 -Stephen Song
Stephen Song captured his first World Series of Poker gold ring on Saturday at the Harveys Lake Tahoe, providing a crowning milestone to go along with an already-incredible start to his Circuit career. The 23-year-old ran through a field of 156 entrants in Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo to win $13,901 along with the golden hardware.
“I just started grinding the Circuit more often… I mean, this is the first year I kind of took a break from school, overall, and just focus more on the poker,” said Song. “This is kind of working out so far.”
“Kind of working out,” may be an understatement. The modest, young gun now has a 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st-place finish thus far on the 2018/19 WSOP Circuit tour. Song had a very profitable run at the most recent stop, Horseshoe Hammond. All in all, his cashes so far this season combine for a total of $162,680 in earnings.
Event #13 -Shahin Shojaeyan
Shahin Shojaeyan took down final ring event of the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harveys Lake Tahoe series. The 40-year-old Banker defeated a field of 196 entries in Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack to win $16,815 and his first WSOP gold ring. The tournament took two-days to complete.
“This exact event, I got 3rd the year I played it. And actually, my cousin and I both final tabled it that year and we did it again this time, which is nuts,” said Shojaeyan.
Shojaeyan’s cousin, Mike Heshmati, also made a run in Event #13, but went out in 6th place. In the end, it was Shojaeyan and Madhavan “Mamba” Ramanjujam heads up for the ring. Shojaeyan ultimately took it down and had a lucky trinket to be revealed upon winning.
“So, my kids were up here this year because we come up here a lot for this particular series,” said Shojaeyan “… they had to leave Sunday to get to school and stuff. And before I left, he had, by himself, drew this goofy picture and put it on my brief case,” he continued “So, this morning, for the final table, I was like ‘I’m gonna take it for good luck and if I win it I’m going to put it in the picture.’”