 Bill Michaelski won the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit event held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. He was declared the champion after an unusual deal was reached between the top seven finishers. While dealmaking is very much a part of the tournament poker scene, it's rare for so many players to agree to a split. Michaelski was officially paid $15,413 for first place and was awarded the symbolic prize commemorating victory, the WSOP Circuit gold ring. This was Michaelski first time to cash in a WSOP event and first major tournament victory.
Michaelski, age 28, is originally from Syracuse, NY. He worked as a senior accountant before recently making the move to Las Vegas to play poker professionally full-time. Michaelski has been living in Las Vegas for only about two months and now, has a victory which should inspire some confidence in the months and years ahead. Michaelski's previous cashes include two wins in smaller tournaments held at the Turning Stone Casino in upstate New York.
The $230 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament was the 15th of 19 events on this year's Caesars schedule. The two-day competition was played on April 23rd and 24th. The tournament attracted a large field of 331 players, which created a prize pool totaling $64,214. The top 36 players collected prize money. After 321 players were eliminated on Day One, the final table was held on Day Two.
There were no former gold ring winners among the final nine players, which meant a first-time champion was guaranteed. Tony De Felice arrived at the Final Table with a slight chip lead. But at least five players were all within striking distance, which meant a wide open finale was expected. That's exactly what happened, as players played conservatively during the early rounds. In fact, two hours passed before the first player was eliminated. After Neal Cooke went out in eighth place, the remaining players began discussing a deal, and with the stacks sizes very near even all around the table, an agreement was quickly made.
In other WSOP Circuit-related news, three-time gold ring winner Dwyte Pilgrim responded yesterday to the mischievous remarks made by Andrew Malott. Pilgrim's response was posted in the blog written by veteran poker writer Kaelaine Minton who is currently working an event in Atlantic City. Malott, who won his first gold ring at Caesars Palace on Friday, called out Pilgrim and told him he's going for multiple rings which would challenge Pilgrim's reputation as the WSOP Circuit dominant player in recent years. "I'm going to catch up to your rings," Malott predicted.
"Anybody can win one ring," Pilgrim replied. "Come see me when you've got two."
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by Nolan Dalla
 The last tournament prior to the start of the Main Event Championship concluded today as Siriwan "Magnets Lady" Sukmekerd won first-place and $18,251 in prize money. The event was held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. This was the 18th of 19 total tournaments on this year's schedule, which very nearly closes out another successful year of World Series of Poker Circuit events at Caesars.
The winner Sukmekerd is a housewife from Las Vegas. She plays in many local poker tournaments and is a loyal player at Caesars. Sukmekerd is called the "Magnets Lady" because she often plays with a collection of shiny magnets on the table, which she uses as card protectors. Sukmekerd believes the magnets give her special powers and attract positive energy. After winning a WSOP Circuit ring, her first, no one could possibly argue.
The $500 (+50) buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament was played on April 25th and April 26th. There were 142 players, which created a prize pool totaling $68,870. The top 18 finishers collected prize money. Once the final table was reached on Day Two, there were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion.
Bill Gaffney arrived at the final table with a slight chip advantage. But three players were very close in chips, including Jon Lactaoen, Mitchell Mantin, and Steven Sztrary, who were just a round of blinds and antes from the lead. This created a final table with several chip-lead changes and momentum shifts. During most of the ten-hour final table, Sukmekerd was an average-sized stack. But she made a big move when play reached three-handed and ended up with the victory.
Jon Lactaoen finished in second place for the second time this week. He was runner up in a previous event held here at Caesars. This time, Lactaoen came close to victory, and had the chip lead for a time at the final table. But he could not close out the victory and had to settle for the mixed blessing of $11,019 and second place.
The last hand came when Sukmekerd was dealt As Ad. Turkzadeh was dealt Jh Jd. Lactaoen moved all in pre-flop and Sukmerkerd was thrilled to call. The final board showed Kd Qc 9h 6d 4c, which meant the pocket aces took down the last pot of the night.
Siriwan Sukmekerd won $18,251 for first place and her first WSOP Circuit gold ring. She was dressed in a black leather jacket, which she called her "lucky jacket." She also had several magnets on the table. In previous tournament results, Sukmekerd was once named the "Poker Queen" at a tournament held at the Golden Nugget. This was her third time to cash at a WSOP Circuit tournament held at Caesars Palace.
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by Nolan Dalla
 Paul Alterman, from London, has an impressive list of tournament cashes in Europe. During the past decade, he's finished in-the-money a whopping 45 times in live tournaments held in England, Austria, Italy, Ireland, and elsewhere. But Alterman remains a relatively unknown player in the United States, having no World Series of Poker cashes on what is otherwise an impressive tournament resume.
That all changed tonight when Alterman won the most recent WSOP Circuit event, held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The Londoner won the $1,080 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament and officially pocketed $35,472 for first place. He was also presented with his first gold ring, in what was his first attempt ever in a WSOP Circuit tournament.
Alterman was the beneficiary of a deal reached between the final four players. But his achievement is impressive nonetheless, particularly in light of his chip position when final table play began. He was ranked seventh in chips, and was outchipped by a 5 to 1 margin when he sat down to play on what was the second of a two-day tournament.
The tournament was played during April 24th and 25th and attracted 138 entries. The top 18 finishers divided a prize pool totaling $133,860. After 128 players were eliminated on the first day, final table play began on a Sunday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion.
Kory Mitchell dominated the second half of this tournament in a way that had not been seen in quite some time. When players reached the prize money (18 players), Mitchell had nearly a 4 to 1 chip over his closest rival. By the time the final table began, Mitchell's chip lead was 3 to 1, the greatest disparity of chips of any event so far at this year's Caesars series. In fact, Mitchell had one-third of the total chips in play. But his good fortune would not last.
Paul Alterman, a 51-year-old semi-pro poker player from London, England won the 16th of 19 events on this year's WSOP Circuit schedule at Caesars Palace. The longtime-poker player had previously cashed many times in Europe. But this marked his first victory on U.S. soil. His official payout amounted to $35,472.
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by Nolan Dalla
 Andrew Malott has taken some wicked beats in his short, but memorable professional poker career. At last year's WSOP, Malott had a healthy stack and was down to five-handed play in a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event. Malott moved all-in with pocket kings and was called an opponent who showed ace-jack. Malott loved his spot and seemed primed to take the chip lead en route to what could have been a gold bracelet victory and nearly life-changing prize money of half a million dollars. Instead, Malott's kings were cracked, leaving 29-year-old aspiring champion to ponder the possibilities of what might have been.
Fast forward ten months later to Caesars Palace Las Vegas and the latest WSOP Circuit event.
Andrew Malott, a year older and a bit wiser, overcame a tough field of 162 players in the $550 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event and won his first WSOP-related victory. First place paid $20,820. But for Malott, it was just as much about the gold ring and the satisfaction of victory as the prize money.
"It's really cool to win here because when you get to that situation (before) when you get the win within your clutches and you go out the way I did, you just come back with even more of a hunger," said Malott moments after the victory. "Every time you get into one of these situations, you want to do everything you can so it won't slip through your fingers because it's such a brutal experience to go to a WSOP final table and not scoop it."
Malott had some fun immediately following his victory. Boosted by the confidence of his first-ever WSOP Circuit win, he issued a challenge to three-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner Dwyte Pilgrim.
"This is to my boy, Dwyte Pilgrim," barked Malott for the entire poker world to hear. "I'm going to catch up to your rings, kid. The rings are going to be all over my fingers. You know how it's going to go….I'm coming for you Dwyte Pilgrim, let's go!"
Pilgrim, who did not show up at this year's Caesars series was not available for comment.
The tournament, the 13th of 19 on this year's Caesars schedule, was played on April 22nd and 23rd. The tournament attracted 162 players, which created a prize pool totaling $78,570. The top 18 players collected prize money. After 152 players were eliminated on Day One, the final table was held on Day Two.
Malott was not the only winner worthy of praise. Among those who cashed was Patrick Kellett, who finished in 10th place. Mr. Kellett is 85 years old, making him one of the oldest players ever to cash in a WSOP Circuit event. An English native, he served as a fighter pilot in World War II for the Royal Air Force and fought under Gen. Montgomery's command in North Africa. When Mr. Kellett was eliminated in tenth place, all the players in the tournament gave him a round of applause and offered handshakes. It was a special moment for everyone, demonstrating that despite poker's competitive nature, there remains room for mutual respect and admiration.
Another player who cashed in this tournament was Everett Carlton, who won Event #3 and his first gold ring. This time, Carlton took 17th place in what was his third time to cash at this year's Caesars series. He also took 4th place in another event.
There was one former WSOP gold bracelet winner among the final nine players – Toto Leonidas, who won a seven-card stud event at the 2003 WSOP. Andrew Malott arrived at the Final Table as chip leader. Closest in chips when play began was Kenton Taylor, who was within striking distance. During most of the eight-hour finale, Malott was the chip leader. In fact, he was never in serious danger of elimination at any point.
When heads-up play began, Andrew Malott enjoyed about a 3 to 1 chip lead over Jason Smith. The two rivals battled for about 20 minutes before Malott won the final hand of the tournament.
The last hand came when Smith was dealt Qs Jd. Malott was dealt Kc Ts. Smith moved all in on the turn hoping to steal the pot and Malott quickly called holding top pair. The final board showed Kh 8c 6c 5d 4s, which meant Malott's pair of kings took down the last pot of the night.
Jason K. Smith, from Chandler, AZ ended the tournament as the runner up. He currently has four WSOP cashes, and finished in third place just three weeks ago at the WSOP Circuit event held at Harrah's Rincon, near San Diego. Second place paid $12,571.
Andrew Malott is originally from Detroit. He lived for several years in Chandler, AZ and has recently relocated to Las Vegas, primarily to play more live poker. Malott says he expects to win "at least one" WSOP gold bracelet coming up in June and July, and is confident he will achieve a breakthrough year in poker. First place paid $20,820 and the coveted gold ring, presented to all WSOP Circuit event champions.
An interview with Malott at tableside moments after the win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/LQLOC
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by Nolan Dalla
 Playing poker for a living has been called, "a tough way to make an easy living." It's even tougher when the player has a spouse and children at home, who count on financial support. But Jeff Clayton appears to be making the transition from working a steady job to playing poker full-time exceeding well. He just won the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit event held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, and collected his first-ever gold ring.
Clayton, a 30-year-old poker pro from Glendale, CA lost his job last year. He was previously a news cameraman for FOX-TV in Los Angeles. Clayton played poker in his spare time, and had the perfect opportunity to pursue his recreational interest more seriously after the television network announced numerous layoffs, including a pink slip for Clayton. He has other major developments on the horizon, as well. Clayton is married and already has a son. He and his wife are expecting their second child, in just four weeks. The delivery date coincides with the start of the upcoming WSOP in Las Vegas.
"I just got started (playing poker). I lost my job last year, so I wanted to give (poker) a shot because I had been doing well at it part-time," Clayton said moments after officially winning $14,323 in the Caesars tournament. "For me, playing this upcoming World Series of Poker will be everything, because I have only played in one event ever, so far. The amount of people they have (entering), the amount of money, it's huge."
The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 19th and 20th. There were 203 entries for the mid-week event, which generated a prize pool totaling $59,073. The top 27 finishers collected prize money.
One interesting side note was that for the second day in a row, a husband and wife both cashed in the same event. James Ignatieff, Jr. and Corinn Ignatieff both made the money, finishing in 19th and 27th place, respectively. In the previous tournament, Dan Zogman and wife Mary Jo Zogman both finished in-the-money as well.
Final Table play began on a Tuesday afternoon. There was only one prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winner among the final nine players – Mike Ratcliff, who ended up finishing in second place. The finale also included two female players as well as three Canadian players. In fact, two of the players were from the same area in Saskatchewan.
Sebastian Smitdorff arrived at the Final Table with a slight chip lead. But Geoff Mulligan and Jeff Clayton were very close behind. Smitdorff ended up going out about midway through the finale, whereas Clayton enjoyed a flurry of good fortune from the moment he took his seat. Mulligan surprised everyone by being the first player to bust out.
Jeff Clayton is a 30-year-old poker pro from Glendale, CA. He has been playing full-time for about nine months. Clayton has previously won tournaments in Los Angeles and now has more than $300,000 in career tournament earnings. However, this was his first time to cash in a WSOP-related event. He has bigger goals ahead to play in more WSOP tournaments, while trying to maintain the proper balance between husband and soon-to-be new father and aspiring poker pro.
"I can't wait for the WSOP to date," Clayton said. "I'm drooling over it, already."
An interview with Jeff Clayton at tableside moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/JRBFR
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by Nolan Dalla
 If anyone has "paid his dues" in tournament poker, it's Everett Carlton. The 55-year-old owner of an insurance agency who once gambled for high-stakes on the golf course finally won his first major tournament victory tonight at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Carlton has been playing in poker tournaments for the past five years. But until now, he had never won a major, despite coming close many times with 30 in-the-money finishes and several final table appearances.
Carlton was visibly thrilled with his victory, which came after many years of struggle and disappointment. He topped a tough field of 166 players in the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit event and collected $21,336 for first place. But far more meaningful than the money for Carlton was the WSOP gold ring he won, symbolizing a well-deserved and long-overdue personal triumph.
"I've been out there grinding for years," Carlton said following his victory. "I came here to Caesars hoping to finally break through and win. I can't express how happy I am."
Carlton lives in St. Paul, MN, but travels frequently to major poker tournaments throughout the United States. Prior to playing poker much of the time, he gambled for big money on the golf course. However in 2003, Carlton was diagnosed with skin cancer, the result of spending many hours in the sun out on golf courses. He managed to beat cancer, but also realized he had to make some life changes. To satisfy his love of action and high-stakes gambling, Carlton decided to refocus his energy on a safer game played indoors – poker -- rather than golf.
If chasing a little white ball around a course was a challenge, achieving success in tournament poker was in many ways ever more difficult for Carlton. Despite a fierce desire to compete and win, and his obvious talent and discipline to succeed, Carlton entered numerous tournaments held throughout the country, but never managed to win – up until now.
"Tournament poker is tough. You almost have to be a masochist to play this game," Carlton confided. "I mean, this is my first big win and I have been playing five years. So that means every other tournament I go out disappointed. It's crazy, and it's brutal. But you just have to keep believing in yourself and keep going. But this (gold ring) is big."
Even more remarkable for Carlton was his ability to comeback in this tournament and win, after seemingly being down and out at one point, seemingly destined for a third-place finish. In fact, when play was at three-handed, Carlton admittedly made a wrong decision, and lost most of his stack. He was down to just a few rounds of blinds – with about 35,000 in chips out of 1,700,000 total chips in play. Then, mustering whatever energy and desire he lacked in previous tournaments, Carlton managed to win the next three big hands, doubled up several times, and drew back to even with his two adversaries. Later, Carlton overcame a 3 to 1 margin in heads-up play to seize the victory. Hence, in many ways this win was doubly satisfying.
This was the third gold ring event (out of 14 total) on this year's WSOP Circuit schedule at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The $500 (+50) buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 16th and 17th. The tournament attracted 166 entries. The top 18 finishers divided a prize pool totaling $80,510. After 156 players were eliminated on the first day, final table play began on a Saturday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion.
Carlton arrived at the Final Table with a slight chip advantage over Tommy Tran and Matthew Maley. But the wide distribution of chips and low blinds and antes meant everyone was within striking distance of the chip lead.
When heads-up play began, Cesar Flores enjoyed slightly more than a 3 to 1 chip lead over Everett Carlton. About ten minutes into the duel, Carlton won a big hand and doubled up with AJ versus AT. The put the two finalists close to even in chips. Flores and Carlton battled back and forth for over an hour during which Carlton took command and gradually wore down his opponent with more aggressive play. Flores remarked that he went card dead late and simply could not call Carlton's bets and raises, since he held bad cards.
Flores finally decided he'd had enough and decided to make his final stand when he was down by about a 3 to 1 margin. Flores was dealt Kh Jh. He raised all-in before the flop. Carlton called and tabled Ac 7c. Neither player caught a pair, which meant Carlton's ace-high played after the final board showed: 8d 5d 2c 2d Th
The final hand of the tournament can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/PUEPW
The runner up was Cesar Flores, a 41-year-old teacher from McAllen, TX. Flores, who was born in Mexico hopes to become a full-time professional poker player someday. He has previously cashed in three WSOP events in Las Vegas. This was his best major tournament finish, to date. Flores earned $12,882 in prize money for his outstanding effort. Note: Flores was the second player from McAllen (Texas) in consecutive days to finish in the top three. His friend Ronnie Rodriguez, Jr. (also from McAllen) finished in third place the previous day.
Everett Carlton finally reached a personal milestone with his first major championship victory. Carlton, who owns an insurance agency in his hometown of St. Paul, MN won $21,336 and his first gold ring at the most recent WSOP Circuit tournament held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Carlton says his next goal is to win a WSOP gold bracelet. But he also has plans to play more WSOP Circuit events, and perhaps win another gold ring.
An interview with Everett Carlton at tableside, moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/9DEZE
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by Nolan Dalla
 Nick Coukos' first love may be horse racing. But following tonight's latest World Series of Poker Circuit tournament, he is well on his way to becoming a poker aficionado. The 53-year-old executive who works at a Canadian racetrack just won his first Circuit gold ring ever, triumphing over 194 players at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. This was Coukos' biggest tournament win yet, worth $15,037 in prize money. But money was the last thing on Coukos' mind as he cradled the coveted gold ring, symbolizing a great moment of personal pride.
"I don't do this for a living, although I love playing poker," Coukos said moments after his victory. "Back in Canada, I run a quarterhorse track. I've also bee in the thoroughbred industry for a long time. So, winning something like this is really so special to me. It's special to my family. My kids kept on texting me (tonight) to 'bring back the ring,' and I wanted to bring it back for the family. It's something no one can take away from me for as long as I live."
Indeed, Coukos is a manager at Ajax Downs, a quarterhorse racetrack located near Toronto. He lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Coukos, the proud father of two boys, called one of his sons afterward.
"I called my son at home, and I said, I got the ring, I'm bringing it home," Coukos stated, beaming with delight.
This was the second gold ring event on this year's WSOP Circuit schedule at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The $300 (+40) buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament was played over two consecutive days during April 15th and 16th. The tournament attracted 195 entries. The top 18 finishers split up a prize pool containing $56,745. After 186 players were eliminated on the first day, Final Table play began on a Friday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion. The composition of money winners was unusual for a field of this size, as representatives from five different nations cashed, including Canada, Brazil, Sweden, France, and the United States.
Mohammad Eshaghi arrived at the Final Table with a decisive chip advantage over the remaining players. He enjoyed better than a 2 to 1 lead over his closest rivals, Eugene Liu and Nick Coukos. The remaining players were down by 3 to 1 margins or more. During most of the finale, Anthony Ditomaso, who ended up finishing in second place, sat with a low to average-sized stack. He made a big move when play became three-handed and had the chip lead when play was heads-up. But Nick Coukos won all the late decisive hands and earned the victory.
"The last five players at the final table were all fantastic players," he said. "(They were the) best players I have ever played against at a final table."
Coukos absolutely dominated play late and reached a deal resulting in an official payout totaling $15,037. This was Coukos' first time to cash in a WSOP-related event and marked his first gold ring victory.
An interview with Nick Coukos at tableside, just moments after his win can be seen here: http://www.twitvid.com/F6SLE
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by Nolan Dalla
 Felcia Johnico is the winner of event #10, the $240 buy-in No Limit Hold'em Ladies Championship.
The WSOPC first-ever ladies event at Harrah's St. Louis drew a field of 150 women for a total prize pool of $29,100. The one-day event began at 4:00 pm and ended around 2:00 am.
The final table was a steamroll for Johnico, who eliminated seven opponents within two hours for the win, worth $7.975 and a diamond-encrusted gold pendant.
The final nine players began play just before midnight.
Heads up play began at 1:35 am with blinds and antes at 8,000/16,000/2,000. After taking a significant pot from Hunsel, the final hand saw Johnico move all-in with 4d5d after Hunsel called from the button.
Hunsel obliged the all-in raise and showed Ks8c. A finale hurrah for Johnico's streak came by way of a 7c4h10h flop. Hunsel bricked the turn and river, making her the runner up. Hunsel is a real estate agent from St. Charles, MO. She earned $5,398.
"I feel great, I'm really excited," said Johnico, a blackjack dealer from Sherman, TX.
"I had no fear, I was Johnny-go-luckbox," she said about her good run of cards at the final table
However, the Oklahoma State ladies champion and now Harrah's St. Louis ladies champ said that it was skill that kept her alive in the tournament until good fortune kicked in.
"Earlier in the tournament, it was a grind, but luck finally got on my side."
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by Alan Fowler - WSOP Assistant Media Director
 Known online as durrrr, Tom Dwan is one of the hottest online poker players right now. Known for his ultra-aggressive style of play, Dwan has burst onto the nosebleed-stakes cash game scene in 2007, when he logged an over 300k profit over the course of the year. From that point on, his earnings have sky-rocketed right up to the point where he became one of the best known faces at Full Tilt Poker. Compelled to reward him somehow for the publicity he'd generated for the site, Full Tilt Poker accepted him as a member of their team of professional players in November 2009. As such, Dwan currently endorses the 27% full tilt rakeback the site offers its new players. Make sure you take full advantage of this rakeback deal by signing up through the right channels.
Dwan began playing poker at the age of 17, back in 2004. He got $50 from his father for his birthday and he decided to invest that money into online poker. He made a deposit at Paradise Poker and started playing SNGs. He'd dropped most of his bankroll initially, but with his last $15, he mounted a spectacular comeback and was soon able to move to the cash tables.
It didn't take long for the Edison, New Jersey native to work his way up the stakes. Before long, he was playing $10/$20 with Frederick Halling, then $25/$50 with Prahlad Friedman. Freiedman proved to be a difficult obstacle to overcome, but after several failed attempts, Dwan managed to march right through the professional player on his way to still higher stakes.
Despite the fact that he earned a massive $5.41 million in 2008, and set quite a few records as far as pot sizes and single-session profits were concerned, Dwan's online poker career had its fair share of downs too. In 2009, a mystery player known only as Isildur1 to this day, burst onto the nosebleed stakes scene. Dwan became one of his most notorious victims. Over just a few sessions, Dwan dropped more than $5 million to Isildur1, money that he hasn't been able to recover to this day. As a matter of fact, he ended up dropping even more money to the Swede in subsequent bouts.
He was forced to drop down the stakes in order to rebuild his bankroll, a mission which he completed successfully in December 2009. His bankroll restored, he now continues to roam the nosebleed stakes at Full Tilt making money off just about anybody and sometimes dropping a chunk or two to Isildur1.
He is involved in a heads-up series against Patrik Antonius, called the Durrrr Challenge or the $1 million challenge, which he had initiated back in 2008 in an effort to generate more high stakes heads-up PLO action. He is currently ahead in the challenge, seemingly increasing his lead with every new session.
His online antics earned him spots on live poker events as well. He had money finishes in two WSOP events, he scored some dough in an EPT event as well as in 2 WPT ones. He also made a WPT final table.
Dwan played in the Aussie Millions as well in the National Heads-up Poker Championship. He's also appeared on High Stakes Poker and on Poker After Dark.
 The winner of the Harrah's St. Louis WSOP Circuit Seniors Event is Bob Irby of Keller, TX.
Irby said that the $300 + (50) buy-in, No-Limit Hold'em event was some of the most fun he's had at the poker table. In addition to his two days of folly, Irby picked up $14,344 and a gold WSOP Circuit Event ring.
Irby played his way through the 181 day-one field on Easter Sunday to become one of the final nine players who returned Monday to play down to a winner. Sue Smith, an LPN from Poplar Bluff, MO was the lone woman among the nine, the first to make the final table in three events so far at Harrah's St. Louis.
Heads up play between Simon and Irby lasted only a few hands, the last of which saw Simon all-in with Kd10d against Irby's As4c. The board came 5dJs6c3h8d to give Irby the win.
Simon took home $8,838 for his runner-up finish. He is a 61-year old computer programmer/analyst from St. Louis who final tabled an event this year at the WSOPC Tunica.
Irby was all smiles as he was presented with a WSOPC gold ring and the distinction of first seniors event champion at Harrah's St. Louis.
"This event was a lot of fun. The people here at Harrah's St. Louis, the players and casino staff are just terrific," said Irby.
Irby has been playing poker since 1960 and says he has seen the game constantly evolving.
"The games used to be much easier, even online poker back in 2001 but players started reading books, so I started reading myself to keep up."
Irby says that this was only his second seniors event, but that he plans to play a lot more in the future and has already registered for the 2010 World Series of Poker Seniors Event at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
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by Alan Fowler - WSOP Assistant Media Director
 Raymond Lantz, a 31-year-old sales manager from Gibson City, IL is the winner of Circuit Event #2 at Harrah's St. Louis.
Lantz outlasted a field of 288 players to take the down the $500 (+60) buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event, which generated a prize pool of $139,680.
Among the players in event #2 were 2008 WSOP Main Event third place finisher, Dennis Phillips and multi-platinum recording artist Nelly, who finished in the bubble.
Phillip's co-host of "The Final Table" poker radio show, Paul Harris was one of the final nine players.
Blinds were now at 12,000 and 24,000 with 4,000 antes. With more than a 6-1 chip lead over Lantz heads up, it appeared that Shimp would make quick work of his opponent; however, Lantz had other plans for the tourney's conclusion.
Lantz doubled up through twice to pull even in chips before more chips went his way in a number of marginally-sized pots seen to the river. In the final hand of the evening, the two players saw a flop of 8c10cQd. Shimp threw out 100,000 in chips.
Whether it was posturing or a miscue, Lantz checked. After Shimp's bet was pointed out to him, he raised to 500,000. Lantz re-raised all-in and Shimp snapped called. Lantz turned over 9hKs while Lantz tabled two pair, 8's and 10's. The turn came Qc and the river was an 8s to give Lantz the win worth $33,942 and a WSOP Circuit Event gold ring.
A video of the final hand can be seen here - http://www.twitvid.com/0HO2E
Lantz is a 31-year old sales manager from Gibson City, IL. He came to the circuit events here at Harrah's St. Louis along with a few friends from his local home game. This was his third World Series of Poker Circuit cash.
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by Alan Fowler - WSOP Assistant Media Director
 Dustin Grimm of Cedar Hill, MO outlasted an impressive 675-player field, earning $40,837 and a coveted WSOP Circuit Event Ring, a high mark of achievement in tournament poker.
The $300 +(40) buy-in tournament was the largest ever held in the state of Missouri and generated a total prize pool of $196,134.
WSOP Director and Vice President of International Poker Operations, Jack Effel, was on hand to address the mass of day 1 starters. Before announcing the tournament rules, he thanked the players for the large turnout and for representing a booming poker community in the Midwest.
Video of Harrah's St. Louis Circuit Event opening announcements: http://www.twitvid.com/TXBDC
Effel also thanked the staff and management of Harrah's St. Louis, who for over a year, had been diligent in bringing a major tournament to the Gateway City.
Local poker celebrity Paul Harris, co-host of "The Final Table" radio show, also said a few words before making the customary announcement to shuffle up and deal.
Play began shortly after noon and ended promptly at 2:00 am with just 23 players remaining. About an hour and a half after the Saturday 2:00 pm restart, the final ten players racked up their chips and made their way to the final table. Blinds and antes were at 15,000/30,000/4,000.
Grimm had a marginal chip lead over Mark Voll as heads up play began at around 6:15 pm. Grimm strengthened his lead with a number of post-raises against his opponent, and moved to about an 8-1 chip lead after rivering trip sixes and getting a call from Voll for much of his stack.
Voll doubled back to over a million after flopping a flush on Grimm's pocket aces, but would not gain any more ground than that.
In the final hand of the evening, Voll reraised Grimm with A7 for about 900,000 all-in. Grimm called with pocket 10's and the two saw a flop of 8c9h5c. A Qc on the turn and 9s on the river gave Grimm the win, worth $40,837 and a Circuit Event gold ring. Voll collected $23,203 for second.
Grimm owns and operates Top Pair Poker, a startup that sets up free poker tournaments at area bars. This was his largest tournament win.
The 34-year old hugged his parents who were watching from the rail along with a teary-eyed wife before wiping a bit of moisture from his own.
He says that he was down to only 1,300 chips from a starting stack of 8,000 after taking a bad beat early in the tournament, but after chipping back up felt that the tournament was his to win.
"About eight hours into the tournament, it was weird, I felt that I was meant to be here this time, I've never felt that way about any tournament that I've played in."
When asked about his future plans, Grimm says that he's looking at playing the main event, and will take his wife on a well-deserved vacation.
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by Alan Fowler - WSOP Assistant Media Director
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