On the Tournament Trail: WSOP-C Harrah's Tunica

I spent the last three days in the very rural Tunica, Mississippi covering the Main Event of the WSOP Circuit at Harrah's. It was a pretty ho-hum tournament as far as major tournaments go, but it was still good fun to cover, and there was plenty of excitement over the course of the three days.

Day 1 saw 154 runners registered for this $5,150-buy-in event, putting a prize pool of nearly $900,000 up for grabs. The structure allowed for plenty of play, giving each entrant 20,000 in chips and dealing one-hour levels starting at 25/50. It wasn't the most pro-heavy field I've seen, but there were still a few notables in the field. Chris Moneymaker came in late and went out early on Day 1, while Kathy Liebert and Gavin Smith would run deep into Day 2. Bill Edler, Jordan Morgan, Sabyl Landrum, Allen Kessler, "Captain" Tom Franklin, Matt Stout, and new Full Tilt red pro Adam Junglen were among the others who made the trip to the mid-south.

Twenty-seven of the original players returned on Day 2 for the charge to the final table, and it would be just three hours of play before the final nine was set. Liebert busted in 19th on the money bubble, but she would manage to earn half of the 18th place cash when Va Shon Watkins busted out during the round-for-round play as well.

Gavin Smith's stack was up and down like the lobby elevator for two days, and his luck would run out on the final table bubble as he was eliminated in 10th place. Smith had been battling hard with the amateur Kai Landry on several occasions late in Day 2. Landry was really attacking the pro, over-shoving all in on several occasions. Still, Smith stayed disciplined and waited patiently for his spot. You could just tell that it was only a matter of time before he was going to snap the amateur off. Sure enough, with ten players left, the two tangled up in another big pot. After a flop of {4c} {6h} {3c}, Landry put Gavin all in. Smith eventually called, tabling {8h} {8s}. Much to his displeasure, Landry turned over {3d} {3d}, having out-flopped the pro. The turn and river bricked off, and Smith was sent steaming to the payout desk while the other nine players bagged and tagged their chips for the overnight soak.

Matt "Allinat420" Stout was the only pro to make the final table then. Stout was second in chips after the first day, and he went on a heater late in Day 2, ensuring that he would bring the big stack to the final table. In the closing minutes of that second day, Stout got all in with two jacks against the two tens of Jeremiah Vinsant. When the board ran safe for him, the pro dragged in the monster pot, becoming the first player to crest 1,000,000 in chips and giving him very nearly one third of all the chips in play.

Stout would ride that stack deep into the final night, keeping himself over a million almost the whole way. Eventually though, his luck would turn more and more sour as the night wore on, and he was unable to close the deal in the end. The way the cards were falling, he really played a solid game just to manage a third-place finish. He took home over $70,000 for his efforts, which, in his words, "doesn't suck."

I've bumped into Matt Stout several times in different parts of the world, and he is truly one of the most exciting and enjoyable players to cover. His sense of humor and his outgoing personality rub off on his table mates, and his presence seems to relax his opponents somewhat. The interactions between he and Gavin Smith, Kathy Liebert, Captain Tom, and Sabyl Cohen on Day 2 were a much-appreciated diversion from the air of seriousness that had permeated the room at that stage in the tournament. Every time I walked by Stout's table, I had a hard time walking away again. Even more praiseworthy is Stout's demeanor and attitude toward tournament poker in general. On the first two days, he played a fantastically solid game, but he would attribute his chip lead to "running unreal" in his interview. At the final table, with the championship on the line, the bad beats finally came. Each time though, Stout complimented his opponent's hand and shipped the chips with a smile on his face, more or less unphased outwardly. He seemed almost amused by the way the cards were coming. The majority of young tournament players could take a lesson from Stout's table manners.

In any event, it was heads up between the aforementioned Kai Landry and Day 1 chip leader David Dao. They traded jabs for a few rotations before Landry would double up with an overpair, essentially trading chip stacks with Dao. It wasn't long after that that Landry delivered the final blow. In a limped pot, both men checked the flop of {4c} {Kd} {Td}. The turn brought the {Ad} and what would be the final betting actions of the tournament. Landry led out, Dao raised, and Landry shoved. Dao called all in with {Jd} {7s} for a royal flush draw and a gutshot straight draw, while Landry's {Js} {Qh} Broadway gave him the big lead. A raggy {6s} on the river spelled the end of everyone's day as Landry celebrated in disbelief. For his work over the three days, he'll pocket $183,974, an $11,000 package to the 2009 WSOP Main Event, and the stunning diamond-inlaid gold ring.

The next stop on the Circuit schedule is Council Bluffs, Iowa. The preliminary events and satellites start February 12th and the series closes with the final table of the Main Event on the 25th. It figures to be a real sleeper with the always-popular L.A. Poker Classic running concurrently out west. So, if you're looking for a better-than-average shot at a Circuit championship, this may be the best chance in some time to pick up a piece of hardware and a nice chunk of spending cash. Besides, who doesn't want to go to Iowa in February?