Daily Archives: Wednesday, 7 February 2018

#PNWPokerCal Planner for 7 February 2018

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$500K of Guarantees at the PacWest Poker Classic

We’re less than two weeks away from one of the biggest poker events in the Northwest—and the closest to Portland—at Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City.

This year’s winter tournament series at Chinook promises to be one of the best, with what I believe is the biggest-ever guarantee in an Oregon poker tournament, $200K for the Main Event (by comparison, the Main Event for last fall’s series at Wildhorse had a prize pool of $200,475 with no guarantee; the two 2017 series at Chinook had prize pools just under $200K). It’s particularly ambitious as there are no re-entries into the $550+$200 tournament.

The biggest events of the series are the Main (with one entry day on 24 February and Day 2 on 25 February), the opening weekend $100K guarantee ($280 entry/re-entry with $100 add-on) on 17 February (Day 2 on 18 February). and a $50K guarantee on 23 February ($200 single entry, with $100 add-on). There’s a 6-Max tournament (moved from opening weekend to Monday) with a $30K guarantee and $330 entry/re-entry), plus two $25K guarantees and a $20K guarantee Big O tournament.

The John Hesp Chair

Jack McGiffin, a long-time fixture at Final Table before he moved to the east of England last year writes that his home club in Hull has upholstered a chair in the style of the jacket Hesp wore at the WSOP Main Event this past summer. He’s sent along some photos!

Now I can only dream about the chair I’d be honored with if I ever made it to the final table of the WSOP. My guess is they’d run a steamroller over the seat cushion to make it seem like I’d been sitting there a long time. Alternatively, it could be pristine to give the impression I was never seated long enough to make an impression.

photo by Jack McGiffin

photo by Jack McGiffin

#PNWPokerLeaderboard

Snohomish’s Larry Voeks had just a couple of lot three-figure cashes from past years in Las Vegas before he blasted into second place at the Tulalip Poker Pow Wow Main Event last month. Lyle Munday (Edmonds) took first place in the 366-entry event. and from the payouts it would appear that a deal was made among the top five finishers, with three players getting slightly less than Larry’s second-place money. They included Daya Patibandia of Seattle, who earned her biggest cash by far; Stone Samrith of Burien, who more than doubled his recorded tournament earnings; and I’m going to add in Wayne Harmon whose Hendon Mob profile says he’s from “Portland, CA”, but I’m pretty sure that’s wrong. Harmon, by the way, took his biggest recorded win and hit the WPT Borgata Main Event for his second-ever five-figure cash (44th place out of 1,244 entries) just ten days later. Almedin Imsirovic made 74th, getting a small cash in the Borgata Almighty Stack side event, then heading back to the Venetian for some money in a bounty tournament this past weekend.

The $330 buy-in tournament at Tulalip also produced some big winners, with Carl Woodward taking first place. Woodward now has three recorded cashes on Hendon Mob. They all came in the Poker Pow Wow series over a span of 11 days and they included two final tables. Seattle’s John Hartmann chopped second place (he got 15th in the Main Event, as well) with Php Phan of Bellingham (listed by Hendon Mob as Maine, but whatever).

After making a final table at the Card Player Poker Tour Main Event in Colorado, Max Young took the long haul down to the Aussie Millions where he got sixth place in a Hyper Turbo tournament with a 10-second decision clock. Presumably, he then went looking for some surf.

Kevin MacPhee also made the final table of an event Down Under, taking ninth

My Time Is Coming

A big up when I cashed last Thursday’s Ignition Casino Thousandaire Maker, then a bust after four-and-a-half hours at Final Table’s $20K Friday night and a heartbreaking 30-minute run in Ignition’s $250K on Saturday afternoon. Blasted out of an online $25K, two more Thousandaire Makers, and a couple of Omaha Turbo tournaments (plus a couple of cash sessions). Still up for the week, but sets have been failing me and if you can’t trust sets, what can you trust?

Only a Day Away

  • Los Angeles Poker Classic 25  at Commerce Casino just completed a week of mixed games and moves back into NLHE mode with a $300K GTD tournament this weelkend ($570 buyin, entry flights Thursday through Saturday. There is also a $570 Dealers Choice tournament on Friday evening, with 2-7 Triple Draw on Saturday afternoon. The casino is sponsoring two events for the RealGrinders poker group on Saturday and Sunday. Both are $345 buying, with the first being a bounty ($200 per player). Sunday opens a week of $1,100 buyin tournaments with LHE and PLO on Sunday; O8 and a $50K GTD NLHE Action Clock tournament on Monday; HORSE and a $50K GTD NLHE Survivor(!) on Tuesday; then four entry flights for a $1M GTD NLHE on Wednesday through Friday.
  • At Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza this weekend is an 8-Max $1,100 tournament with $250K GTD. Next weekend is another $250K GTD with for just $600.
  • The Main Event of the Winter Super Stack at Calgary’s Deerfoot Inn starts Friday
  • WSOP Circuit Wisconsin Main Event has a $750K guarantee with entry days on Friday and Saturday.
  • Heartland Poker Tour hits Colorado at Golden Gates starts today. The first entry day (4 total) for the Main Event ($1,650) is Valentine’s Day (next Wednesday)
  • 8 February is the first of three entry days (four flights) For the Love of Money in Minneapolis at Running Aces. $350 buyin.
  • Also coming up in Minneapolis is the MSPT Canterbury Park. The Main Event there is $1,110 and has a $300K guarantee. Two entry days, on 23 and 24 February.
  • The WSOPC Rio Las Vegas starts 16 February. The opening event has six flights over 3 days ($365) with a $250K guarantee. The Main Event (starting 24 and 25 February) is $1M GTD.
  • The Chinook Winds PacWest Poker Classic (see above) starts 17 February.
  • The Wynn Classic kicks off 19 February and features a $1M GTD Main Event ($1,600 entry) starting 1 March. get there before they change the name!