Event #5: $300 + $30 Closer | Page 4 of 8

Final Day 1 for the Closer has ended

2018/09/03 | 2:57 by Playground Poker

Play has just finished in Day 1D of the Closer – the last of four starting flights in the event. Players were allowed to try to qualify through multiple flights, and if a player does qualify twice, the largest stack will go through to Day 2.

Tonight we received 337 entries, including 106 re-entries. When the bell sounded after level 14, 67 players were left standing to bag chips. Rajendra Patel was the final chip leader tonight with 311,500 chips. Francois Gauthier is close behind with 300,000 chips in the bag. These were the only 2 players above the 300,000 tonight.

Players will return on Day 2 which gets under way tomorrow, Monday, September 3rd at 12:00PM.

Friday, 35 players qualified, Gary Farrell was the chip leader of Day 1A and bagged 470,000 chips.
Yesterday, 52 players qualified, and Rami Hammoud bagged 555,000 chips in Day 1B.
This afternoon, 58 players qualified, and Hai Ut Phuong Le bagged an incredible 719,000 chips in Day 1C.
And tonight, 67 players qualified and the chip leader was Rajendra Patel who dropped 311,500 chips in his bag.

In total, we had a very respectable 1,262 entries and 212 players who qualified for Day 2. All of today’s results will be added to the Event #5 – Closer – Combined Closer Day 1 results page.

We will list the Day 2 seating draw as well as the prize pool as soon as the tournament director makes them available.

Rajendra Patel – bagged 311,500 chips in Day 1D

Closer Day 1D – Shah in the lead 2 levels from bagging chips

Level: 13
Small Blind: 1.2K
Big Blind: 2.4K
Button Ante: 2.4K
Chip Average: 76K
Remaining: 89
Entries: 337

2018/09/03 | 1:31 by Playground Poker

The players took their last break here in the Tournament Tent after level 12. With only 2 levels to go after their return we decided to see who was in the lead.

One single player has accumulated more than 300,000, barely. Riteshkumar Nitinkumar Shah is sitting behind a 300,400 stack, and stands as the chip leader at this stage. We found only 2 other players with stacks above the 200,000 mark: Patrick Corrigan with 221,700 and Francois Gauthier with 211,000.

In a short while the chip bags are going to come out and we’ll see if the top 3 hold their ground, or if new faces will emerge.

Day 1D – photos of level 8

Level: 10
Small Blind: 600
Big Blind: 1.2K
Button Ante: 1.2K
Chip Average: 48
Remaining: 140
Entries: 337

2018/09/02 | 23:37 by Playground Poker

We now have 327 entries (including 106 re-entries) here in Day 1D of the Closer, as the late registration period comes to a close. It’s interesting to note that almost 30% of the entries are re-entries. Everyone is trying to get their hands on a Day 2 ticket, probably because the value will be very interesting.

140 players are still in and the action is, as predicted, crazy. Players are on fire.

A funny story between Jason Mandanici-Turcot and John Yan Huynh had the table in tears of laughter. Heads-up pre flop with only Jason and Yan in the hand. Action on Jason; he’s joking that he is probably going to fold the worst hand. He tables his hand: and says: “I fold, I fold”, sliding his open hole cards to the dealer. He then adds: “I’m so sure I’m making a good fold, I’d be very surprised if you showed me worse. In fact, he goes on, I will bet you $20 that you have a better hand than mine.”

John Yan Juynh gave a wide grin, accepted the pot, and then opened his hand:

Jason’s antics at the table was entertaining to say the least. Both men posed for the camera, as play in level 8 continued.

Here a few photos of the players in level 8.

Jason Mandanici-Turcot makes good on a wager with John Yan Juynh

Closer Day 1C ends – Hai Ut Phuong Le bags big!

2018/09/02 | 22:10 by Playground Poker

The $300 + $30 Closer is Event #5 in the 2018 WSOP-C Playground. The tournament featured four Day 1s with unlimited re-entries permitted until the beginning of level 9 on each Day 1. The Closer has a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Day 1D, the last Day 1, is currently running in the Tournament tent with 193 players still in and more than 90 minutes still left in the late registration period. Players can try to qualify through multiple flights, and if a player does qualify twice, the largest stack will go through to Day 2.

Day 1C just ended as the players bag their chips, and gets some rest before Day 2. A total of 374 entries were logged today in Day 1C, including 85 re-entries. Out of all those entries only 58 players qualified for Day 2 tomorrow.

Very early in the tournament today Hai Ut Phuong Le got on the leader board, only 50,000 chips behind leader Julius Roque, after 8 levels. That was the last time he was not in the lead. By level 12 Hai Ut Phuong was not only in the lead, but had almost twice the chips of his closest competitor. This ratio would prove constant throughout the day.

When all was said and done, Hai Ut Phuong Le bagged an incredible 719,000 chips for his efforts today. This sum is by far the most chips of all Day 1s combined. Gary Farrel bagged 470,000 chips on Day 1A, and yesterday Rami Hammound bagged 555,000 chips for Day 1B.

Hai Ut Phuong’s stack is not only big compared to other Day 1 leaders, but twice the stack of 2nd place leader today Pierre-Olivier Adam, who bagged 360,000 chips.

A thumbs up goes to Timothy Deering who did manage to bag 25,500 chips after suffering a gut-wrenching loss in the last 3 hands of play. We’ll see how he manages tomorrow – will he make a comeback?

See the Event #5 – Closer – Combined Closer Day 1 results page for an updated list. In total 35 players qualified Friday, and 52 made it on Saturday. With today’s 58 players we currently have 145 players setup for Day 2.

Here are a few pictures of the players taken during the last few hands of play.

Heartbreaking hand for Timothy Deering

2018/09/02 | 20:38 by Playground Poker

The poker player in all of us will cringe, as we recount this hand we witnessed only a few hands before the end of Day 1C in the Closer tournament.

When we arrived at the table, the action was preflop, and Timothy Deering was facing Robert Cohen’s 103,500 all-in. Timothy was obviously having a rough time making up his mind. He was standing up, ruffling his hair and visibly torn between a monster fold or a call that went against his instincts. Deering later said that he was sure Cohen was holding aces.

In the end, Thimothy could not bring himself to fold and announced: “Call!”, still standing.

Robert Cohen immediately tabled his hand:

Relief washed of Deering who tabled cowboys:

The dealer announced that there would be no more action and proceeded to bring out the flop:

Deering starting sweating again, the flop had just added all the jacks to Cohen’s outs.

Then the turn came:

Deering looked to the ceiling knowing that those chips were almost his now, he covered Cohen, but not by much.

And, of course, the river Barry Greenstein wrote a book about: !

Timothy Deering’s exasperated sigh was heard by all… and every poker player in the room recognized it for what it was, incredulity mixed with defeat. So now Timothy Deering is working with vapours to try and bag some chips for Day 2 as we only have a few hands left.