Harrah's Rincon San Diego Poker Tournament
Harrah's Rincon San Diego offers the same great comps as one finds in other Harrah's card rooms. The card room is site of numerous WSOP events through the year. For tournament players, guaranteed daily prize pool are a plus. Visit our Online Poker Harrah's page for information about Harrah's and online poker. Harrah's Rincon San Diego Poker Tournament, play little river casino free, duisburg casino poker turnier, does majestic mirage punta cana have a casino.
For those of you that are not close to Las Vegas and can’t afford the trip to Nevada and the minimum $1,500 buy-ins for the World Series of Poker tournament schedule, there’s good news for you. In 2005 Harrah’s unveiled a brand new series of events, the WSOP Circuit Events, and the schedule has grown to its largest in 2009. These events appear at many of the Indian or Harrah’s casinos around the country including:
- Horseshoe Southern Indiana (completed)
- Horseshoe Hammond Indiana (completed)
- Harvey’s Lake Tahoe (completed)
- Harrah’s Atlantic City (completed)
- Harrah’s Tunica (completed)
- Horseshoe Council Bluffs (completed)
- Caesars Atlantic City (completed)
- Harrah’s Rincon San Diego (completed)
- Caesars Palace Las Vegas (April 11 – April 29)
- Harrah’s New Orleans (May 08 – May 20)
For many on the East Coast the Atlantic City events represent a fantastic opportunity to take down a WSOP event. The circuit event at Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego is one of the more popular circuit events due to San Diego’s large county population of 2+ million citizens, as well as drawing players from both Los Angeles and Orange Counties (another 11+ million people). Since San Diego is a popular tourist destination some of the biggest names will be out during the March 19th-29th event series.
Those unfamiliar with the events will find the buy-ins and structure of the events to be highly attractive towards better play rather than the “push ‘n’ pray” structure that a lot of local casinos invent for tournament players. Event types include the following:
- No Limit Hold’em
- Limit Hold’em
- 6 Handed No Limit Hold’em
- Pot Limit Hold’em
- Omaha Hi/Lo
- Stud Hi/Lo
- Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys
- H.O.R.S.E.
- Ladies No Limit Hold’em
- No Limit Hold’em w/ Rebuys
- No Limit Hold’em Circuit Championship Event
The event buy-ins range from $125 all the way to the $5,150 Circuit Championship Event. Most of the No Limit Hold’em tournaments have buy-ins for either $200+30 or $300+40 making them affordable to everyday poker players amid this economic climate. On top of this affordable buy-in price list, the tournament structure has drawn rave reviews from poker industry analysts and players alike.
Harrah's Rincon San Diego Poker Tournaments
“I couldn’t be happier with the tournament schedule and structures,” commented Southern California live game tournament player Melissa Peterkin. “I’m definitely making it out to Rincon for the circuit series and will probably try to schedule a trip to Vegas for the event at Caesars too.”
Specifically the tournament structure at the Rincon San Diego events look like they are set up to allow better play to win out over mathematically correct shoves to fight steep blinds:
- For events starting at noon, players are given $10,000 in starting chips. Blinds start at 25-50 and increase every 40 minutes.
- Blinds increase to: 25-50, 50-100, 100-200, 100-200 (25 ante), 150-300 (25 ante), 200-400 (50 ante), and so on through the tournament.
- Breaks are given after every 3 blind levels for 10 minutes, and the tournament director has the option of awarding a dinner break and his or her discretion.
The big event of the series is the Circuit Championship Event which usually draws out some of poker’s top and most recognizable professionals. This event is structured differently than the others:
- Buy-in is $5,000 + $150
- Players start with $20,000 in starting chips
- Each level will last 60 minutes
- Blind interval structure remains the same as other tournaments
- First day of play will end when down to 27 players remaining
- Second day of play will end when final table is determined
- Third day of play will end when winner is determined
- The first place finisher will receive a buy-in to the World Series of Poker Main Event and $1,000 in expense money in addition to the first place money.
Often casinos participating in the circuit events hold Mega Satellite tournaments to the Circuit Championship Event a day or two before the event takes place. Satellite times typically start at noon, 3pm, 8pm and 9pm and should be inquired about with the tournament director of the casino.
“Typically we do see some big names come to our Circuit Championship tournament. This year we’ve added some of the lower tiered tournaments to make sure poker players of all budgets can make it out for our event,” commented Harrah’s spokesperson Nolan Dalla.
Harrah's San Diego Poker Tournament Schedule
The eighth stop of the 2012/2013 World Series of Poker Circuit presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof at Harrah’s Rincon kicked off on Dec. 6 with the first of 12 ring events. Many of those tournaments have concluded throughout the week, but the stop won’t climax until this weekend’s $1,675 Main Event, which you can follow by clicking here.
In the meantime, we thought we’d set the stage by taking a look at the preliminary events thus far, which included a historic performance by Alexandru Masek, who won his record-tying fifth gold ring in Event #1 $365 No-Limit Hold’em. The 27-year-old law school graduate from San Diego moved into a three-way tie alongside Mark “Pegausus” Smith and Kyle Cartwright.
“I feel really good. I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now,” Masek told WSOP officials shortly after his win. “I feel like I got close quite a few times (to winning the fifth), and that's tournament poker. Now, it's great to finally get number five to come out.”
Masek navigated a field of 205 players to make the final table, which turned out to be a nine-hour affair. What’s more, the winner of the same event the previous year, Randy Paguio, was also at the final table. Fittingly, the two experienced players made it to heads-up play. That meant WSOP Circuit history would be made because either Masek would win ring number five, or Paguio would go back-to-back. As fate would have it, lady luck favored Masek, who took home $15,989 for the win.
“When I won before, I don't think back then I realized how hard it is to win,” Masek said. “[The drought of not winning] made me realize just how good I ran when I was winning.”
Check out Masek’s postvictory interview with the WSOP’s Nolan Dalla:
Here's a look at the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon events completed thus far:
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$65 | 157 | $47,100 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandru Masek | San Diego, CA | $15,989 |
| 2 | Randy Paguio | San Diego, CA | $9,878 |
| 3 | Kevin Swad | Bloomington, IN | $7,132 |
| 4 | Keith Morgan | Encinitas, CA | $5,238 |
| 5 | Kevin Krickhahn | El Cajon, CA | $3,913 |
| 6 | Lance Martinez | Mukilteo, WA | $2,974 |
| 7 | Titan Leard | San Clemente, CA | $2,297 |
| 8 | Kenton Taylor | El Centro, CA | $1,804 |
| 9 | Robert Hoag | San Diego, CA | $1,439 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold’em
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Souza | San Diego, CA | $12,718 |
| 2 | Robert Pagcaliwagan | Oceanside, CA | $7,859 |
| 3 | Thomas Rogers | Milwaukee, WI | $5,657 |
| 4 | Charles Deets | Oceanside, CA | $4,146 |
| 5 | Paul Hendee | Redwood, Valley, CA | $3,093 |
| 6 | Neil Scott | Mammoth Lakes, CA | $2,347 |
| 7 | Michelle Owen | Surrey, British Columbia, Canada | $1,811 |
| 8 | Joseph Hurvitz | San Diego, CA | $1,421 |
| 9 | Mary Anne Madruga | San Diego, CA | $1,133 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #3 H.O.R.S.E.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Schultz | San Diego, CA | $7,241 |
| 2 | Frank Lin | Los Angeles, CA | $4,481 |
| 3 | Jeff Myers | Los Angeles, CA | $2,950 |
| 4 | Fernando Ortiz | San Diego, CA | $2,065 |
| 5 | Kenneth Leflore | El Cajon, CA | $1,530 |
| 6 | Henry Ferguson | Los Angeles, CA | $1,197 |
| 7 | Alexander Lee | San Diego, CA | $985 |
| 8 | Kevin Krickhahn | El Cajon, CA | $851 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #4 No-Limit Hold’em
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Wynn | Las Vegas, NV | $26,405 |
| 2 | Carter Myers | Breckenridge, MI | $16,314 |
| 3 | Gary Fessia | Chula Vista, CA | $11,921 |
| 4 | Darius Johnson | Vallejo, CA | $8,851 |
| 5 | Dave Para | La Mesa, CA | $6,674 |
| 6 | Shawn Daniels | Wayne, PA | $5,108 |
| 7 | Sean Yu | Irvine, CA | $3,967 |
| 8 | David Clark | Dallas, TX | $3,125 |
| 9 | Lucien Breault | Ewa Beach, HI | $2,496 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #5 No-Limit Hold’em
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donna Delfin | Folsom, CA | $11,844 |
| 2 | Todd Davis | Jacksonville, FL | $7,320 |
| 3 | John Meekhael | Anaheim, CA | $5,284 |
| 4 | Raymond Padgett | Santa Paula, CA | $3,883 |
| 5 | Connor Cronkhite | Erie, PA | $2,903 |
| 6 | Jack Converse | Yorba Linda, CA | $2,207 |
| 7 | Adam Laskey | Fargo, ND | $1,706 |
| 8 | Chad Thyzel | Temecula, CA | $1,340 |
| 9 | Eric Revak | Santee, CA | $1,070 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Nguyen | San Diego, CA | $11,341 |
| 2 | Saul Frank | Escondido, CA | $7,009 |
| 3 | Thomas Johnson | Mansfield, TX | $5,059 |
| 4 | Ivan Mahood | Maple Ridge, BC, Canada | $3,717 |
| 5 | Peter Zaferis | Temecula, CA | $2,779 |
| 6 | Sam Ashley | Southlake, TX | $2,113 |
| 7 | Daniel Rincones | Cullacan, Mexico | $1,633 |
| 8 | Tavish Margers | Santee, CA | $1,283 |
| 9 | Chris Ruby | Temecula, CA | $1,024 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #7 No-Limit Hold’em Six Handed
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Vornicu | San Diego, CA | $10,858 |
| 2 | Eddy Asady | San Diego, CA | $6,712 |
| 3 | Casey Stewart | Canyon Country, CA | $4,838 |
| 4 | Jason Tang | El Cajon, CA | $3,501 |
| 5 | Dwight Englekirk | Zephyr Cove, NV | $2,543 |
| 6 | Brian Coan | Riverside, CA | $1,854 |
| 7 | William Ellis II | Blue Springs, MO | $1,356 |
| 8 | Jarod Ludemann | Wells, MN | $1,356 |
| 9 | Jack Converse | Yorba Linda, CA | $995 |
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Ring Event #8 No-Limit Hold’em
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nancy Birnbaum | Atlanta, GA | $13,122 |
| 2 | David Anderson | Murrieta, CA | $8,109 |
| 3 | Brent Carter | Oak Park, IL | $5,837 |
| 4 | Chad Wassmuth | Lewiston, ID | $4,278 |
| 5 | Jonathan Chehanske | Brigantine, NJ | $3,191 |
| 6 | Misato Black | Las Vegas, NV | $2,422 |
| 7 | Daniel Rincones | Culiacan, Mexico | $1,869 |
| 8 | John Kral | San Diego, CA | $1,465 |
| 9 | Glenn Castens | Carlsbad, CA | $1,169 |
With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon Champion is undetermined. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. Here's a look at the players who have qualified:
National Championship Qualifiers
| Player | Qualified |
|---|---|
| Adam Teasdale | Harrah’s Atlantic City Main Event Champion |
| Brandon Fish | Harrah’s Atlantic City Casino Champion |
| Cary Marshall | Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion |
| Daniel Gilmer | Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino Champion |
| John Crncic | River Rock (Vancouver) Main Event Winner |
| Sandra Wong | River Rock (Vancouver) Casino Champion |
| Josh Williams | Horseshoe Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner |
| Mike Leah | Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion |
| Dan Heimiller | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner |
| Jonathan Taylor | Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion |
| Quan Nguyen | Bossier City Casino Champion |
| Jeff Gibralter | Bossier City Main Event Champion |
| Kyle Cartwright | IP Biloxi Main Event Winner |
| Cory Wood | IP Biloxi Casino Champion |
In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy in to the National Championship:
WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*
| Player | Points | Rings | Cashed | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yossi Azulay | 165 | 0 | 12 | $79,218 |
| Charles “Woody” Moore | 150 | 0 | 7 | $46,997 |
| Rex Clinkscales | 145 | 0 | 6 | $35,499 |
| Caufman Talley | 142.5 | 2 | 5 | $82,963 |
| Aaron Massey | 142.5 | 1 | 5 | $55,252 |
| Carter Myers | 125 | 1 | 6 | $49,713 |
| Donna Delfin | 112.5 | 1 | 3 | $26,908 |
| Ashly Butler | 112.5 | 1 | 4 | $25,415 |
| Ari Engel | 105 | 1 | 4 | $68,762 |
| Trevor Deeter | 105 | 1 | 6 | $33,098 |
*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon stop.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
| Date | Event Location |
|---|---|
| Jan. 3-14, 2013 | The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles) |
| Jan. 10-21, 2013 | Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma) |
| Jan. 24 - Feb. 4, 2013 | Harrah’s Tunica (Mississippi) |
| Feb. 7-18, 2013 | Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) |
| Feb. 14-25, 2013 | Palm Beach Kennel Club (Florida) |
| Feb. 28 - March 11, 2013 | Caesars Atlantic City |
| March 14-25, 2013 | Horseshoe Cleveland |
| March 27 - April 8, 2013 | Foxwoods (Connecticut) |
| April 4-15, 2012 | Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina) |
| April 11-April 22, 2013 | Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Iowa) |
| April 25 - May 6, 2013 | Harrah’s Philadelphia |
| May 9 - May 20, 2013 | Harrah’s New Orleans |
| May 21-23, 2013 | Harrah’s New Orleans (National Championship) |
For more information on the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit season, visit WSOP.com. Also, be sure to follow our live updates from the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Atlantic City in our Live Reporting Section.
*Photos courtesy of WSOP.com.
Follow the WSOP Circuit Harrah's Rincon Main Event by clicking here.
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us both Facebook and Google+!
Tags
Alex MasekKyle CartwrightWSOPWSOP CircuitTournament ResultsRelated Tournaments
World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker CircuitRelated Players
Kyle CartwrightAlex Masek