Event 8: Ryan McAllister Earns Second WSOP Circuit Ring

2017 Seminole Hard Rock WSOP Circuit
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 8
$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 180
Prize Pool: $180,000
September 27-28, 2017

Ryan McAllister, Event 8 Champion

Event 8 had one of the biggest buy-ins on the Seminole Hard Rock WSOP Circuit schedule and the $1,125 buy-in tournament brought out the big names. The deep stacks and slow structure gave them plenty of play and in the end, it was Ryan McAllister taking home second career WSOP ring along with nearly $50,000.

The single re-entry event featured a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool and the 180 entries clearly surpassed that number to put $180,000 up for grabs. We had bracelet winners, Circuit champs, and Seminole Hard Rock Poker regulars all mixing it up but only 41 of them survived to return for Day 2.

It took several hours on Day 2 to whittle those players down towards the money bubble with 18 getting paid. SHRP team member Loni Harwood knocked out Marie Harrell with jacks beating aces at the same time AJ Kelsall was going out on another table. Those two eliminations dropped the tournament from 20 players to the money with 18 remaining without a single round of hand-for-hand play.

The levels increased to an hour long and players were in no hurry to hit the payout desk. Five-time WSOPC champ Kurt Jewell was an early victim on the last two tables followed by two-time winner Spencer Champlin and former November Niners Josh Beckley.

Beckley went out as part of a double elimination as they neared the final table bubble. He was knocked out in 11th place at the same time returning Day 2 leader Farid Jattin was exiting in tenth place to start the final table nine-handed.

Four-time ring winner Mark Fink was a quick exit from the final table and the remaining eight settled in for a long battle. They went back and forth for more than two hours with no eliminations, while starting final table leader Yaniv Shushman’s chips migrated across the table to SHRP regular Erik Christensen.

SHRP team member Loni Harwood broke the stalemate but not in a way she wanted. She went off the final table in seventh place and the action did not slow down from that point forward. She was followed by Shushan in sixth, Cero Zuccarello in fifth, and Jeffrey Trudeau Jr in fourth.

There was a slight delay in the quick pace because of a break but Alex Rocha hit the rail soon after they returned. McAllister began to establish a huge lead with his knockouts of Shushan and Trudeau and he held 2.1 million of the 2.7 million chips in play heads-up.

Christensen needed to make moves to get back in the match but the final hand saw him getting all in with an open-ended straight draw versus McAllister’s already made nut flush. It was a quick end to a tournament could have dragged on with the great structure.

McAllister earned his second ring in as many months but almost didn’t have a chance to get this far.

“I got lucky yesterday,” McAllister said. “I was all in with threes versus eights and got lucky to stay in the game.”

McAllister is a professional player from South Carolina and he picked up his first WSOPC ring in August. Our WSOP counterparts tell us that McAllister is close to a lock for the WSOP National Championship in the early stages of the circuit series.

McAllister earned $48,600 to go along with his new jewerly and set himself up for a big run in the Main Event starting tomorrow.

1st: Ryan McAllister – $48,600
2nd: Erik Christensen – $30,035
3rd: Alex Rocha – $21,620
4th: Jeffrey Trudeau Jr – $15,845
5th: Cero Zuccarello – $11,819
6th: Yaniv Shushan – $8,969
7th: Loni Harwood – $6,923
8th: Chad Eveslage – $5,431
9th: Mark Fink – $4,331
10th: Farid Jattin – $3,508
11th: Spencer Champlin – $3,508
12th: Josh Beckley – $3,508
13th: Kindah Sakkal – $2,887
14th: Harold Mahaffey – $2,887
15th: Martin Markov – $2,887
16th: Emil Ekvardt – $2,414
17th: Kurt Jewell – $2,414
18th: Richard Rice – $2,414

Event 8: Ryan McAllister Wins $100K GTD Title ($48,600); Erik Christensen Takes Runner-Up ($30,035)

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts

Ryan McAllister

Erik Christensen needed to take some chances to get back in the match and he check-raised all in after McAllister bet 85,000 on the 5c3h2c8c board.

McAllister quickly called and Christensen had an open-ended straight draw with 7s6h. Unfortunately for him, McAllister already made the nut flush holding Ac9d to leave him drawing dead to second place.

A solid run for our SHRP regular but it was McAllister earning his second WSOP Circuit ring in as many months along with $48,600.

Full recap to come.

1st: Ryan McAllister – $48,600
2nd: Erik Christensen – $30,035

Erik Christensen

Event 8: Heads-Up Counts

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 23: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 180

Ryan McAllister (left) versus Erik Christensen (right) for the WSOPC ring

The World Series of Poker Circuit ring is out on the table and the heads-up battle between Erik Christensen and Ryan McAllister is underway. Christensen has some work to do to erase the big deficit but one double gets him back in the game.

Seat 8: Erik Christensen – 600,000 (38 bb)
Seat 9: Ryan McAllister – 2,100,000 (131 bb)

Event 8: Alex Rocha – 3rd Place ($21,620)

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 23: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 180

Alex Rocha

Shortly after the most recent break, Alex Rocha opened the action to 35,000 and Ryan McAllister moved all in from the big blind with his chip leading stack. Rocha thought about it for a moment, cut down his ~450,000 stack, then called with a flip.

McAllister: 4s4c
Rocha: AdTs

Rocha had life but needed to catch to double but missed the entire 7h6d2h9d7c board to miss out on his second WSOPC ring.

Ryan McAllister – 2,100,000 (131 bb)
Alex Rocha – Eliminated in 3rd place ($21,620)

Event 8: Break Time, Three-Handed Counts

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 23: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 180

After that quick spurt of action, the three remaining players took a 10-minute break for pushing up the blinds. Ryan McAllister continues to lead with 1.5 million of the 2.7 million chips in play.

Seat 4: Alex Rocha – 456,000 (29 bb)
Seat 8: Erik Christensen – 750,000 (47 bb)
Seat 9: Ryan McAllister – 1,500,000 (94 bb)

Remaining payouts:
1st: $48,600
2nd: $30,035
3rd: $21,620

Event 8: Jeffrey Trudeau Jr – 4th Place ($15,845)

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 180

Jeffrey Trudeau Jr

Erik Christensen released his hand, Ryan McAllister moved all in from the button with his big stack, and Jeffrey Trudeau Jr called in the small blind for ~400,000. Alex Rocha released and we had a race.

Trudeau: AsQh
McAllister: 8d8c

Trudeau had to catch a card for a big double up but blanked as the dealer put out Kd7s4h7c6d board to get the tournament three-handed.

Ryan McAllister – 1,320,000 (110 bb)
Jeffrey Trudeau Jr – Eliminated in 4th place ($15,845)

Event 8: Cero Zuccarello – 5th Place ($11,819)

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 180

Cero Zuccarello was the next player to mix it up with his short stack, he moved all in for ~150,000 and Alex Rocha called to put him at risk.

Rocha: 8c8d
Zuccarello: Tc7h

Zuccarello had a single over card but he fell further behind on the Kc8s7d flop. The 3c turn left Zuccarello drawing dead to fifth place for $11,819.

Cero Zuccarello – 484,000 (40 bb)
Alex Rocha – Eliminated in 5th place ($11,819)

Event 8: Yaniv Shushan – 6th Place ($8,969)

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 180

Yaniv Shushan

Former chip leader Yaniv Shushan put his last 190,000 into play with a shove and Ryan McAllister looked him up with his big stack.

Shushan: QdQs
McAllister: Kd9d

Shushan had a great chance to get back in the game and dodged the 7h5s2s flop. The bad card for him came on the Ks turn to give McAllister the lead. No miracle on the 2c river and Shushan was out in sixth place.

Ryan McAllister – 1,060,000 (88 bb)
Yaniv Shushan – Eliminated in 6th place ($8,969)

Event 8: Loni Harwood – 7th Place ($6,293)

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 180

Loni Harwood

Jeffrey Trudeau Jr opened to 26,000 and Loni Harwood moved all in for 241,000 from the button. Ryan McAllister thought for a quick second before announcing all in from the big blind with a big stack. Trudeau quickly released and we saw the hands.

McAllister: TsTh
Harwood: As8d

The two-time WSOP bracelet winner needed a lot of help to stay in the game but whiffed the entire Ks4c3d3c9h board to exit in seventh place, missing out on her third career WSOPC ring.

Ryan McAllister – 750,000 (63 bb)
Loni Harwood – Eliminated in 7th place ($6,293)

Event 8: Ryan McAllister Doubles Through Cero Zuccarello

$1,125 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | Payouts
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 180

Cero Zuccarello opened to 30,000 from under the gun and Alex Rocha called from the cutoff. Ryan McAllister moved all in from the button for 314,000 and Zuccarello moved all in with a stack covering Rocha and McAllister.

Rocha reluctantly released and the hands were tabled.

McAllister: JsJh
Zuccarello: 9s9c

McAllister was ahead for the double up and nothing changed as the dealer spread the QcQsTdAc6h board to send the double from the 1-seat to the 9-seat.

Ryan McAllister – 666,000 (56 bb)
Cero Zuccarello – 235,000 (20 bb)