Coming into the Choctaw Resort and Casino World Series of Poker Circuit Series, Brett Schwertley was in a very solid position on the National Championship Leaderboard. After five cashes in this year’s WSOPC Series, including first place for $77,438 in the $345 NLHE event at Hammond, IN, Schwertley was in fifth place in the standings. He placed 17th in the $345 Omaha Eight or Better event to gain an extra ten points and move into fourth place.
The very next event that he played was the No-Limit Hold ‘Em Six-Handed event. A total of 202 players paid the $555 entry fee to take their shot at the $24,859 first place prize and WSOP Circuit Ring. The chip counts going into the final table by seat assignment were as follows:
1. Rod Jahanguiri 545,000
2. Tim Widowski 531,000
3. Brett Schwertley 588,000
4. Samir Bhatia 147,000
5. Jeffrey Fiedler 375,000
6. Eric Thompson 178,000
6th Place - $4,623
Jeffrey Fiedler was the first of what was to become a recurring theme at the final table, getting eliminated by Brett Schwertley. After a raise by Schwertley, Fiedler moved all in with and was called by Schwertley’s . The board ran out and Schwertley’s pocket pair held up to win the pot. Fiedler, a Des Moines, Iowa resident, was sent home in sixth place.
5th Place - $6,084
A short stacked Samir Bhatia moved all in with and was called by Schwertley with . The flop of was a good one for Bhatia. However, the on the turn and on the river gave Schwertley trip nines and eliminated the Plano, Texas student in fifth place.
4th Place - $8,143
After an ace high flop, Rod Jahanguiri made a huge all in bet. The action was on Brett Schwertley. He tanked for a few minutes before announcing call. Schwertley showed A-3 for a pair of aces but Jahanguiri had been picked off on a stone cold bluff, turning over 8-6 for no pair. The turn and river did not bring Jahanguiri and help and the 24-year old was eliminated in fourth place.
3rd Place - $11,088
With Tim Widowski folding his button, Brett Schwertley moved all in from the small blind, having Eric Thompson well covered. Thompson tanked for a few moments before announcing call. He made the right choice, turning up to Schwertley’s . The flop came and Thompson looked like a lock to double up. However, the turn came the , giving Schwertley an open ended straight draw. When the hit the river, it seemed like Schwertley was meant to take the ring. Thompson, a Tulsa, Oklahoma resident, was sent to the rail in third place for $11,088.
2nd Place - $15,356
When play got heads up between Schwertley and Tim Widowski, Schwertley held a sizeable chip lead. The two battle back and forth for quite some time before Widowski moved all in with . Schwertley looked down at his hand and immediately made the call with . The board came and Widowski was eliminated in second place for $15,356.
1st Place - $24,859
Brett Schwertley had put on quite a show at the Six-Handed Event final table, eliminating every single player whom he was up against. In the end, the Omaha, Nebraska native took home $24,859 along with his second World Series of Poker Circuit Ring.
The 50 points that he earned for his victory not only put him over $100,000 in earnings for this year’s Circuit Series, but it also put him ten points ahead of Kevin Calenzo for the overall National Championship Points Lead.
No matter what Schwertley does from here on out, he looks to be a lock to qualify for the National Championship to be held in Las Vegas in May. However, Schwertley said that he will still be playing events to accumulate points. In fact, he will be here at the Choctaw Casino for the rest of the series, looking to add to his already impressive resume.
See the complete Choctaw Circuit schedule and previous results here. The WSOP Circuit at Choctaw runs through January 24th. You can find the complete 2010/2011 WSOP CIRCUIT SCHEDULE here.