Biloxi, MS — If you're looking for a good sweat before the November 9 gets started, look no further than Mississippi's Gulf Coast and the IP Casino Resort and Spa.
The 1,088-room resort has been hosting the WSOPC for the last 10 days. So far, 10 events are in the books with two more still to come, including the Main Event that's underway now.
Live updates from the Main Event will be provided through its conclusion and can be found HERE.
Day 1 has wrapped and Charley Leroi is leading all players with 128,00 in chips.
Nipping at his heels is Las Vegas pro Rex Clinkscales. Clinkscales has recorded three cashes on the 2011-2012 Circuit, including two cashes and a final table at the IP. He has 109,000 in chips after Day 1.
Notable Main Event entrants include three-time Circuit champion, Dwyte Pilgrim, bracelet winner and 33-time WSOP casher, Kathy Liebert and Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler. Kessler (29,100) is the only player of the three to be moving on to Day 2.
Other Notables moving on include three-time Circuit champions, Tim Burt (12,300) and Kyle Cartwright (21,300), Bossier City Main Event champion, David Nicholson (31,600), Event 8 runner-up, Beverly Cheney (40,200), and Thomas Cronin (25,200) who currently sits in second place on the WSOPC National Leaderboard.
The $1,600 No-Limit Hold'em tournament featured two starting flights. Flight A began at 11 a.m. CST and played through level nine. Flight B then followed with a 7 p.m. start and also played nine levels. The two starting flights will combine for play on Day 2 at 12 p.m. on November 6 with 173 players. However, that number could potentially go up because registration does not close until the beginning of play on Day 2.
The winner of the Main Event will receive first-place prize money as well as automatic entry into the $1 Million National Championship in Las Vegas to be held this spring. A second seat will be awarded to the individual who earns the most Circuit points at this stop. Through ten events, those honors belong to Gene Dudek.
Dudek is putting on a clinic on how to run deep in tournament poker. He has recorded two third place finishes and a runner-up finish totaling $40,318 in prizes and 97.5 points. He is comfortably in the lead over second place, Kip Jones (60 points) and third place, Tim Burt (55 points). Either player needs a deep run in the Main Event or Event 12 to overtake Dudek as the Casino Champion.
The IP has played host to some thrilling poker. Tim Burt started things off with a win in Event #3, $345 H.O.R.S.E., for his third WSOPC ring. Then we saw Beverley Cheney almost overcome an insurmountable heads-up chip disadvantage in Event #8. Unfortunately, her run at becoming only the second female champion of the 2011-2012 Circuit fell short, finishing second to local man, Greg Whitworth.
With two more tournaments to go, players are scrambling to move up the points leaderboard and anything could happen.
Full results from all prior events can be found on WSOP.com HERE.
The next WSOP Circuit stop starts next week at Harveys Lake Tahoe in Nevada. The full schedule of events can be found HERE.