Monday, October 19, 2015 2:17 PM Local Time
Amanda Heidbrick Wins Hammond Re-Entry Event
Event #1
No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry
Buy-In: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 2,211
Prize Pool: $663,300
October 15-18, 2015
Chicago-area property hosts Circuit for eighth-consecutive year. Opening event tops 2,000 entries.
Hammond, Ind. (October 19, 2015) — The World Series of Poker Circuit kicked off at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. last Thursday marking the property’s eighth time to host a stop on the year-long tour. For the first time in the venue’s history, the opening $365 re-entry event boasted the addition of a third starting day and permitted unlimited re-entry. These factors helped the tournament draw a stout field of 2,211 entries and following four days of play, Illinois amateur Amanda Heidbrick walked with its top prize of $101,190.
“It feels great,” Heidbrick, a project manager, said. “I just felt I was running good on Friday and I was hoping to continue to run good.”
Run good she did. Heidbrick played with a fury and masterfully maneuvered her way through a tough field that included Brandon Newsome (fourth), Josh Turner (15th), Fadi Hamad (23rd), Cory Waaland (76th) and bracelet winner Aaron Wallace (84th). She put the finishing touches on her first tournament victory parlaying a final table chip lead into a gold ring and six-figure score. A tough test was made to look easy as the final table played well into the early morning hours of Monday before wrapping shortly before 7:30 a.m. local time.
“Long day,” a fatigued Heidbrick said as the morning sun shone bright over the nearby Chicago skyline.
The Circuit series at the Horseshoe is one of the highlights of each year’s schedule and the 2015/2016 installment is no exception. In addition to the massive re-entry opener, the 12-day event is headlined by a $5,300 high roller – the first of its kind in the Circuit’s modern era.
Additionally, the property’s $1,675 Main Event is always one to keep an eye on. Just two years ago, the championship came out of nowhere in a down poker economy drawing 1,717 entries – the largest finale in Circuit history – generating a prize pool of more than $2.5 million. Following four days of play, Pennsylvania amateur James Dorrance transformed his buy-in into nearly $420,000 and his first Circuit gold ring.
This year’s Main Event boasts the same $1,675 buy-in and the first of two starting flights begins Friday, October 23. With a pedigree like it has and headliners like the High Roller, the Circuit series at the Horseshoe has surely only scratched the surface in 2015.
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Event #1 was the first of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at the Horseshoe. The $365 re-entry event attracted 2,211 entries. The total prize pool came to $663,300 and the top 225 finishers were paid.
The tournament featured three starting flights beginning Thursday, October 15, Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17 at noon. Flight A drew 536 entries and advanced 64; Flight B, 675 and 86; Flight C, 1,000 and 113. Each starting flight logged 15 levels (roughly nine-and-a-half hours) of play.
Flight-by-flight breakdown:
The remaining 263 players merged for Day 2 Sunday, October 18 at 2 p.m. with just the top 225 finishing in the money. The bubble burst during Level 17 (at about 3:15 p.m.). From there, play narrowed to the nine-handed final table during Level 29 (at about 2:45 a.m.) and wrapped during Level 34 (at about 7:30 a.m.).
Final table results:
1st: Amanda Heidbrick - $101,190
2nd: Seth Michael - $62,708
3rd: Shane Thorne - $47,253
4th: Brandon Newsome - $36,084
5th: Justin Walker - $27,832
6th: Daniel Loizzo - $21,677
7th: Gregory Gugger - $17,047
8th: Russell Harriman - $13,538
9th: Mike Patterson - $10,858