Event #3: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry

Event #3
No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry
Buy-in: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 541
Prizepool: $162,300

Poker professional, David Cossio, has now captured two Circuit titles in a matter of two months, more than validating his WSOP career.

Stateline, Nevada (October 31, 2016) – David Cossio navigated through two, long days of poker and a field of 541 entrants to reach the top spot in Event #3: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry. After over a decade without a first-place finish, the methodical math whiz has impressively captured two gold rings within two months of each other.

Event #3 featured three starting flights. Cossio bagged in the third leg of the re-entry tournament, Flight C. From then on he climbed the ranks with determination. By the time play reached 27 players remaining, Cossio had established his dominance and never looked back.

“The last three tables I think I played mistake free poker,” Cossio explained.

Sometimes it is simply the lack of mistakes that separates the best from the rest when it comes to the art of poker. And Cossio has certainly proven that he can maintain this discipline in his game, placing him in an elite class of poker professionals. His WSOP resume is more than qualified to attest.

The 2016/17 Circuit tour has been a momentous one for Cossio, boasting four in-the-money finishes already. His breakthrough victory came in September when he took down the NLHE, $580 buy-in event during the IP Biloxi series. It then took Cossio only 43 days to recreate his triumph here at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe. When asked if he was surprised by the quick turnaround on gold rings, Cossio coolly responded.

“I only had four cashes and two were wins, so I’m kind of surprised,” said Cossio. “But then, before, I had very bad luck for a very long time so it’s kind of even.”

This was Cossio’s 40^th cash in WSOP events, walking away with $34,084 this time around. His already remarkable earnings total is now over $650,000. Thus far, Cossio’s largest cash is still the $260,000 payday he received for finishing second at Horseshoe Hammond’s Main Event back in 2013. However, the other, nearly $400,000 in winnings have come from hard-nosed tournament grinding dating back to 2004.

Before his prestigious poker career began, Cossio was college math professor and Math Olympiad Coach for the Mexican National Team. His math prowess is undoubtedly a contributing factor to his skills on the felt.

These skills have led him to a highly elevated position on the WSOPC National Leaderboard. With 110 points, Cossio sits second on the list, trailing only Christopher Leong. There will be virtually no stopping Cossio from a a return trip to the Global Casino Championship. He requires some personal retribution after walking away as the bubble boy in the 2015/16 GCC, missing out on at least a $16,280 payday.

“I want to play again because I was pretty mad I bubbled,” Cossio claimed.

Occasionally things happen for a reason and Cossio wonders if maybe this unfortunate incident has paid off in the form of his new-found determination and success. Nevertheless, this will not be the last the WSOP sees of David Cossio; not by a long shot.

Here is a rundown of the final table results:

1st: David Cossio - $34,084
2nd: Tracy Yeates - $21,081
3rd: Richard Yelland - $15,415
4th: Peter Hong - $11,439
5th: Clint Baskin - $8,607
6th: Mike Heshmati - $6,565
7th: Neil Scott - $5,077
8th: Barry Raymos - $3,980
9th: Jason Bolton - $3,162

Complete results can be found above, under the "Results" tab.

The Circuit gold ring was just out of reach for Tracy Yeates. After a long, grueling, two-days of poker, Yeates made a valiant effort, but will have to settle for the runner-up finish. He banks $21,081 and 37.5 Casino Championship points for his efforts.

The final three contenders are on a 15-minute break. It is now past midnight and some mental exhaustion has surely set in. Here is a look at how the chip counts stack up at the break:

Chip Leader: David Cossio - 3,650,000
2nd in Chips: Richard Yelland - 1,125,000
Short Stack: Tracy Yeates - 600,000

Clint Baskin (pictured) has just been eliminated in fifth place. Baskin, who was the chip leader out of Flight B, is awarded $8,607 and 25 Casino Championship points.

Neil Scott was eliminated in 7th place and further extends his record of having reached the most Circuit final tables without achieving the ultimate prize. Scott has 16 final table appearances, but no gold ring to call his own.

Scott does however walk away with $5,077, adding to his impress earnings total, which surpasses $180,000.

Two bust outs since the official final table began have took place. The first was Jason Bolton, owner of one Circuit gold ring and $70,000 in WSOP earnings. The other exit was by Barry Raymos, who also has a gold ring, which he won here at Harvey's Lake Tahoe in 2013.

Barry Raymos: 8th place - $3,980

Jason Bolton: 9th place - $3,162

Seven souls remain and the blinds are catching up.

Players have merged to an unofficial final table. David Cossio has the table lead with just over one million in chips. With this finish Cossio will log his 40th WSOP cash and looks to add a second gold ring to his trophy case. Neil Scott, a Circuit regular, will also be striving to grasp gold. Scott has an extensive WSOPC resume with a slew of 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finishes.

Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts for the final ten players:

Seat 1: Peter Hong – 767,000 (63 bbs)
Seat 2: Jason Bolton – 410,000 (34 bbs)
Seat 3: Richard Yelland – 610,000 (50 bbs)
Seat 4: Mike Heshmati – 677,000 (56 bbs)
Seat 5: Barry Raymos – 452,000 (37 bbs)
Seat 6: Dominic Oaxaca – 115,000 (9 bbs)
Seat 7: Neil Scott – 360,000 (30 bbs)
Seat 8: David Cossio – 1,020,000 (85 bbs)
Seat 9: Clint Baskin – 904,000 (75 bbs)
Seat 10: Tracy Yeates – 128,000 (10 bbs)

Players have reached a much needed dinner break. The opportunity to rest and get some grub will be 60 minutes long. Average chip stack at the break is around 338,000. Here are a few notable players who are still alive:

Undisputed chip leader: David Cossio - 1,030,000
Top finisher in Flight B: Clint Baskin - 650,000
WSOP Circuit regular: Neil Scott - 360,000

Play will resume at Level 22 with blinds of 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante.

James Beetz, the reigning Casino Champion at IP Biloxi, makes a deep run in Event #3, but has just taken his leave in 30th place. Beetz pockets $901 and logs his 17th WSOP Circuit cash.

29 players remain and Level 19 has just begun. The average chip stack is 193,214.

Only half an hour has gone by in Day 2 and twelve players have already hit the rails. This leaves 65 competitors remaining, only two spots away from the paid positions.

It is likely that play will slow down during the money bubble as players will tighten up in fear of missing out on a cash.