Tuesday, May 16, 2017 4:31 PM Local Time
North Carolina pro takes down $580-buy-in event to collect $25,521 and the jewelry
Marshall White is the newest three-time winner on the WSOP Circuit. White outlasted a field of 204 entries in the $580-buy-in event at Harrah’s New Orleans, collecting his third gold ring and the top prize of $26,521.
White is a 32-year-old professional poker player who lives in Boone, North Carolina, home of his alma mater, Appalachian State University. He’s only been playing live tournament poker for about four years, but he’s already racked up more than $750,000 in earnings, including those three Circuit victories.
After a handful of near misses, White broke through on the Circuit in 2015, winning a $365 Turbo at the Palm Beach Kennel Club to add his name to the list of gold ring winners. The following year, he collected a second ring with a win at Choctaw in Oklahoma, and he’s continued the once-per-season trend in New Orleans this week, snagging ring number three with just a few chances left in the season.
White’s run to this victory began with a successful Day 1 campaign, ending the day third in chips with 27 players remaining. He was essentially tied with Gerardo Hernandez for the lead with by the time the nine-handed final table was set, and the rest of the day belonged to him. White took care of James Arruebarrena in seventh place, then Billy Poindexter in sixth and Brian Woodbury in fifth.
Hernandez was responsible for the elimination of Robert Elliott in fourth place, and he found himself with more than half the total chips in play entering three-handed action. Both White and Stanley Koenig found doubles-up thorough Hernandez, though, and White went ahead and eliminated him in third place a short while later.
Koenig knew he was an underdog in the heads-up match, beginning the duel with a 2:1 chip disadvantage, and he took the first spot he could find. On the turn of a king-jack-four-deuce board with two spades, Koenig made his stand with jack-nine of spades against White’s king-queen. The Ten of Hearts on the river was a miss for Koenig to eliminate him as the runner-up, and White was surrounded by friends as he posed for winner’s photos once again.
Monday, May 15, 2017 9:12 PM Local Time
On the turn of a board, Stanley Koenig moves all in with the rest of his shortening stack, and Marshall White (pictured above) calls to put him at risk.
Koenig: (pair of jacks, flush draw)
White: (pair of kings)
The river is the , and White wins the pot and the tournament with a pair of kings. His reward for two days of work is $26,521 in cash and his third-career gold ring.
Koenig (below) finishes as the runner-up, earning $16,382.
Monday, May 15, 2017 8:57 PM Local Time
On the first hand of the 10,000/20,000 level, Marshall White opens the button with a raise to 50,000, and Gerardo Hernandez defends his big blind.
The flop is . Hernandez moves all in for his last 193,000, and White instantly calls to put him at risk.
White: (ace-high, flush draw)
Hernandez: (pair of eights)
White's biggest help would be a club, and he finds one promptly on the turn. Hernandez is already drawing dead to the river, and he's eliminated in third place.
White enters the heads-up match against Stanley Koenig with a 2:1 chip lead.
Marshall White - 1,640,000 (82 bb)
Stanley Koenig - 810,000 (41 bb)
Gerardo Hernandez - Eliminated
Monday, May 15, 2017 8:15 PM Local Time
Stanley Koenig finds a big double-up through chip leader Gerardo Hernandez when his flops a flush against Hernanedez's pocket jacks.
A few hands later, Marshall White scores his own double-up. The two-time ring winner gets his last 485,000 chips into the middle preflop from the button, racing for his tournament life against Hernandez in the big blind.
White:
Hernandez:
The board runs out , and White wins the flip to double-up with two pair. After looking like he might run away with this ring, Hernandez is suddenly the owner of the shortest stack of the remaining three.
Marshall White - 985,000 (62 bb)
Stanley Koenig - 895,000 (56 bb)
Gerardo Hernandez - 570,000 (36 bb)
Monday, May 15, 2017 8:04 PM Local Time
Robert Elliott gets the last of his 300,000 or so chips into the middle preflop against Gerardo Hernandez.
Elliott:
Hernandez:
The flop makes a chop a real possibility, though the on the turn isn't a great card for Elliott. The river is even worse; the completes the board to give Hernandez the pot with a pair of sevens. He now has more than half the total chips in play with three players left.
Elliott is eliminated in fourth place.
Gerardo Hernandez - 1,400,000 (88 bb)
Robert Elliott - Eliminated
Monday, May 15, 2017 8:03 PM Local Time
Monday, May 15, 2017 8:00 PM Local Time
Monday, May 15, 2017 7:07 PM Local Time
In the largest pot of the day, Randy Gordon (middle position) and Gerardo Hernandez go to war preflop, and the ensuing action leaves Gordon all in for what looks like 298,000 with about one quarter of the total chips in play in the middle.
Gordon:
Hernandez:
The board runs out , and Gordon is less than thrilled with that river. Hernandez finds a set of jacks on the last card, dragging the big pot and eliminating Gordon in seventh place.
Gerardo Hernandez - 860,000 (72 bb)
Randy Gordon - Eliminated
Monday, May 15, 2017 6:30 PM Local Time
James Arruebarrena moves all in for right around 100,000 in the cutoff, and Marshall White puts him at risk from the button.
Arruebarrena:
White:
The board runs out , and Arruebarrena can not catch up. White wins the flop with a set of jacks to eliminate his opponent in eighth place.
Marshall White - 400,000 (40 bb)
James Arruebarrena - Eliminated
Monday, May 15, 2017 6:28 PM Local Time
Randy Gordon opens with a 3x raise to 30,000 in middle position, and Billy Poindexter three-bet shoves for 158,000 next to act. When it folds back around to Gordon, he calls to put his opponent at risk.
Gordon:
Poindexter:
The board runs out , and Poindexter wins the flip to double-up with kings up.
Billy Poindexter - 339,000 (34 bb)
Randy Gordon - 225,000 (23 bb)
Monday, May 15, 2017 6:09 PM Local Time
John Lallo moves all in for 83,000 under the gun, and Billy Poindexter calls all in for 82,000 in the cutoff, putting himself at risk.
Lallo:
Poindexter:
The board runs out , and Poindexter's queens hold to earn him a double-up. Lallo is left with just a single ante after paying off his debt, and he's eliminated one hand later.
Billy Poindexter - 188,000 (19 bb)
John Lallo - Eliminated
Monday, May 15, 2017 5:44 PM Local Time
From a starting field of 204 entries, just nine players remain, and they're now at the Event #5 final table. Here's the lineup:
Seat 1: Randy Gordon - 347,000
Seat 2: Billy Poindexter - 74,000
Seat 3: Brian Woodbury - 382,000
Seat 4: Gerardo Hernandez - 495,000
Seat 5: James Arruebarrena - 100,000
Seat 6: John Lallo - 108,000
Seat 7: Marshall White - 475,000
Seat 8: Robert Elliott - 271,000
Seat 9: Stanley Koenig - 171,000
John Lallo won a ring here at Harrah's New Orleans in 2009, and White is already a two-time ring winner, though he's working on his first-career cash in this building.
Blinds are 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante in the current levels, putting the average stack at 34 big blinds. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $2,387 this evening.
Monday, May 15, 2017 2:51 PM Local Time
It takes just over one level of Day 2 action to reduce the field from 27 to 21 players, and they're now in the money in Event #5. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $1,130 this afternoon, but all eyes are on the ring and the top prize of $26,521 awaiting the winner.
Monday, May 15, 2017 2:04 PM Local Time
The 27 remaining players are back in their seats for Day 2, and the cards are in the air.
Monday, May 15, 2017 1:50 AM Local Time
Monday, May 15, 2017 1:28 AM Local Time
The clock has run out on Day 1. The starting field of 204 entries has been trimmed to 27 survivors as play concludes, and they'll return Monday to settle the score.
Ring winner Garry Simms ended the day with the chip lead, turning his starting stack of 12,000 chips into 233,500 through the first 15 levels. He'll set the pace heading into Day 2, but the remaining field is littered with ring winners, Circuit standouts, and other potential peril.
Here's the overnight top five:
1: Garry Simms - 233,500
2: Stephen Grant - 200,000
3: Marshall White - 194,500
4: Alex Burney - 155,500
5: Matt Hartigan - 129,500
Chip Counts | Seat Draw
Only 21 of the remaining players will finish in the money, so crossing that milestone will be the first item on the day's to-do list. From there, they'll keep playing until a winner is determined, with a gold ring and a top prize of $26,521 on the line. Blinds will be 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante when play resumes at 2 p.m.
Monday, May 15, 2017 12:53 AM Local Time
It looks like bursting the bubble is going to be an unreachable goal for tonight. The clock has just been paused with 10 minutes left in the day, and the 29 remaining players are finishing up their final few hands before bagging up for the night.
The end-of-day chip counts and the Day 2 seat draw will be published shortly after the close of play.
Sunday, May 14, 2017 9:04 PM Local Time
As Level 9 begins, registration and re-entry are closed for Event #5. This $580-buy-in event drew 204 entries, creating a prizepool worth $102,000. That money will be shared by the final 21 players, with a min-cash worth $1,130.
The series' fifth gold ring and a top prize of $26,521 await the winner. There are about 100 players left right now, and play continues tonight until the end of Level 15.
Sunday, May 14, 2017 7:27 PM Local Time
Level 7 is about halfway complete, and the field has grown to 184 entries so far. Registration and re-entry are available through the break after Level 8, so there's still about an hour for that number to climb.
Sunday, May 14, 2017 4:09 PM Local Time
The cards are in the air for the start of Event #5.