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Thursday, May 25, 2017 2:28 PM Local Time
Commercial banker deposits $21,995 and a gold ring in his hometown
Todd Elliott won the his first ring on the last day of the 2016/2017 WSOP Circuit season. Elliott defeated a field of 312 entries in the $365 closing event, winning a $21,995 amid some unusual circumstances.
The result is the largest cash on record for the 30-year-old commercial banker from New Orleans. He’s unemployed at this exact moment, though, laid off just last week when his bank was taken over and closed down. “Today is the first day I’m supposed to be working, and I'm not,” he said.
Elliott has been playing poker since he was in high school, and he even took a year after college to play professionally. The life of a professional poke player is not suited for him, though, and he prefers to splash around in the local cash games nowadays. He’s been a banker since — and up until a week ago.
Nothing came easy for Elliott during his run to the title. At one point on Day 1, he was all in four ways with pocket eights against queens, kings, and king-jack. An eight in the window gave Elliott the pot and a huge boost to end the night in the middle of the pack, though, and he returned for Day 2 on his first official day of unemployment.
The field facing Elliott was littered with professionals, ring winners, and those scrambling for last-minute points, including two-time Circuit winner Jerry Monroe and WSOP Colossus II Champion Ben Keeline. Monroe missed the final table, Keeline fell in sixth place, and Elliott eventually found himself heads-up with another WSOP Circuit hero, Woody Moore.
“There were a lot of good players,” Elliott said of the final table. “Good players tend to go deep in these Circuit events.”
Moore is a good player, a three-time Circuit winner with more than a quarter-million dollars in tournament earnings on the traveling tour. He’s the only player who’s qualified for the season-ending Championship event in each of the six years it’s been held, and he’ll do so once again this time with a season-high 22 cashes.
Ring number four will have to wait for Moore, though. Elliott won the heads-up match, defeating Moore to win his own first ring and the lion’s share of the prizepool.
“I really don’t play a lot of tournaments,” he said in his postgame comments. “This is a pretty big success.”
Monday, May 22, 2017 7:07 PM Local Time
In a quick heads-up match, Todd Elliott (pictured above) defeats three-time ring winner Woody Moore to take down the Circuit season's final event. Elliott collects $21,995 and his first gold ring for two days of work in New Orleans.
Moore (below) is eliminated as the runner-up, earning $13,600.
Monday, May 22, 2017 7:05 PM Local Time
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Monday, May 22, 2017 2:25 PM Local Time
It took just less than two levels of Day 2 action to reach the final table, but the nine remaining players are now seated together. Here's the lineup:
Seat 1: Ryan O'Leary - 213,000
Seat 2: Todd Elliott - 367,000
Seat 3: Ben Saxton - 246,000
Seat 4: Ben Keeline - 314,000
Seat 5: John Tucker - 570,000
Seat 6: Brian Powell - 265,000
Seat 7: Andrew Kloc - 405,000
Seat 8: Woody Moore - 414,000
Seat 9: Dustin Stewart - 335,000
Blinds are 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante, putting the average stack well over 40 big blinds. Everyone left is now guaranteed to earn at least $2,030.
Monday, May 22, 2017 1:05 PM Local Time
The final 16 players are back in their chairs and back in action for Day 2.
Monday, May 22, 2017 3:58 AM Local Time
Monday, May 22, 2017 3:18 AM Local Time
Level 18 is complete, and that marks the end of Day 1. From a starting field of 312 entries, just 16 remain.
The top of the overnight leaderboard reveals the quality of the remaining field. Bracelet winner Ben Keeline and three-time Circuit winner Charles "Woody" Moore headline the remaining field, and they'll both return for Day 2 with top-five stacks.
1: John Tucker - 450,000
2: Woody Moore - 406,000
3: Brian Powell - 339,000
4: Andrew Kloc - 311,000
5: Ben Keeline - 262,500
Two-time winner Jerry Monroe is also among those with a stack in a bag. Use the links below for the complete end-of-day lists.
Chip Counts | Seat Draw
Blinds will be 3,000/6,000 with a 1,000 ante when play resumes, putting the average stack at 32.5 big blinds. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $1,127.
Day 2 begins at 1 p.m.
Monday, May 22, 2017 1:32 AM Local Time
Right at the tail end of Level 17, a double knockout on the bubble brings the field into the money with 32 players remaining.
Three-time ring winners David Aker and Charles "Woody" Moore are among the remaining field, along with bracelet winner Ben Keeline. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $559, and Day 1 will continue until the end of Level 18.
Sunday, May 21, 2017 8:39 PM Local Time
Registration is closed for Event #12, and the numbers are in.
This $365 no-limit hold'em event drew 312 entries, creating a prizepool worth $93,600. That money will be shared by the final 33 players, with a min-cash worth $559. The last gold ring of the Circuit season and a cash prize of $21,995 are reserved for the winner.
Sunday, May 21, 2017 3:01 PM Local Time
The cards are in the air.
Sunday, May 21, 2017 2:18 PM Local Time
The season's first 263 domestic ring events are complete (or nearly so), and there's just one more left. Today's $365 no-limt hold'em event is the last on the calendar for this stop at Harrah's New Orleans, and it represents the last chance for points chasers to accumulate enough to qualify for the WSOP Global Casino Championship.
Here are the details for this event:
- This is a two-day event
- Players begin with 10,000 in tournament chips
- Levels 1-12 are 30 minutes apiece
- Levels 13-21 are 40 minutes apiece
- Late registration and single re-entry are available until the start of Level 9
- Day 1 concludes after Level 18
Cards go in the air at 3 p.m.