The WSOP Circuit completed the second stop in the schedule of Season 2015/2016. Horseshoe Casino Baltimore in Maryland played host to an eleven-day tournament held from August 20 to August 31 and the $1,675 Main Event with a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000 was most definitely its highlight.
The event was completed late last night with Maryland-based player Ting Xiao emerging victorious to capture his first-ever WSOP Circuit gold ring and the amount of $147,699.
The $1,675 Main Event attracted a field of 458 entries who created a prize pool of $687,000. The top 54 finishers received their share of the money, with the payouts starting from $2,638. The event ran from August 28 to August 31 and featured two starting flights.
Day 3, or the last one on the schedule, started with 11 players returning to set the final table and for a winner to be eventually determined. At the beginning of the final table, Xiao was among the short stacks. However, he managed to catch up and capture the title in the end.
The eventual champion had to face Sandeep Patel from Parsippany, New Jersey heads-up. Play started with Xiao holding the majority of chips. He had a total of 5,795,000 against his opponent’s 3,470,000. It took the player a little less than an hour to defeat Patel and capture the title.
On what turned out to be the last hand in play, Patel raised to 200,000 and Xiao three-bet to 575,000. Patel called and the board ran out [Jh][4h][10c] on the flop. Xiao then bet 675,000 and his opponent shoved all in. The soon-to-be champion instantly called and turned [Ad][Jc]. Patel tabled [3s][Js]. The [Ks] came on the turn and the [9d] appeared on the river to secure Xiao with the WSOP Circuit gold ring and the amount of $147,699. As for Patel, he was paid $91,323 for his runner-up finish.
And here are the rest of the players who were seen at the final table:
Russ Head from Lindale, Georgia finished 3rd for a payout of $66,715. John Gorsuch from Woodbridge, Virginia took 4th place for $49,457. New York-based player DJ Mackinnon received $37,194 for his 5th place in the tournament.
Tommy Vu from Cary, North Carolina finished 6th to collect $28,373. Peter Lee from Reston, Virginia took 7th place to add $21,950 to his poker bankroll. Brian Walters from Eldersburg, Maryland took home $17,223 for finishing 8th in the Main Event. Rounding out the final table, John Kostelac from New Cumberland, Pennsylvania finished 9th for $13,706.
