Drazen Ilich of Lincoln, Nebreaska has been one of the most consistent regulars on the WSOP-Circuit this year, so much so that he earned a spot into the National Championship by amassing 135 points throughout the year. He cashes a total of eight WSOP-C cashes for $122,303, though not all are from this season. In addition, he has captured two gold rings: one for a victory in Event #6 $1,060 NLHE ($16,013) at the stop in Council Bluffs earlier this year, and the other coming back in the 2008/2009 season at Council Bluff’s Event #17 Six-Handed NLHE ($32,825).
Ilich also came close to capturing his first Main Event title when he final tabled the Choctaw stop. Unfortunately for him, he ran into Huy Nguyen, who finished in 10th place and was the final table bubble boy in this event. Ilich’s last hand came when Traci Brown opened to 200,000 and Drazen Ilich called on the button. Nguyen also called from the big blind as the flop fell , which both Nguyen and Brown checked. Ilich fired 310,000, Nguyen called and Brown folded.
The turn was the and Nguyen checked again. Ilich shipped for 2 million and Nguyen made the call.
Ilich:
Nguyen:
Ilich needed a spade to survive, but the river was the , eliminating him in 6th place for $45,552. No doubt Ilich is looking for the ultimate WSOP-C title today!
Adam Hui secured a spot in the National Championship after locking up the “Casino Championship” at Caesars Palace back in April. He did so by finishing eight in Event #7 $35 NLHE for $3,827; fourth in Event #9 $1,090 NLHE; and fifth in the $1,600 Main Event.
Hui hails from Markham, Ontario and was the only player in the National Championship from outside the United States. He has a total of $224,078 in career earnings with his largest cash coming from the 2010 PokerStars.net Empire State Hold’em Championship where he claimed victory for $115,722. Obviously Hui has the opportunity to surpass that here today.
Charles “Woody” Moore qualified for the National Championship by winning the Main Event at the Horseshoe Southern Indiana for $99,878, which brought his lifetime earnings to over $800,000
In 1995, Moore final table the $1,500 Limit Hold’em event at the WSOP, placing third for $79,800. In February of 2008, Moore raked in over $625,000 for placing third in the LA Poker Classic WPT event. That final table included Phil Ivey, Quinn Do, Nam Le, Scott Montgomery and Phil Hellmuth – quite the colossal lineup. That same year, Moore took ninth in a $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event at the WSOP for over $11,000.
On the first stop in this season on the WSOP Circuit, Moore made the final table and went on to finish in fifth place for $21,795. He went on add four more cashes at two more Circuit stops, Choctaw and Rincon. Moore, who is the elder statesman at the table, begins on the short stack and will have his work cut out for himself if he hopes to capture the $300,000 first-place prize.
After two long days of play, the World Series of Poker Circuit National Championship final table is set. Today, the remaining nine players will converge on the Caesars Palace poker room as they battle it out for the $300,000 first-place prize and a WSOP gold bracelet.
Leading the way is our chip leader Jonathan Poche, who won the Harrah’s New Orleans Main Event less than two weeks ago. He is joined at the final table by some other champions such as Charles “Woody” Moore (Southern Indiana Horseshoe Main Event Champion); Adam Hui (Caesars Palace Casino Champion); Sam Barnhart (Harrah’s Tunica Main Event Champion); and Jim Anderson (Midwest Regional Champion). In addition, some other final table participants earned their spots via “At-large bids” including one of only two women who started the event, La Sengphet; Josh Evans; Drazen Ilich; and Matthew Lawrence.
Here is a look at the final table heading into the third and final day:
Final Table Line-Up
Seat
Player
Chip Count
BBs
Chip %
1
Charles Moore
65,500
13
3.3%
2
Adam Hui
239,000
48
11.9%
3
Drazen Ilich
118,000
24
5.9%
4
Jonathan Poche
534,000
107
26.7%
5
Josh Evans
222,500
45
11.1%
6
La Sengphet
245,000
49
12.3%
7
Sam Barnhart
166,000
33
8.3%
8
James Anderson
235,000
47
11.8%
9
Matthew Lawrence
140,000
28
7%
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will again be on the floor of the Ceasars Palace Poker Room providing continuous live updates of all the final table action beginning at noon local time, so be sure to stay tuned for all the action and eliminations as we look to crown the WSOP-Circuit National Champion!
, which both Nguyen and Brown checked. Ilich fired 310,000, Nguyen called and Brown folded.
and Nguyen checked again. Ilich shipped for 2 million and Nguyen made the call.
, eliminating him in 6th place for $45,552. No doubt Ilich is looking for the ultimate WSOP-C title today!
