Poker Tournament Results

Harrah's New Orleans Tournament - WSOP Circuit Event

Kai Landry

Tournament Report

*Big Turnout in New Orleans* * * *One Reason: More Starting Chips and Better Structures * *New Orleans, LA (May 16, 2009) – *Through 17 events this year at Harrah’s New Orleans, the World Series of Poker Circuit has attracted more than 4,000 participants. With an average of 243 players per event, attendance has actually *increased *over last year – despite a so-called gloomy economy, more gold ring events on the schedule, and a greater number of games offered other than No-Limit Hold’em. This is an enlightening statistic, given that many tournaments held elsewhere are either stagnant or have experienced a decrease in attendance recently. The big question is – *why?* Why has Harrah’s New Orleans done so well this year? It would be easy to explain New Orleans’ unique appeal as a fun and exciting city to visit. That certainly accounts for some added interest. But an informal poll of the tournament room and its players reveals near-unanimous enthusiasm for more chips and better structures at this year’s event. In short, players are convinced they are getting a lot more play for their money, and a lot more bang for the buck. This year, players in New Orleans are starting with an average of 40 percent more in chips, over the previous year. Furthermore, blind and ante levels increase incrementally. So, players get more play. The tournament is far from a crapshoot. The competition is a test of skill, as it should be. The events – and final tables -- tend to take longer to finish. But given thousands of dollars in prize money is at stake, these are widely-popular changes favored by every poker player. Credit should go to Supervisor Larry Barrett and Tournament Director Steve Frezer – and the rest of the tournament staff -- for listening to the players and creating a competitive structure that should be copied elsewhere. Indeed, imitation is the best form of flattery. Other WSOP Circuit events have been just as innovative. Last month, Caesars Palace Las Vegas ran “double-stack” tournaments, which gives players twice as many starting chips over normal events. These tournaments, which are an extension of the mega-stack concept introduced by Caesars Palace Las Vegas, are expected to become more popular in months and years ahead. Coming up soon, Caesars will be hosting the “2009 Summer Mega Stack Series.” Forty mega satellites with lots of play will be held between May 28th and July 10th which will award seats into the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event, which takes place at the Rio Las Vegas in July. Across the country at Caesars Atlantic City, the WSOP Circuit in March also did something completely different. In addition to its regular slate of events, Caesars ran two Turbo No-Limit Hold’em tournaments. This was a completely opposite approach to the slower, more chip-heavy structures introduced elsewhere. Aware that many players prefer to wrap up a tournament within a single day, Caesars Atlantic City introduced gold ring events which award big prize money, but also are suited to players who have limited time and seek to finish the tournament within one day. It is clear that WSOP Circuit events continue to be not only rich and prestigious, but ground-breaking, as well. Next year’s WSOP Circuit schedule should be announced in the coming months. Poker players everywhere would be wise to check out the 2009-2010 schedule and make plans to attend. *Kai Landry (Biloxi, MS) Wins Event #15* The 2009 Bayou Poker Challenge is now two-thirds complete. The 15th of twenty scheduled gold ring events ended today at Harrah’s New Orleans. The $300 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted a huge field of 544 entries for the two-day competition. This was the second-biggest tournament so far at this year’s series (Event #1 attracted 572 entries). The tournament winner was Kai Landry, who is quickly establishing a reputation as one of the top up-and-coming tournament players in the South. He is a 37-year-old poker pro from Biloxi, MS. Landry blogs regularly about his poker experiences at: www.gulfcoastpoker.net This marked Landry’s second major tournament victory. He won the WSOP Circuit championship event held at Harrah’s Tunica in January, which amounted to $183,974 payday. This was Landry’s third final table appearance so far this year. This time, Landry won first place prize money totaling $35,620. He was also presented with his second gold ring, the ultimate achievement for winning a WSOP Circuit event. The top five in-the-money finishers were as follows: *1st Place –* Kai Landry, a 37-year-old poker pro and self-avowed “Prince of Darkness,” won his second gold ring this season. Landry previously won the Main Event in Tunica a few months ago. *2nd Place –* The runner up was Gaven Arza, from Atlanta. He is a 22-year-old student who already has three cashes and two final tables on his tournament resume. Arza took seventh-place in a tournament held here last year. *3rd Place –* Vincent Dellapi was the third-place finisher. He is 49-years old and is self-employed. Dellapi lives in Houston, where he is married and has four sons. This was his first time to cash in a major poker tournament. *4th Place –* Fourth place went to Shawn Pilot, from North Hills, CA. Pilot cashed twice last year at the WSOP in Las Vegas, including the Main Event. His official payout for this tournament amounted to $11,319, which brings his career tournament earnings to nearly $150,000. *5th Place –* Jonathan Evans cashed for the first time in a major tournament with his fifth-place showing. Evans from Houston, who recently graduated from SMU in Dallas with a degree in finance, collected $9,261 in prize money. *Notable Players Who Finished In-the-Money –* Clint Schafer, who finished second in the 2007 Bayou championship, was the sixth-place finisher. Timothy Martin (New Orleans, LA), who finished 23rd, won a gold ring here two years ago. Allen Baker (Houston, TX), who finished 24th, won a gold bracelet at the 1990 WSOP in Las Vegas. Mark Wilds (Gulfport, MS) cashed for the third time at this year’s series and is now close to $800,000 in career tournament winnings. *Note: The WSOP Circuit’s fifth season concludes with its final stop at Harrah’s New Orleans. The two-week tournament runs from May 8th through 21 st. It’s not too late to come and play. Poker players may call and receive discount hotel accommodations at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. Players should call 1-800-HILTONS. When booking, players must request -- CODE: WSP. Reservations can also be made through: www.harrahsneworleans.com*