We’re 10 minutes from the second break and 20 minutes from the end of registration! That means when the players come back, things are going to get serious. Well, as serious as they get at this joyous event. Something about the cash games rife with games like Drawmaha and Razzdugi seems to keep everyone in a good mood. But we’ll see if that lasts after the possibility of rebuying disappears…
In the Omaha/8 portion of the tournament, playing 400/800, Hani Awad raised from early position. Dereje Assefa called on the button, Joseph Hallock came along from the small blind, and Daniel Sprung defended his big blind to send four players to the flop.
The dealer spread 8♠7♥2♣, a great action board for O/8. The blinds checked and Awad continued with a bet. All three opponents called, keeping the pot multiway and full of possibilities as they moved to the turn.
Dereje Assefa
The turn brought the 3♦. This time the entire table checked, taking the river for free. The river paired the board with the 8♥, and Hallock seized the moment from the small blind with a lead. All three of his opponents called.
At showdown, Hallock revealed A♠4♠7♦9♣, for the nut low. Sprung and Awad threw their hands away, leaving only Assefa to show his cards. He tabled A♥A♣T♥ X, his two pair good for the high side.
Hallock and Assefa chopped the pot, each taking their share after a lively four way contest to the river.
We’re already having a great time in the OE event, even with a fairly small field to start. And with nearly half a million in lifetime tournament winnings at the table, this is no casual affair.
Women In Poker Hall Of Famer, Lupe Soto, has arrived to splash around in the $4/8 cash game with a mix of draw, stud, and Omaha games. Soto also runs PokerGives.org, an amazing charity organization that provides food, clothing, and material support to the homeless population in Las Vegas and children in need in Clark county. Welcome Lupe, and good luck!
In this Omaha/8 hand at 150/300, two early-position players limped into the pot before Mark Beamer, seated on the button, followed with a limp of his own. In the small blind, Daniel Sprung completed, and the big blind checked, sending five players to the flop.
The flop came Q♥9♦3♣, and the action checks around.
The turn brings the 2♦, and Sprung seizes the initiative from the small blind, leading into the field. The early limpers fold, but Beamer calls on the button to take the hand heads-up to the river.
The river is the 6♣. Beamer calls one more bet from Sprung, opting to take the hand to showdown. Sprung tables 6♦6♣Q♠5♠, showing a set of sixes for the high. With no qualifying low available and Beamer unable to show down a stronger high hand, he mucks.
Sprung scoops and adds a nice pot to his stack. Daniel Sprung is a regular here at Resorts World, playing in a variety of stakes.
In this early Stud8 hand, Clyde Kay brings it in with 3♠, and Carl Buckland completes with a call showing 9♥. Mark Beamer raises his ace-door A♣, and both opponents call, taking the action three-way to fourth street.
On fourth street, the boards roll out Q♠ for Kay, 5♦ for Buckland, and 6♣ for Beamer. Kay leads into both opponents, and they each call to continue.
On fifth street, Kay receives 4♦, Buckland catches A♠, and Beamer turns up K♦. All three players check.
Sixth street brings 5♣ for Kay, 4♥ for Buckland, and J♠ for Beamer. Buckland bets into the field, Beamer releases his hand, and Kay calls to continue heads-up.
On seventh street, both players check. At showdown, Kay tables 8♠8♣3♠Q♠4♦5♣4♠, making eights up and no low. Buckland reveals T♥8♥9♥5♦A♠4♥A♦, but cannot claim either side of the pot.
We are so excited to be launching our reporting services with the Mixed Games Festival XII. We love everything about these events. Robbie Strazynski and CardPlayer Lifestyle have been friends of ours for a long time and we love to support them. We are also avid fans of mixed games and Robbie has done a great job increasing the visibility of mixed games and introducing new players to games beyond holdem. And we are enthusiastic fans of the poker room at Resorts World. In fact, one of our founders, Chris ‘Fox’ Wallace, won a WSOP HORSE championship and plays in mixed and semi-private games at Resorts World multiple nights a week. He claims it as his favorite room in Vegas.
All those things add up to an incredible opportunity. We have the knowledge, we have the experience, and we have the computing power, to cover mixed games like no one ever has. Video, hole cards, strategy, we can talk about the game at an expert level and we have Chronicle, our proprietary software, trained on mixed games to create graphics for us so that we can present hands from any game type with hole cards and boards.
We will be covering the OE event at Resorts World on Monday November 17th starting at noon. Late registration is open until 4:25 pm for this one, and with thirty-minute levels you’ll still have a reasonable stack if you show up late. The dealers at Resorts World handle mixed games as well as any dealers we’ve ever seen because the biggest mixed games in town are hosted in the private rooms here.
We will have a photographer from poker.photos on site shooting still photos and video, and our reporters from pokerreporting.com will be covering hand updates and results. Our goal is always to make the players feel like stars and create a memorable experience for them. We’ll start showcasing this event as soon as it starts and provide coverage all the way through. You can also find coverage on our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
We have reached the final table! Check out the gallery below for bios of all the players who made the final nine.
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Tony Gargano is the founder of Dealgano Wholesale and Distribution with over $1.9 million in lifetime tournament earnings across 94 cashes The Hendon Mob. Discovering poker at a high school graduation party 22 years ago, Gargano has become a formidable tournament player with deep runs at the World Series of Poker and multiple final tables to his name. When he's not grinding his favorite game of Blind Man's Bluff or cheering on his favorite player Matt Stout, Gargano enjoys the adventurous hobby of exploring abandoned mines and caves. At home rooting for him are his beautiful fiancée and Junior League superstar Kaitlyn Tinsley, along with their two adorable children, Wilhem and Reicher. He is hoping to become back-to-back JLLV Charity Poker champion by winning the event tonight.
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Tony Gargano is the founder of Dealgano Wholesale and Distribution with over $1.9 million in lifetime tournament earnings across 94 cashes The Hendon Mob. Discovering poker at a high school graduation party 22 years ago, Gargano has become a formidable tournament player with deep runs at the World Series of Poker and multiple final tables to his name. When he's not grinding his favorite game of Blind Man's Bluff or cheering on his favorite player Matt Stout, Gargano enjoys the adventurous hobby of exploring abandoned mines and caves. At home rooting for him are his beautiful fiancée and Junior League superstar Kaitlyn Tinsley, along with their two adorable children, Wilhem and Reicher. He is hoping to become back-to-back JLLV Charity Poker champion by winning the event tonight.
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Ben Lake didn't fill out his interview form, so we don't know much about him, but we're sure he's great.
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Ben Lake didn't fill out his interview form, so we don't know much about him, but we're sure he's great.
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Jeff Glass works in VIP marketing and is a relative newcomer to poker, having discovered the game through friends just four years ago. A Texas Hold'em player who counts his son Hunter Glass as his favorite player, Jeff is proud that poker has become a family affair—Hunter has won a tournament or two himself. When he's not at the tables, Jeff can be found hanging out at the world famous Palomino Club. Jeff's long-term poker goal is refreshingly simple: just to have fun.
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Jeff Glass works in VIP marketing and is a relative newcomer to poker, having discovered the game through friends just four years ago. A Texas Hold'em player who counts his son Hunter Glass as his favorite player, Jeff is proud that poker has become a family affair—Hunter has won a tournament or two himself. When he's not at the tables, Jeff can be found hanging out at the world famous Palomino Club. Jeff's long-term poker goal is refreshingly simple: just to have fun.
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Leo August is a professional gambler who has been playing poker for 24 years since discovering the game in a park near his house. With over $855,000 in lifetime tournament earnings across 172 cashes, Leo has established himself as a consistent tournament performer. A stud specialist who counts Phil Ivey among his favorite players, Leo keeps things simple when he's away from the tables—watching sports is his go-to hobby. With nearly a quarter-century of experience at the felt, Leo continues to grind and build on his impressive tournament resume.
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Leo August is a professional gambler who has been playing poker for 24 years since discovering the game in a park near his house. With over $855,000 in lifetime tournament earnings across 172 cashes, Leo has established himself as a consistent tournament performer. A stud specialist who counts Phil Ivey among his favorite players, Leo keeps things simple when he's away from the tables—watching sports is his go-to hobby. With nearly a quarter-century of experience at the felt, Leo continues to grind and build on his impressive tournament resume.
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Jonathan Little is one of poker's elite professionals and educators with over $9.4 million in lifetime tournament earnings across 195 cashes The Hendon Mob. After discovering poker at age 12 following a Magic: The Gathering tournament, Little has spent 22 years mastering the game, becoming a two-time World Poker Tour champion and WPT Season VI Player of the Year. When he's not grinding his favorite game of No-Limit Hold'em, Little dedicates himself to creating content for PokerCoaching.com, where he helps players improve their strategies and stay in action—his long-term poker goal. He counts Justin Saliba and Chris Lewis among his favorite players, and has everyone at home rooting for him, though most poker players don't know about his passion for art. Follow him on Twitter/X at @JonathanLittle
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Jonathan Little is one of poker's elite professionals and educators with over $9.4 million in lifetime tournament earnings across 195 cashes The Hendon Mob. After discovering poker at age 12 following a Magic: The Gathering tournament, Little has spent 22 years mastering the game, becoming a two-time World Poker Tour champion and WPT Season VI Player of the Year. When he's not grinding his favorite game of No-Limit Hold'em, Little dedicates himself to creating content for PokerCoaching.com, where he helps players improve their strategies and stay in action—his long-term poker goal. He counts Justin Saliba and Chris Lewis among his favorite players, and has everyone at home rooting for him, though most poker players don't know about his passion for art. Follow him on Twitter/X at @JonathanLittle
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Alex Wang is a financial planner who has been playing poker since he was 16 after discovering the game at a home game. A No-Limit Hold'em specialist with a particular love for bomb pots in cash games, Wang counts Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk among his favorite players. When he's not at the tables, Wang has an impressive array of hobbies including firearm competitions, snowboarding, investing, piano, and golf—and he teaches 6th-12th grade firearms competition, something most poker players don't know about him. With his dad, grandma, sister, aunts, and uncles all rooting for him from home, Wang's long-term poker goal is straightforward: continue playing +EV poker.
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Alex Wang is a financial planner who has been playing poker since he was 16 after discovering the game at a home game. A No-Limit Hold'em specialist with a particular love for bomb pots in cash games, Wang counts Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk among his favorite players. When he's not at the tables, Wang has an impressive array of hobbies including firearm competitions, snowboarding, investing, piano, and golf—and he teaches 6th-12th grade firearms competition, something most poker players don't know about him. With his dad, grandma, sister, aunts, and uncles all rooting for him from home, Wang's long-term poker goal is straightforward: continue playing +EV poker.
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David Freeston is a head golf pro who has been grinding poker for 20 years after first discovering the game watching ESPN. A No-Limit Hold'em specialist who counts Phil Ivey among his favorite players, Freeston has come tantalizingly close to his long-term poker goal of winning a WSOP bracelet or Circuit ring. When he's not at the poker table or on the golf course, Freeston enjoys video games—particularly The Legend of Zelda series, a passion most of his poker friends don't know about. With his best friend and poker buddies rooting him on from home, Freeston continues his pursuit of that elusive major tournament title.
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David Freeston is a head golf pro who has been grinding poker for 20 years after first discovering the game watching ESPN. A No-Limit Hold'em specialist who counts Phil Ivey among his favorite players, Freeston has come tantalizingly close to his long-term poker goal of winning a WSOP bracelet or Circuit ring. When he's not at the poker table or on the golf course, Freeston enjoys video games—particularly The Legend of Zelda series, a passion most of his poker friends don't know about. With his best friend and poker buddies rooting him on from home, Freeston continues his pursuit of that elusive major tournament title.
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John Urpsis didn't fill out his player interview, but we know he's a great guy and that he loves. One of the nicest guys we've ever met and a big supporter of the CSOP.
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John Urpsis didn't fill out his player interview, but we know he's a great guy and that he loves. One of the nicest guys we've ever met and a big supporter of the CSOP.
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Bruce Belcher is an HR professional who has been playing poker for over 35 years, though he can't quite remember how he first discovered the game. A No-Limit Hold'em player who names himself as his favorite player, Belcher has a simple long-term poker goal: finding fun games. When he's not at the tables, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids—his support system who he jokes are expensive—and taking full advantage of everything Las Vegas has to offer.
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Bruce Belcher is an HR professional who has been playing poker for over 35 years, though he can't quite remember how he first discovered the game. A No-Limit Hold'em player who names himself as his favorite player, Belcher has a simple long-term poker goal: finding fun games. When he's not at the tables, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids—his support system who he jokes are expensive—and taking full advantage of everything Las Vegas has to offer.
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Joey earns the right to be the announcer on the final table because he's the best dressed player remaining!
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Joey earns the right to be the announcer on the final table because he's the best dressed player remaining!
At blinds of 3,000/6,000, under the gun opened to 13,000. CSOP founder Matt Stout three-bet from middle position to 38,000 with J♠J♦. Connor Richards called all in for his last 18,000 holding A♠8♦. The original raiser folded, and the cards were on their backs with Richards at risk.
A flop of J♣2♣Q♥ gave Stout a set of jacks and left Richards drawing nearly dead. The 3♠ turn and 5♣ river brought no miracles for Richards, and he was eliminated. Stout dragged the pot and stacked up 350,000 for a nice stack at this point in the tournament.
Alden Grant opened the action from under the gun to 8,000 with J♦J♦. The action folded around to Joey Resto in late position, who moved all in for 28,000. Grant made the call, and the cards were turned up with Resto at risk. Grant tabled his pocket jacks, while Resto showed K♠Q♥ and would need to improve to stay alive.
The flop came T♦A♣7♥, giving Resto a gutshot straight draw and two over cards. The K♣ on the turn gave Resto a pair of kings and the lead in the hand, and the A♠ on the river was no help and Resto scooped the pot. Resto doubled up to 65,000, but grant still had 120,000 after paying off the double-up.