Barnhart Wins WSOP Circuit Championship

 

 

Barnhart started the nine-player final table in seventh place, with himself and two other players as the only ones below 200,000 chips. Jonathon Poche, winner of the WSOP-C event in New Orleans just two weeks earlier, started the final table as the dominating chip leader with 534,000 chips and no other player above 250,000 chips.

 

 

Despite his big lead, Poche could not pull out a wire-to-wire victory. He fell in fifth place to Barnhart when Barnhart’s pair of kings with a queen kicker dominated his pair of kings with a ten kicker. Poche took home US$75,000 for his fifth-place finish, in addition to his US$121,000 for winning the New Orleans event.

 

 

Barnhart and his final opponent, James Anderson, started heads-up play with roughly 50 big blinds each. Barnhart took a huge lead when he paired his ace on the river, defeating Anderson’s pocket kings. The victory game Barnhart an overwhelming chip advantage. Barnhart finished the job when he paired his king on the flop and Anderson failed to pair his ace. Anderson earned US$200,000 for his runner-up finish.

 

 

Here are the final results:

 

1. Sam Barnhart $300,000

2. James Anderson $200,000

3. Josh Evans $135,000

4. La Sengphet $100,000

5. Jonathan Poche $75,0000

6. Charles Moore $55,000

7. Drazen Illich $42,500

8. Adam Hui $35,000

9. Matthew Lawrence $30,000

10. Huy Nguyen $27,500

 

 

The event marks the end of the World Series of Poker Circuit season and leads into the first events of the World Series of Poker, which begin this week.