WSOP Circuit Cherokee

The past tales of Cherokee Circuits ensured big prizes, large fields, and plenty of hardware for the trophy case. The 20 WSOP Circuit Rings and the few million in prize money won indicate that the World Series of Poker Circuit at Harrah's Cherokee was a huge success.

Players came out in droves, and the action didn't disappoint. There were multiple players to win their first WSOP Ring, and many were adding some to the collection. The prizes were big, and the players fought hard.

Donovan Dean

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Some highlights of the series include Donovan Dean winning his second Cherokee Main Event, Warren Sheaves winning his third piece of WSOP hardware, and crowd favorite Susan Faber taking down two rings in the course of a week.

Susan Faber and her disciples celebrate her second ring of the stop.

The series is done for now, but as most of you know, it won't be gone for long. The Circuit will be back at Harrah's Cherokee from November 28th to September 9th.

Thank you for tuning into PokerOrg's coverage!

Donovan Dean

REGINA CORTINA

The battle for the highest honor of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Harrah's Cherokee Casino was a long one. The players duked it out for the better part of three days, and there was no shortage of action.

They gathered during the two opening flights of Event #13: $1,700 No Limit Hold'em, and a total of 1,451 players took their shot, creating a prize pool of $2,198,265. There were only 158 players who made Day 2, and they did not disappoint. They battled for 10 Levels on Day 2 and bagged up just the final nine players for the event's last day.

Donovan Dean entered the final day as the chip leader by a wide margin. He would not hold that chip lead for the entire final table, but he was able to never drop below second place in the standings. He fought his way to heads-up play with his opponent, AJ Rebhan, and after about an hour, he was pushed the final pot. He played rock-solid and seemed to keep level emotions throughout the entire final day as he worked his way to victory.

This is the third World Series of Poker Circuit ring for the crusher out of Alabama. Dean won the coveted Cherokee Monster stack for one of his rings, and the Cherokee Main Event for his other. This score of $326,206 is the second largest of his career, only falling short of his last Cherokee Main Event win by a few thousand.

Donovan Dean

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Final Table Results

1. Donovan Dean - $326,206
2. AJ Rebhan - $217,454
3. Tommy Doyle - $153,664
4. Michael Hunsucker - $110,186
5. Tuan Nguyen - $80,192
6. Brett Bader - $59,249
7. Justin Hall - $44,450
8. Srinivasa Vadlamudi - $33,870
9. Sokchheka 'Chico' Pho - $26,281

Final Table Action

Donovan Dean

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The final table started off slow. The players got through an entire level without an elimination before local favorite Sokchheka 'Chico' Pho was the first player to fall. Tommy Doyle took him out when he made a pair of aces on the river against the tens of Chico. That was quickly followed by the exit of Srinivasa Vadlamudi in eighth at the hands of the eventual champion. It is worth noting that this was Vadlamudi's third final table of the series.

Justin Hall was the next to fall when his inferior ace couldn’t improve against eventual second-place finisher AJ Rebhan. That was followed by quick eliminations of Brett Bader in sixth, Tuan Nguyen in fifth, and Michael Hunsucker in fourth, who were also casualties of Rebhan. He seemed to run pure at exactly the right time going into three-handed play.

Tommy Doyle was the wildcard on this final table. He doesn’t have a large record of live earnings, but he could be seen getting involved in pots quite often. He ran well, and even had the chip lead for a portion of the final table. However, when Rebhan started to run hot, the opposite happened for Doyle. He was the unfortunate third-place finisher after finally getting short and losing with three’s to the nines of the eventual champion.

Heads-up play then made it to the dinner break, where Dean still held a massive chip lead. They would return from dinner and only play for about ten hands before the final chips got in the middle between the two players. Dean's king-jack spiked a pair and took down Rebhan's pocket eights.

The rest is etched in the Cherokee history books.

Winners Reaction

Donovan Dean

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Reflecting on his win, Dean expressed his satisfaction, stating, "It's always good to come out on top. That's what you play for. I came in with the most chips. I just put as much pressure as possible."

In a poignant moment, Dean shared a personal note about his little brother, who had suffered a four-wheeler accident earlier in the week. "I found out about the accident right after I bought in," Dean revealed. "He's in the hospital right now, and I'm going to visit him. I know he'll be fired up."

Discussing his approach to the game, Dean noted, "I guess in the main event. I probably have more success because I play super aggressive. So, the money means more to other people, so they, you know, play tighter. I can play super aggressively, and it helps pick up more chips."

AJ Rebhan

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 Blinds: 250,000/500,000/500,000 - 1/158 remaining

AJ Rebhan moved all in for about 8,000,000 and was called by Donovan Dean. The cards hit thier backs with Rebhan all in and at risk.

• AJ Rebhan:
• Donovan Dean:

The flop landed and seemed to be safe but the turn gave Dean the best pair. The river was a blank and the final pot was pushed to Dean who is your Cherokee Main Event Champion.

Donovan Dean - 58,600,000

AJ Rebhan - Eliminated

Donovan Dean

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Donovan Dean and AJ Rebhan have stepped away for dinner. Dean still holds about a 3:1 chip lead as they break for some food. 

This will be a short dinner break, and play will resume as soon as both of the players return.