Two Double-Ring Winners at WSOP Circuit Ameristar St. Charles
Celebrate the Accomplishment
Part of being a sports fan, and I am including poker in the “sports” category today, is reveling in the accomplishments of athletes. We love to see people do things on the field, court, or table that border on super-heroic (okay, maybe poker doesn’t quite stack up in this case). Some of the most exciting things to witness are feats that rarely happen. The Cincinnati Reds’ Michael Lorenzen, for example, became just the second player in baseball’s long history to hit a home run, play the outfield, and earn a pitching win in the same game. The first player? Babe Ruth. While it perhaps is not quite as impressive as being in the same discussion as the Great Bambino, Corey Bogert and Robert Keeling did something really cool last week, as both won two rings at the World Series of Poker Circuit Ameristar St. Charles (Missouri) stop.
When we talk about poker accomplishments, WSOP gold bracelets are always something that comes to mind. Double bracelet winners in single Series are always celebrated. Now, a WSOP Circuit ring is not exactly the same as a WSOP bracelet, but a) it is still awesome, and b) the WSOP Circuit is gaining more respect year after year.
One of things that makes a double ring win so cool is that there are only a dozen ring events at a WSOP Circuit stop. The fields may be smaller than at the WSOP or on the World Poker Tour, but winning twice in twelve tries (at most) is pretty great. And to have two players do it at the same stop is highly improbable.
Corey Bogert – Internet Cash Game Specialist
Corey Bogert was the first to pull off the double at WSOP Circuit Ameristar St. Charles. His first win was in Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Multi-Flight. This tourney had five starting flights, so if you couldn’t find a good day or time to begin, your schedule was just too packed. It was one of those tourneys where players could make the money in different flights, which is what Bogert did. He cashed on Day 1B, but it was Day 1D where he really made hay.
Just before the unofficial final table, Bogert made a huge read. He was put to an all-in choice on a ten-high board by five-time ring winner Jeffrey Trudeau and eventually called. Trudeau was bluffing; his bet sizing made no sense to Bogert, which is why he made the call. Eventually, Bogert beat Trudeau heads-up for the win.
Counting his Day 1B cash, Bogert made about $50,000 on that tourney, the biggest cash of his career. He is mostly an online cash-game player, so that makes sense.
Bogert followed up that win with another in Event #5: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha. PLO is his specialty, even if this is not a cash game, so he liked his chances. Going into the final day, he was only third out of the five remaining players, but he once again had a read.
“I was honestly just trying to play small ball because of the dynamic. Other people were kind of getting in there, I think, a little too loose, so it was just better to sit back, especially with the points involved,” Bogert told WSOP.com.
The points of which he spoke were Casino Championship points. After nabbing two rings, he decided to play the rest of the events to try to get that Championship title.
Robert Keeling – Back-to-Back
As for Rob Keeling, his first ring of the stop was in the one-day Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold’em. He had already finished in fifth in Event #3, so reaching the pinnacle had to have been especially satisfying.
Then, in less than 48 hours, Keeling achieved the improbable: back-to-back ring victories. Event #8 was the $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack tournament. He dedicated his amazing run – four cashes, three final tables, and two trophies – to his mom, who recently passed away.
As mentioned, the wins by both Bogert and Keeling were important not just for the money, but because there is a race at each WSOP Circuit stop for the Casino Championship. The Casino Champion is given a free seat in the season-ending Global Casino Championship. Bogert indicated that he had every intention of going for the title and after his two wins, Keeling was leading the race, but as it turned out, neither of them did it, even with double rings.
Instead, Jerod Smith claimed the Ameristar St. Charles Casino Championship with 147.5 points. Though he did not win an event, he made five final tables, with a second, two fourths, a fifth, and an eighth-place finish. The aforementioned Jeffrey Trudeau ended up in second place overall with 137.5 points. After his loss to Bogert, he ended up winning Event #9 and added three other cashes, including a third final table.
Keeling was third in the Casino Championship race with 135 points and Bogert finished fifth with 102.5.
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