The Week in Poker: Chang, Aido, McKeehen Victorious

Kai Chang (left), Sergio Aido (center), and Joseph McKeehen (right) all enjoyed recent big wins on the pro poker circuit

The professional tournament poker circuit is in high gear at the moment, with major tournaments currently playing out on the European Poker Tour (in London), the Latin American Poker Tour (in Chile), and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (in Seoul).  As those events began, three other champions were crowned within the last week on the World Poker Tour (WeiKai Chang), the United Kingdom Ireland Poker Tour (Sergio Aido), and the World Series of Poker Circuit (Joseph McKeehen). 

WPT:  Chang champ at Bay 101

Season XI of the World Poker Tour rolled into San Jose last week for the always popular Bay 101 Shooting Star event.  A total of 643 entries meant a whopping prize pool of $4,444,950 for the tournament, with Kai Chang of Albany, New York ultimately taking the top prize of $1,138,350.

The final table featured a few interesting stories, including Paul Volpe -- who finished 20th in last year's WSOP Main Event (for $294,601) -- making his second straight WPT Main Event final table after finishing runner-up in the L.A. Poker Classic just a couple of weeks before (for $651,170).  Volpe ultimately finished third for yet another huge six-figure score ($435,610).  Also of note was Erik Seidel's continued return to form, finishing fourth to pick up close to $300K.  

The tourney was stacked with accomplished players, thus making the list of notables lengthy.  Among those reaching the final three six-handed tables were Danny Wong (8th, $91,120), Antonio Esfandiari (9th, $64,150), Matthew Stout (12th, $48,890), Christian Harder (13th, $37,780), and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier (15th, $37,780).

Season XI WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star final table payouts:
1st:  Kai Chang -- $1,138,350
2nd:  Joe Nguyen -- $666,740
3rd:  Paul Volpe -- $435,610
4th:  Erik Seidel -- $295,590
5th:  Chris Johnson -- $208,910
6th:  Joe Kuether -- $162,240

UKIPT: Aido, Evans emerge triumphant in London

Last weekend Spain's Sergio Aido took down the last Main Event of Season 3 of the United Kingdom Ireland Poker Tour at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London, topping a big field of 1,099 entries to claim the first prize of 144,555.  

Others making deep runs but not quite reaching the final table in the 700 buy-in event were Mark Gardner (10th, 10,450), Gary Fisher (15th, 4,480), Dara O'Kearney (18th, 3,730), and Olivier Busquet (21st, 3,730). 

Season 3 UKIPT London Main Event final table payouts:
1st:  Sergio Aido (Spain) -- 144,555
2nd:  Thomas Ward (England) -- 116,845
3rd:  Pat Simcoe (England) -- 63,560
4th:  Philippe Souki (England) -- 44,870
5th:  Wim Neys (Belgium) -- 33,680
6th:  Guy Goossens (Belgium) -- 22,490
7th:  Cesar Garcia (Spain) -- 15,050
8th:  Chris Dowling (Ireland) -- 12,691
9th:  Juan Pastor (Spain) -- 10,450

Also coming with the end of Season 3 of the UKIPT was the Champion of Champions event in which Aido and other winners from the season competed against one another in a single-table tourney the winner of which earned a "Season 4 Passport" -- that is, free entry into at least five 1,000 events on the tour next season.

Aido went out in ninth at that table, while Richard Evans, winner of the UKIPT Dublin event last May, emerged victorious to win the Passport.

WSOP Circuit: 21-year-old McKeehen captures ring

Meanwhile on Monday the latest Main Event winner on the 2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit was found when 21-year-old Joseph McKeehen managed to top a field of 540 entries to grab the ring and a hefty $174,147 first prize in the $1,675 buy-in tournament at Caesars Atlantic City.

McKeehen grabbed the chip lead late in Day 2 of the three-day event after picking up pocket aces in back-to-back hands, carrying it into Monday's final day of play.  He then kept that lead throughout as the final eight players fell, with only eventual runner-up Tony Sinishtaj coming close to his stack to start heads-up play.

Matt Glantz was among the notables finishing relatively deep in the event (27th, $5,427), along with Christian Harder (35th, $3,750), and Timothy Finne (42nd, $3,394).

2012-13 WSOP-C Caesars Atlantic City final table payouts:
1st:  Joseph McKeehen -- $174,150
2nd:  Tony Sinishtaj -- $107,673
3rd:  Ido Ashkenazi -- $78,659
4th:  Dennis Thurman -- $58,312
5th:  Hend Matthews -- $43,853
6th:  John Holley -- $33,453
7th:  Raymond Morgan -- $25,880
8th:  Leo Walker -- $20,307
9th:  Allie Prescott -- $16,160

The win actually marked the second six-figure score in McKeehen's short career as he earlier picked up a $116,230 first prize for winning a $2K Turbo NLHE event at the 2012 PCA in the Bahamas.

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