{"title":"The Gardens Poker Festival Ft. WPT500","slug":"the-gardens-poker-festival-ft-wpt500-6892e43c-f3c3-4401-ab99-a44758f0e440","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWednesday, May 31, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/58/content_dongli.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 400px;\" /\u003e \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#696969\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eDong Le, Winner of WPT500 \u003c/i\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe highly-anticipated Day 3 of Event #14 came to a closing, announcing the first ever WPT500 Los Angeles Champion, Dong Le. The event took place at the heart of The Gardens Casino\u0026rsquo;s Special Events Room which included the Action Clock from Protection Poker. Broadcasting was live streamed through WPT with leading commentary Donnie Peters, Daniel Stelitz, and WPT Season X Player of the Year Matt Salsberg. Stelitz stated on live stream, \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m really excited to see what Dong Le does, I have no idea what he\u0026rsquo;s going to do and I\u0026rsquo;m going to love it\u0026rdquo;. First time WPT player Dong Le\u0026rsquo;s aggressive play pays off, defeating Canadian professional poker player Owen Crowe in a heads-up battle winning the first WPT500 Los Angeles title, 1 \u003csup\u003e st \u003c/sup\u003e place of $224,500, a WPT500 trophy, and The Gardens Casino championship cup.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ZDjWz0Xq0\"\u003eWatch the replay of the final table\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e1st: Dong Le \u0026ndash; $224,500\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n2nd: Owen Crowe \u0026ndash; $130,000\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n3rd: Peter Hengsakul \u0026ndash; $100,000\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n4th: Richard Tae Kim \u0026ndash; $81,000\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n5th: Ilya Shpiner \u0026ndash; $65,000\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n6th: Deepinder Singh \u0026ndash; $49,000\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n7th: Mike Eskandari \u0026ndash; $36,000\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n8th: Alex Fayneshteyn \u0026ndash; $28,000\u003cbr /\u003e\r\n9th: Greg Roberts \u0026ndash; $21,000\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe Poker Festival concluded with Event #16. The event drew 261 entries and a hefty total prize pool of $48,690 with $50 knock out bounties.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThank you to all our players and participants for making The Gardens Poker Festival ft. WPT500 a success, creating an adventurous, engaging and unique environment for all.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTuesday, May 30, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/57/content_4x0a6145.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 400px;\" /\u003e \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#696969;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinal 9 Players of WPT500 \u003c/i\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDay 2 - The day ended with nine players, including local The Gardens Casino player, Mike Eskandari, along with second place finisher of Event #6 and current chip leader, Peter Hengsakul. Commentators Donnie Peters. Daniels Strelitz and WPT Season X Player of the Year, Matt Salsberg will be reporting on live stream the most anticipated WPT500 of the Poker Festival on Tuesday, May 31 at 3 p.m. as 9 players battle it out for the first place prize of $224,500 \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeat 1. Deepinder Singh \u0026ndash; 4,175,000 (21 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 2. Peter Hengsakul \u0026ndash; 8,675,000 (43 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 3. Greg Roberts \u0026ndash; 3,050,000 (15 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 4. Owen Crowe \u0026ndash; 1,975,000 (10 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 5. Alex Fayneshteyn \u0026ndash; 3,275,000 (16 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 6. Mike Eskandari \u0026ndash; 7,150,000 (36 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 7. Ilya Shpiner \u0026ndash; 3,125,000 (16 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 8. Dong Le \u0026ndash; 7,500,000 (38 bb)\u003cbr /\u003e\r\nSeat 9. Richard Tae Kim \u0026ndash; 8,350,000 (42 bb) \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvent #15 was a high roller tournament with 50k in starting chips. This event brought 83 to the table and a prize pool totaling $83,000. Cody Shed took first place outright, taking home the trophy and $25,000. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMonday, May 29, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height:115%\"\u003eWPT500 Los Angeles ended Day 1 with total entries of 3,266 and a prize pool of $1,633,000. 250 players will be returning for Day 2 for a shot at the final table. Day 2 will play down until its reach the final 9 players. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSunday, May 28, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt an impressive $1,259,000, The Gardens Poker Festival boasts the prize pool for WPT500 Los Angeles Event #14 to hit over $1.5 million, with first place to take home over $200,000. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSaturday, May 27, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height:115%\"\u003e\u0026quot;Can you say over $1 Million?\u0026rdquo; was quoted by The Gardens Casino Tournament Coordinator, Cavin Quintanilla as the prize pool hit close to $1,020,000 and the entries totaling 2,038. Excitement is in the air with the prize pool exceeding the guaranteed amount and still has four Day 1 sessions remaining. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFriday, May 26, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith the Memorial weekend ahead, the prize pool has already reached almost $800,000. A total of 378 players entering has brought the total entries to 1,584 and 128 participants qualifying for day 2 with the average chip stack of $187,500. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThursday, May 25, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWPT500 Los Angeles has brought excitement and a prize pool of over $607,000 to date. Poker legends and pro poker players such as Eric Lindgren with 2 WSOP Bracelets \u0026amp; 2 WPT Titles, Matt Salsberg with over $2.4M in live tournaments, Moshin Charania earning more than 5.2M in live earnings and local pro Tony Ma with 2 WSOP Bracelets came out for the 11am and 5pm sessions of the Gardens Poker Festival\u0026rsquo;s Main Event. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWednesday, May 24, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/55/content_poker_festival_2017_mike_shariati_wpt500.jpg\" style=\"width: 300px; height: 297px;\" /\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/56/content_poker_festival_2017_ebony_kenney_wpt500.jpg\" style=\"width: 243px; height: 297px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eMike Shariati and Ebony Kenney \u003c/em\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.6667px;\"\u003eA total of 887\u0026nbsp;entries after the first four sessions of the WPT500 Los Angeles and it looks like the prize pool\u0026nbsp;will climb well over $1Million Guaranteed with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. \u0026nbsp;Several WPT Champions Club Members have entered such as Asher Conniff, Phil Laak, Harry Arutyunyan and WPT Season XIV Player of the Year Mike Shariati. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"http://www.worldpokertour.com/event/wpt-500-los-angeles-season-2017-2018/?h=1#eventTab2\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLive Updates for May 24th\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTuesday, May 23, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003eDay 1C of the WPT500 $1Million Guarantee had 208 entries, bringing the total prize pool to $337,500 after only 3 sessions. With another 17 players advancing to day 2, there are now 55 already bagged and tagged. Minimum payout on day 2 is $1,200, which could be higher as the prize pool looks to soar well above the $1Million guarantee. Players can qualify more than once and play their best stack while getting paid for the lower stacks that will be removed from play. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003eThe 11am sessions have been ending at approximately 9pm. All day 2 players will return on Tuesday 5/30 at 1pm. The high limit VIP Poker cash games have seen an influx of players as a result of the WPT500. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003eThe 6pm Mega satellite had 138 entries and awarded 21 WPT500 seats plus some change. The action will continue Wednesday 5/24 with another 11am session, single table satellites from 10am-5pm and another 6pm Mega satellite. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003e\u003ca class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"http://www.worldpokertour.com/event/wpt-500-los-angeles-season-2017-2018/?h=2#eventTab2\"\u003eLive Updates for May 23rd\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMonday May 22, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003eThe Gardens Poker Festival\u0026rsquo;s MAIN EVENT: WPT500 $1Million Guarantee Day 1B had 170 entries, bringing the two day total to $233,500. The event is on pace to exceed $1.6Million so don\u0026rsquo;t miss out on the opportunity to play for life changing money. Tuesday 5/23 WPT500 Day 1C starts at 11am with registration closing at 3:30pm. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003ePlayers can get in on a $65 single table satellite or try one of the very popular Mega Satellites at night. The last two 6pm Mega Satellites have awarded 20 seats each.\u0026nbsp; \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003e\u003ca class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"http://www.worldpokertour.com/event/wpt-500-los-angeles-season-2017-2018/?h=3#eventTab2\"\u003eLive Updates for May 22nd\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSunday, May 21, 2017 \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/52/content_4x0a6060.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 600px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #14 \u003c/strong\u003e WPT500 $1Million Guarantee started Day 1A with a total of 297 entries. 36 players made it in the money and the top 24 qualified for day 2 which will be on Tuesday May 30 \u003csup\u003e th \u003c/sup\u003e at 1pm. Players that make it to day 2 will have earned the right to play by battling through a Day 1 session and making into the top 8% of the field. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003e\u003ca class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"http://www.worldpokertour.com/event/wpt-500-los-angeles-season-2017-2018/?h=4#eventTab2\"\u003eLive Updates for May 21st\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSaturday May 20, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/51/content_poker_festival_2017_tim_bresien_30k_final_table_5-20-17_copy.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 652px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eTim Breien \u003c/em\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #12 \u003c/strong\u003e , a $30,000 Guarantee knockout Bounty tournament. It didn\u0026rsquo;t disappoint as there were 247 entries and a total prize pool of $46,080. Tim \u0026ldquo;No Chop\u0026rdquo; Bresien stayed true to his nickname as he outlasted the field and won the trophy and first place outright. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #13 \u003c/strong\u003e incorporated a player card promotional tournament that the Gardens Casino hosts every Saturday into the Poker Festival. The Gardens Casino upped the guarantee to $7,500 from its usual $5,000 guarantee.\u0026nbsp; Total entries were 189, generating a prize pool of $10,770.\u0026nbsp; \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003eFriday May 19, 2017 \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/49/content_poker_festival_2017_darryl_mann_danette_bernard.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 633px;\" /\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDarryl Mann and Danette Bernard \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #10 \u003c/strong\u003e \u0026nbsp;BIG-O and 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Mixed tournament with a $10,000 Guarantee!\u0026nbsp; 95 entries with a\u0026nbsp;prize pool of $12,950. Danette Bernard, a local player/dealer and Darryl Mann were part of the 5-way chop.\u0026nbsp; The Gardens Casino runs a 12-24 Hi-Lo Mix (BIG-O/Stud EO) cash game daily and consistently hosts Mix Games in the spectacular 39 table VIP Poker Room. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/50/content_poker_festival_2017_jerry_rojassm.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 413px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJerry Rojas \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #11 \u003c/strong\u003e \u0026nbsp;had 621 with a\u0026nbsp;prize pool swelling\u0026nbsp;up to $142,240 and\u0026nbsp;first place worth $34,120.\u0026nbsp; The Final Table chopped 10 ways and Jerry Rojas took home the trophy in the deal. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThursday, May 18, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #8 \u003c/strong\u003e at 12pm, was a\u0026nbsp;$10,000 Guarantee Timed tournament. Total entries: 114 and a nice prize pool of $15,510. Players were able to play in both the Timed tournament (just over 6 hours of play) and the featured event that started at 5pm. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/48/content_9poker_festival_2017_michael_rangel.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 480px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMichael Rangel \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:11pt\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#000000\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #9,\u0026nbsp; \u003c/strong\u003e $40,000 Guarantee No Limit Hold\u0026rsquo;em tournament with $50 knockout bounties. The turnout added a plenty of excitement\u0026nbsp;as 315 players produced a total prize pool of $59,000. Play ended with some of the Gardens Casino regulars like John Wolczanski, George James and Jesus Sanchez making it to the 7-way chop. Local player Michael Rangel was the chip leader and took home $7,710 plus the trophy and some bounties along the way. \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003ch2\u003eTuesday, May 16, 2017\u003c/h2\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/46/content_spt.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 400px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eJames Guziak second from the left \u003c/em\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #3 \u003c/strong\u003e \u0026nbsp;started with the Senior Poker Tour (SPT) No Limit Hold\u0026rsquo;em Event #3 at 10am. The 50 years young and more crowd bought in for only $110 and played for their share of the $10,000 guaranteed prize pool.\u0026nbsp; The SPT event had 151 entries and more than doubled the guarantee with a prize pool over $20,000.\u0026nbsp; The final 10 players chopped with chip leader James Guziak taking home top honors. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/47/content_4.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 600px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlberto Orozco \u003c/em\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #4 \u003c/strong\u003e \u0026nbsp;shifted gears and offered a Limit Hold\u0026rsquo;em event with a prize pool of $10,000.\u0026nbsp; Local poker pro Alberto Orozco won the event out right after a heads up battle for the title. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMonday, May 15, 2017 \u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"/system/pictures/45/content_poker_festival_2017_010_sq.jpg\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 600px;\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eBruce Tello \u003c/em\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #1 \u003c/strong\u003e had a whopping 383 entries with the prize pool more than doubling the $30,000 guarantee. The total prize pool including bounties was $71,370 ($19,150 in bounties and $52,220 in payouts). First place took home more than $13,000 plus bounties! Play ended with a five way chop, a deal was made and Bruce Tello who was second in chips took home the trophy. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvent #2 \u003c/strong\u003e was a $10,000 guarantee Timed Tournament which featured the Action Clock when the field got down to 4 tables. There were 141 entries and a total prize pool of $19,340, almost doubling the guarantee. The Timed event lasted just over 6 hours and the chip count equity chop saw 16 players getting paid. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n","display_order":10,"mobile_body":"Wednesday, May 31, 2017\r\nThe highly-anticipated Day 3 of Event #14 came to a closing, announcing the first ever WPT500 Los Angeles Champion, Dong Le. The event took place at the heart of The Gardens Casino’s Special Events Room which included the Action Clock from Protection Poker. Broadcasting was live streamed through WPT with leading commentary Donnie Peters, Daniel Stelitz, and WPT Season X Player of the Year Matt Salsberg. Stelitz stated on live stream, “I’m really excited to see what Dong Le does, I have no idea what he’s going to do and I’m going to love it”. First time WPT player Dong Le’s aggressive play pays off, defeating Canadian professional poker player Owen Crowe in a heads-up battle winning the first WPT500 Los Angeles title, 1st place of $224,500, a WPT500 trophy, and The Gardens Casino championship cup.\r\n\r\n1st: Dong Le – $224,500\r\n2nd: Owen Crowe – $130,000\r\n3rd: Peter Hengsakul – $100,000\r\n4th: Richard Tae Kim – $81,000\r\n5th: Ilya Shpiner – $65,000\r\n6th: Deepinder Singh – $49,000\r\n7th: Mike Eskandari – $36,000\r\n8th: Alex Fayneshteyn – $28,000\r\n9th: Greg Roberts – $21,000\r\n \r\nThe Poker Festival concluded with Event #16. The event drew 261 entries and a hefty total prize pool of $48,690 with $50 knock out bounties.\r\n\r\nThank you to all our players and participants for making The Gardens Poker Festival ft. WPT500 a success, creating an adventurous, engaging and unique environment for all.\r\n\r\nTuesday, May 30, 2017\r\nDay 2 - The day ended with nine players, including local The Gardens Casino player, Mike Eskandari, along with second place finisher of Event #6 and current chip leader, Peter Hengsakul. Commentators Donnie Peters. Daniels Strelitz and WPT Season X Player of the Year, Matt Salsberg will be reporting on live stream the most anticipated WPT500 of the Poker Festival on Tuesday, May 31 at 3 p.m. as 9 players battle it out for the first place prize of $224,500\r\n\r\nSeat 1. Deepinder Singh – 4,175,000 (21 bb)\r\nSeat 2. Peter Hengsakul – 8,675,000 (43 bb)\r\nSeat 3. Greg Roberts – 3,050,000 (15 bb)\r\nSeat 4. Owen Crowe – 1,975,000 (10 bb)\r\nSeat 5. Alex Fayneshteyn – 3,275,000 (16 bb)\r\nSeat 6. Mike Eskandari – 7,150,000 (36 bb)\r\nSeat 7. Ilya Shpiner – 3,125,000 (16 bb)\r\nSeat 8. Dong Le – 7,500,000 (38 bb)\r\nSeat 9. Richard Tae Kim – 8,350,000 (42 bb)\r\n\r\nEvent #15 was a high roller tournament with 50k in starting chips. This event brought 83 to the table and a prize pool totaling $83,000. Cody Shed took first place outright, taking home the trophy and $25,000.\r\n \r\nMonday, May 29, 2017\r\nWPT500 Los Angeles ended Day 1 with total entries of 3,266 and a prize pool of $1,633,000. 250 players will be returning for Day 2 for a shot at the final table. Day 2 will play down until its reach the final 9 players.\r\n \r\nSunday, May 28, 2017\r\nAt an impressive $1,259,000, The Gardens Poker Festival boasts the prize pool for WPT500 Los Angeles Event #14 to hit over $1.5 million, with first place to take home over $200,000.\r\n \r\nSaturday, May 27, 2017\r\n\"Can you say over $1 Million?” was quoted by The Gardens Casino Tournament Coordinator, Cavin Quintanilla as the prize pool hit close to $1,020,000 and the entries totaling 2,038. Excitement is in the air with the prize pool exceeding the guaranteed amount and still has four Day 1 sessions remaining.\r\n\r\nFriday, May 26, 2017\r\nWith the Memorial weekend ahead, the prize pool has already reached almost $800,000. A total of 378 players entering has brought the total entries to 1,584 and 128 participants qualifying for day 2 with the average chip stack of $187,500.\r\n\r\nThursday, May 25, 2017\r\nWPT500 Los Angeles has brought excitement and a prize pool of over $607,000 to date. Poker legends and pro poker players such as Eric Lindgren with 2 WSOP Bracelets \u0026 2 WPT Titles, Matt Salsberg with over $2.4M in live tournaments, Moshin Charania earning more than 5.2M in live earnings and local pro Tony Ma with 2 WSOP Bracelets came out for the 11am and 5pm sessions of the Gardens Poker Festival’s Main Event.\r\n\r\nWednesday, May 24, 2017\r\nA total of 887 entries after the first four sessions of the WPT500 Los Angeles and it looks like the prize pool will climb well over $1Million Guaranteed with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.  Several WPT Champions Club Members have entered such as Asher Conniff, Phil Laak, Harry Arutyunyan and WPT Season XIV Player of the Year Mike Shariati.\r\nFor live updates please click here\r\n \r\nTuesday, May 23, 2017\r\nDay 1C of the WPT500 $1Million Guarantee had 208 entries, bringing the total prize pool to $337,500 after only 3 sessions. With another 17 players advancing to day 2, there are now 55 already bagged and tagged. Minimum payout on day 2 is $1,200, which could be higher as the prize pool looks to soar well above the $1Million guarantee. Players can qualify more than once and play their best stack while getting paid for the lower stacks that will be removed from play.\r\n \r\nThe 11am sessions have been ending at approximately 9pm. All day 2 players will return on Tuesday 5/30 at 1pm. The high limit VIP Poker cash games have seen an influx of players as a result of the WPT500.\r\n \r\nThe 6pm Mega satellite had 138 entries and awarded 21 WPT500 seats plus some change. The action will continue Wednesday 5/24 with another 11am session, single table satellites from 10am-5pm and another 6pm Mega satellite.\r\nFor live updates please click here\r\n \r\nMonday May 22, 2017\r\nThe Gardens Poker Festival’s MAIN EVENT: WPT500 $1Million Guarantee Day 1B had 170 entries, bringing the two day total to $233,500. The event is on pace to exceed $1.6Million so don’t miss out on the opportunity to play for life changing money. Tuesday 5/23 WPT500 Day 1C starts at 11am with registration closing at 3:30pm.\r\n \r\nPlayers can get in on a $65 single table satellite or try one of the very popular Mega Satellites at night. The last two 6pm Mega Satellites have awarded 20 seats each. \r\nFor live updates please click here\r\n \r\nSunday, May 21, 2017\r\nEvent #14 WPT500 $1Million Guarantee started Day 1A with a total of 297 entries. 36 players made it in the money and the top 24 qualified for day 2 which will be on Tuesday May 30th at 1pm. Players that make it to day 2 will have earned the right to play by battling through a Day 1 session and making into the top 8% of the field.\r\nFor live updates please click here\r\n \r\n\r\nSaturday May 20, 2017\r\nEvent #12, a $30,000 Guarantee knockout Bounty tournament. It didn’t disappoint as there were 247 entries and a total prize pool of $46,080. Tim “No Chop” Bresien stayed true to his nickname as he outlasted the field and won the trophy and first place outright.\r\n \r\nEvent #13 incorporated a player card promotional tournament that the Gardens Casino hosts every Saturday into the Poker Festival. The Gardens Casino upped the guarantee to $7,500 from its usual $5,000 guarantee.  Total entries were 189, generating a prize pool of $10,770. \r\n\r\nFriday May 19, 2017\r\nEvent #10 BIG-O and 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Mixed tournament with a $10,000 Guarantee!  95 entries with a prize pool of $12,950. Danette Bernard, a local player/dealer and Darryl Mann were part of the 5-way chop.  The Gardens Casino runs a 12-24 Hi-Lo Mix (BIG-O/Stud EO) cash game daily and consistently hosts Mix Games in the spectacular 39 table VIP Poker Room.\r\n\r\nEvent #11 had 621 with a prize pool swelling up to $142,240 and first place worth $34,120.  The Final Table chopped 10 ways and Jerry Rojas took home the trophy in the deal.\r\n\r\nThursday, May 18, 2017\r\nEvent #8 at 12pm, was a $10,000 Guarantee Timed tournament. Total entries: 114 and a nice prize pool of $15,510. Players were able to play in both the Timed tournament (just over 6 hours of play) and the featured event that started at 5pm.\r\n\r\nEvent #9, $40,000 Guarantee No Limit Hold’em tournament with $50 knockout bounties. The turnout added a plenty of excitement as 315 players produced a total prize pool of $59,000. Play ended with some of the Gardens Casino regulars like John Wolczanski, George James and Jesus Sanchez making it to the 7-way chop. Local player Michael Rangel was the chip leader and took home $7,710 plus the trophy and some bounties along the way.\r\n \r\nTuesday, May 16, 2017\r\nEvent #3 started with the Senior Poker Tour (SPT) No Limit Hold’em Event #3 at 10am. The 50 years young and more crowd bought in for only $110 and played for their share of the $10,000 guaranteed prize pool.  The SPT event had 151 entries and more than doubled the guarantee with a prize pool over $20,000.  The final 10 players chopped with chip leader James Guziak taking home top honors.\r\n\r\nEvent #4 shifted gears and offered a Limit Hold’em event with a prize pool of $10,000.  Local poker pro Alberto Orozco won the event out right after a heads up battle for the title.\r\n\r\nMonday, May 15, 2017\r\nEvent #1 had a whopping 383 entries with the prize pool more than doubling the $30,000 guarantee. The total prize pool including bounties was $71,370 ($19,150 in bounties and $52,220 in payouts). First place took home more than $13,000 plus bounties! Play ended with a five way chop, a deal was made and Bruce Tello who was second in chips took home the trophy.\r\n\r\nEvent #2 was a $10,000 guarantee Timed Tournament which featured the Action Clock when the field got down to 4 tables. There were 141 entries and a total prize pool of $19,340, almost doubling the guarantee. The Timed event lasted just over 6 hours and the chip count equity chop saw 16 players getting paid.","image_url":"https://www.thegardenscasino.com/system/tournaments/images/000/000/018/content/4X0A6004.jpg?1495588491","mobile_full_image_url":"https://www.thegardenscasino.com/system/tournaments/mobile_full_images/000/000/018/content/Poker_Festival750x330.jpg?1497310168","tournament_schedule_url":"","tournament_category_slug":"tournament-roundup"}