"I'm not number one in this field, no way." So said Scott Seiver early on as the NAPT Venetian $25,000 Bounty Shootout got underway. He and his tablemates spent some time trying to handicap the field, which included many of the most highly regarded players in the game today. The entire table seemed readily to echo Seiver's modesty -- no one was going to make any claims about running over a table coming from this lot.
Then Seiver did just that, knocking out all six of his opponents to win all of their bounties (worth $5,000 each) as well as the $75,000 for moving on to Thursday's final table. Perhaps that modesty put him in the right frame of mind today.
Following Seiver to Thursday's final table were Faraz Jaka and Hoyt Corkins. Then in the evening, four more winners emerged: Joe Cassidy, Ashton Griffin, Peter Eastgate, and Brett Richey.
Seiver has the inside track on that $100,000 prize reserved for the players with the most bounties by tourney's end, although close behind will be Hoyt Corkins with five, and Joe Cassidy and Faraz Jaka with four each.
Here is how the seven tables finished up:
Table 1
1st - Joe Cassidy
2nd - Justin Bonomo (bounty to Cassidy)
3rd - Yvgeniy Timoshenko (Cassidy)
4th - Joe Sebok (Bonomo)
5th - David Williams (Cassidy)
6th - Tommy Vedes (Williams)
7th - Phil Laak (Cassidy)
Table 2
1st - Peter Eastgate
2nd - Isaac Haxton (Eastgate)
3rd - Alec Torelli (Haxton)
4th - Tony G (Haxton)
5th - James Calderaro (Eastgate)
6th - Dario Minieri (Tony G)
7th - Daniel Alaei (Torelli)
Table 3
1st - Ashton Griffin
2nd - Chris Moneymaker (Griffin)
3rd - Hasan Habib (Moneymaker)
4th - Jason Mercier (Moneymaker)
5th - Matt Glantz (Griffin)
6th - Keith Gibson (Mercier)
7th - Joe Cada (Moneymaker)
Table 4
1st - Brett Richey
2nd - Lee Markholt (Richey)
3rd - Phil Galfond (Richey)
4th - Robl (Richey)
5th - Alex Kamberis (Markholt)
6th - John Hennigan (Markholt)
7th - Daniel Negreanu (Galfond)
Table 5
1st - Faraz Jaka
2nd - Annie Duke (Jaka)
3rd - Jennifer Tilly (Jaka)
4th - Joe Hachem (Tilly)
5th - Vanessa Rousso (Jaka)
6th - J.C. Tran (Jaka)
7th - Di Dang (Tilly)
Table 6
1st - Scott Seiver
2nd - Sorel Mizzi (Seiver)
3rd - Bertrand Grospellier (Seiver)
4th - Brian Rast (Seiver)
5th - Chau Giang (Siever)
6th - Antonio Esfandiari (Seiver)
7th - Barry Greenstein (Seiver)
Table 7
1st - Hoyt Corkins
2nd - John Duthie (Corkins)
3rd - Adam Richardson (Corkins)
4th - Hevad Khan (Corkins)
5th - Phil Hellmuth (Duthie)
6th - Greg Raymer (Corkins)
7th - Steven Paul (Corkins)
Cassidy, Eastgate, Griffin, Cassidy, Jaka, Seiver, and Corkins all took $75,000 for winning their tables today, plus whatever bounties they claimed along the way. That magnificent seven will be getting back together at noon on Thursday for the final table.
Still to be determined -- $30,000 worth of bounties, that $100,000 prize for the most bounties, and $460,000 more for the winner. Sort of thing should permit the ultimate victor some bragging rights, wouldn't you say?
All photography © Joe Giron.
