Live Reporting

Player Feature: Arthy Saravanan

Arthy Saravanan, known at the tables as "Pokerprinces99," hails from Austin, Texas, and has been playing poker for less than a year. Her journey into poker began with casual home games, which quickly escalated to live games and participation in major series like the WSOP Circuit. Saravanan's most notable achievement to date is finishing fourth in the WSOP Circuit Austin Lonestar ring event, earning $8,130. In addition to this impressive finish, she has cashed in three other WSOP events and several ladies' events.

Outside of poker, Saravanan is a physician, balancing her high-pressure career with the strategic challenges of poker. She appreciates the analytical and skill-based nature of the game, contrasting it with other forms of gambling. Before her poker endeavors, she held the title of Mrs. India International 2014, and she humorously notes her transition from pageant queen to poker princess.

Hendon Mob profile

Chip Leaders After 2nd Break

We've got some big stacks brewing in this one, including four players already over 150,000.

Prize Pool Posted

Registration is now closed and we have the prize pool distribution. We are paying 26 spots, with first place earning $17,980! We had 206 entries for this event, a sign of big fields to come over the next three weeks.

Faces Of TCH - Gallery For Event #1

We're a few hours into event #1 and we have our first photo gallery. Our photographer loves the lighting in this room, claiming that it's the best poker room he's ever shot in. And by the quality of these photos, we understand why. Great stuff and good-looking folks here in Texas!

Faces Of TCH

Player Feature: Scott Dulaney

Scott Dulaney, known in the poker world as "Fireman Scott," hails from The Woodlands, Texas. He has been playing poker for 20 years, driven by a lifelong ambition to embody the spirit of a "gambling cowboy." Dulaney's most significant achievement in poker came in 2023 when he won a WSOP bracelet in the Round of Each event.

Before dedicating himself fully to poker, Dulaney worked for the Houston Fire Department, which inspired his nickname. He now creates poker content and serves as the Chief Ambassador for the Texas Card House. Additionally, he is the face of HIJACK Poker, using his platform to promote the game with his unique promo code, Fireman99.

Dulaney is one of the most well known players in Texas, remembered not just for his cowboy hat, or his significant poker achievements, but for his friendly disposition. Everybody knows Fireman Scott!

Hendon Mob profile

Getting Fired Up For PokerAtlas!

We've got tables, dealers, and cards spread on the tables ready for event #1 here at Texas Card House in Houston. We've been to a lot of card rooms and this is one of the best in the country. The staff are fantastic, the dealers are efficient and friendly, the snacks are cheap, the action is fantastic, and they have cold brew coffee on tap (we love cold brew)!

Today's event is the $400 Kick Off with a $75,000 guarantee and an excellent structure. The tournament staff is ready to rock, led by Justin Hammer, who is one of the best in the business. And PokerAtlas handles all the tournament functions so well that staff can focus on creating a great player experience.

We'll be here for three straight weeks reporting on this monster series and loving every minute of it. This is also a great experience to show what our reporting software can do and we're looking forward to crushing it.

It's almost time.... Shuffle up and deal!

CSOP 98 Final Table

csop 89

We've reached the final table with a rowdy roster and some wildly different chip stacks. A stack as large as the 1.7 million in front of John Avelino, fresh off a second place finish just two days ago, is rare at our events. And Carolyn Patterson's 31,000 might be the smallest stack that has ever squeaked on to the final table at a CSOP event.

Payouts

1st - $2,500

2nd - $1,500

3rd - $1,000

4th - CSOP Celebrity Cash Game Seat + $1,000 Wakebusters Gift Certificate

5th - Las Vegas ATV Tour For Two + $1,000 Wakebusters Gift Certificate

6th - 10th - $300 CSOP Seat

Final Table Competitors

Seat 1: Donny Ruiz (242k)

Donny Ruiz works in gaming at The Venetian and hates interviews.

Seat 2: John Avelino (1,700,000)

John Avelino, hailing from Las Vegas, NV, has been playing poker for 27 years. He was introduced to No Limit Texas Holdem by a friend named Ace when he was 15 years old, shortly after the Moneymaker Boom. Avelino's poker journey began with casual $5 buy-in games, but over time, he immersed himself in the game, mastering strategy and participating in low-stakes cash games.

Avelino's most significant achievement came at the CSOP 97, where he won $2,050, marking his best result in a live tournament. Outside of tournaments, Avelino works in a poker room and is known for his fondness for 7 Card Stud and gambling.

Seat 3: Carolyn Patterson (31k)

Carolyn Patterson, originally from Seattle and now residing in Las Vegas, has been playing poker for ten years. Her introduction to the game came through a personal connection, as she met someone who played poker. Her most notable poker moment was eliminating her husband, tow-time bracelet winner Tyler Patterson, from a tournament. Outside of poker, Carolyn works in the tech industry, describing her occupation as "computer stuff." She is also known by the nickname "Dumb Ram's Wife" and loves the CSOP.

Seat 4: Travis Cochran (210k)

Travis Cochran, originally from Henderson, Nevada, has been playing poker for 20 years. He began his poker journey in home games, where he earned the nickname "El Tiburon" during high school for his winning streaks against friends and their families. His most notable poker achievement to date is finishing 26th in the 2021 Millionaire Maker, earning him $28,000. Outside of poker, Travis works as an AI Engineer.

Seat 5: Brian Kip (504k)

Brian Kip hails from Las Vegas and has been playing poker for 23 years, primarily in home and live games. His poker journey includes hitting a bad beat jackpot at Santa Fe Station and multiple cashes at the World Series of Poker. Although he once played poker full time, Brian transitioned to focus on his career as a marketing expert, founding his own marketing agency, SKC Group, in 2014. He has been one of the most valuable additions to the CSOP, and currently serves as the organizations vice president.

Seat 6: Marsela Lee (610k)

Marsela "Sela" Lee hails from Chicago, Illinois, and has been playing poker for just one week. She was introduced to the game by her father. This tournament marks her first foray into competitive play, a nice results for her first time out! Outside of poker, Marsela works as a representative for Progressive Insurance and is a dedicated mother of five.

Seat 7: Ivan Perez (935k)

Ivan Perez, known in the poker community as "PokermanPerez," hails from Los Angeles and has been playing poker for 23 years. He was inspired to start playing during the 2003 Main Event, famously known as the Moneymaker Boom. His most significant poker achievement to date is a cash prize of over $13,000.

Outside of poker, Ivan is the Vice President of Sales for Logistify (LGFY). Earlier this evening he achieved a personal highlight by eliminating Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and claiming his bounty.

Seat 8: Ryan Riess (530k)

Ryan Riess, known in the poker world as "Riess the Beast," hails from Michigan and has been playing poker professionally for 14 years. He first got into the game by participating in home games with friends during high school.

Riess's most significant achievement came in 2013 when he won the World Series of Poker Main Event. Outside of poker, he is proud to be a "girl dad."

Seat 9: Martin Lowrey (480k)

Martin Lowrey is a detective with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and uses his detective skills to crush poker tournaments.

Seat 10: Connor Richards (610k)

Connor Richards, originally from Utah and now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been playing poker since 2019. He was introduced to poker by his father at a casino in northern Nevada, which sparked an enduring interest in the game. Known by the nickname "Panama Jack" due to his signature Panama Jack rash guard, Connor is a familiar face at WSOP Paradise.

In 2025, Connor achieved his biggest result by finishing 7th in the WSOP Employee Event, earning $8,300. Outside of playing, he works as an editor for PokerNews and hosts a podcast titled "Life Outside Poker."

Final Table Faces

Player Feature: Cheyanne Ivey

Cheyanne Ivey, originally from New Jersey and now residing in Las Vegas, has been playing poker since she learned 7 card stud at the age of 14 with her brother Phil (you may have heard of him). Her initial exposure to the game came from those home games in Atlantic City.

Ivey balances her poker playing with her career as a Tax and Business Strategist and CEO of Ivey Solutions, one of our presenting sponsors here at The CSOP. Cheyanne is a lot of fun at the poker table, but a negotiating table, when business comes first, she's a shark among sharks. We're just glad she's on our side!

Player Feature: Cheyanne Ivey

Player Feature: Erin Webster

Erin Webster hails from Jupiter, Florida, and has been playing poker for seven years. Her introduction to the game came during an internship with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, where she quickly taught herself the ropes after promising the COO she would learn.

Webster's most notable poker achievement in poker was placing in a Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) event, where she took home $1,000 after a five-way chop. Outside of poker, Erin works as a host and emcee, after a transition from covering poker events at the WSOP to working in the EDM festival scene for the past two years.

Having Erin as both a player and a volunteer MC has been an incredible stroke of luck for the CSOP and we are lucky to have her talents on the mic helping us out.

Player Feature: Nate Gelinas