The World Series of Poker Circuit at Choctaw Casino and Resort, which ended Jan. 20, provided a grand time for all. … some more than others, but that’s to be expected. It’s the largest and most exciting event annually at Choctaw and it did not disappoint. There was something for almost everyone in the world of poker, from the $65 mega re-entry turbo satellite to the $1,675 re-entry main event and everything in between. There were daily 5 and 7 p.m. tournaments plus plenty of single-table satellites, mega and super satellites to the larger buy-in events, plus seniors and ladies contests.
The luxurious and secluded second-floor Choctaw Poker Room constantly buzzed with players in different stakes and games. There were times the waiting lists for several games were 50-plus. It was nice to see the room humming along as it should.
One of the series highlights was Event 3, a $365 no-limit hold’em re-entry tournament with four starting flights over two days (Jan. 10-11). Imagine 638 players in Flight 1A, 503 in 1B, 968 in 1C and 758 in 1D for a record-setting 2,867 entrants generating a $860K prize pool. It was the second largest tournament in WSOPC history.
Chris Bowen, a 54-year-old Tyler, Texas, native earned his first ring and $122,567. Bowen, a CFO of an electronics company, also notched 50 points en route to winning the casino championship and a seat at the WSOP national championship.
The $1,675 two-day main event drew 1,428 entrants, including numerous well-known grinders and pros, for the fourth biggest main event in WSOPC history. With a prize pool of $2.142M, the battle lasted three days and the last man standing was Tyler Morris, also from Tyler, Texas. He won a ring, $369,503 and a seat in the national championship.
WINSTAR WORLD: The WinStar World Casino has its winter Mini-River Series just cranking up and we’ll report on the results next month. A lot of players I know seem to think they should call it the Creek Series since a creek is a mini-river.
— Email John at anteupjohndshort@gmail.com.
WSOPC, Choctaw Casino, Durant, Okla., Jan. 9-20
Event 1 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 533 • Pool: $159,900
Sean Stevens, $34,380
Event 2 • $365 PLO
Entries: 254 • Pool: $76,200
Chris Benoy, $18,667
Event 3 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 2,867 • Pool: $860,100
Chris Bowen, $122,567
Event 4 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 483 • Pool: $144,900
Jacob McFarland, $31,159
Event 5 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 288 • Pool: $86,400
Ryan Vansanford, $20,732
Event 6 • $365 6-Max
Entries: 396 • Pool: $118,800
Ivan Primera, $28,512
Event 7 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 257 • Pool: $77,100
Jed Hoffman, $18,888
Event 8 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 364 • Pool: $109,200
Jeremy Downing, $24,017
Event 9 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 262 • Pool: $78,600
Dylan Easley, $19,258
Event 10 • $580 NLHE
Entries: 389 • Pool: $194,500
Charles Tonne, $42,787
$1,675 Main Event
Entries: 1,428 • Pool: $2.14M
Tyler Morris, $369,503
Event 12 • $365 NLHE
Entries: 427 • Pool: $128,100
Cody Brinn, $28,186
