In the final showdown of the World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Las Vegas $1,700 main event, Alex Foxen and Bin Weng went head-to-head. It was Weng who emerged victorious, claiming the title and the coveted gold ring. However, fate had another meeting in store for them just a few months later, on May 12, with a six-figure grand prize at stake. This time, Foxen came out on top, defeating Weng in a thrilling battle to win the $25,000 no-limit hold’em high roller event of the 2023 Lodge Championship Series. His triumph earned him a significant cash prize of $235,000, pushing his total career tournament earnings to nearly $29.3 million.

Both Alex Foxen and Weng have been standout performers on the tournament circuit throughout the year. Foxen’s victory marked his third title and 12th appearance at a final table in 2023. Meanwhile, Weng’s achievement in winning the $5,000 main event at Borgata in ‘The Return,’ followed by his triumph at the WSOPC main event, solidified his status as a top contender for Player of the Year (POY). Currently placed ninth in the standings, Weng boasts two titles and five final-table finishes, amassing nearly $1.4 million in POY earnings this year. His prospects for further success are bright, especially considering his presence at two delayed final tables of the World Poker Tour—WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown and WPT Choctaw—where he has the opportunity to win up to $1.5 million.

The high-stakes competition took place at The Lodge Poker Club in Round Rock, Texas, attracting 20 participants and generating a prize pool of $480,000. In the end, the top three finishers secured cash prizes. Daniel Rezaei fell victim to Foxen’s pocket jacks, with his K-Q suited unable to improve on the turn and river, eliminating him on the bubble. Lodge co-owner Doug Polk claimed the third-place spot after failing to connect with his outs on the river, falling to Weng’s pocket aces. Polk walked away with $100,000 for his commendable performance.

Entering the heads-up battle, Weng held a chip advantage of 562,000 to Alex Foxen’s 435,000. Although Weng initially extended his lead to more than 8:1, Foxen staged a remarkable comeback. With a crucial bluff and a fortunate pocket kings against Weng’s A-J, Foxen narrowed the gap to less than a 3:2 advantage for Weng. Foxen then seized the lead when his flush and straight draw prevailed over Weng’s bottom two pair. Securing a 2:1 advantage, he maintained his momentum until the final hand.

The final hand saw Foxen’s K♥ Q♦ triumph over Weng’s A♣ 5♠. With the board showing J♥ 9♥ 4♠ 9♣ Q♣, Foxen secured queens up on the river, solidifying his victory and clinching the title. Weng earned a commendable $145,000 as the runner-up.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded in this event:

Jason Koon has solidified his position as the leading title-holder in the high-stakes Triton Poker tour by securing his record-extending sixth victory. With this win, he now holds a two-win advantage over his closest competitor, Mikita Badziakouski, who is a four-time Triton champion.

Koon’s latest triumph took place at the 2023 Triton Super High Roller Series Cyprus festival, where he outplayed a field of 138 entries in the $20,000 buy-in seven-max no-limit hold’em event. The 37-year-old American professional poker player earned a prize of $663,000 for his achievement, bringing his total career earnings to just under $44 million. As a result, he currently ranks seventh on the all-time money list in the poker world, with less than $45,000 separating him from the sixth-ranked player, Erik Seidel.

Reflecting on his impressive performance during the Triton Poker event, Koon attributed his success to both favorable outcomes and his extensive experience. He mentioned having played against the same pool of competitors for many years, which allowed him to gather valuable insights and make informed decisions.

As the champion of the event, Koon received 792 Card Player Player of the Year points, adding to his remarkable year, which includes two titles and five final-table finishes. With a total of 1,835 points and earnings exceeding $2 million, Koon has climbed into the top 50 in the 2023 Player of the Year race standings presented by Global Poker.

The tournament took place at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Spa in North Cyprus and lasted two days, with 28 contenders advancing to day 2 and only 20 players making it into the money. Koon began day 2 in fourth position in chip count and gradually worked his way up to third place by the time the field was reduced to the official final table of seven.

During the final table action, several players were eliminated. Ian Bradley, who entered the table with the shortest stack, finished in seventh place after losing a coin flip with Q-J against Artur Martirosian’s pocket fives, earning $115,900. Martirosian himself was subsequently knocked out in sixth place when his pocket queens couldn’t hold up against Koon’s pocket kings, resulting in a double-paired board. Martirosian received $154,400 for his sixth-place finish, and his strong performance in the event propelled him to eighth place in the Player of the Year rankings, with one title and nearly $2.8 million in earnings so far in 2023.

Adrian Mateos, a four-time bracelet winner, ended up as the shortest stack following Martirosian’s elimination. Mateos was eliminated in fifth place after going all-in with Q-6 suited and splitting the pot with two opponents who had top pair and low kickers. He earned $197,300 for his deep run and currently sits in 11th place on the Player of the Year leaderboard, having accumulated nearly $3.4 million in earnings and achieving nine final-table finishes this year.

Eduard Barsegian’s journey in the tournament concluded when his flopped jack-high flush draw failed to beat Kanan Taherkhani’s ace high and gutshot broadway draw. Barsegian finished in fourth place, receiving $245,500.

In the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown’s $25,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em high roller event, Thomas Boivin emerged victorious after beating a challenging final table of 105 players, winning the title and the top prize of $711,300. Thomas Boivin, a Belgian poker pro, attained his largest live tournament payout to date, surpassing the $428,000 he earned as the champion of the 2018 European Poker Tour Prague €25,000 tournament, increasing his career earnings to over $5.5 million.

Thomas Boivin’s recent victory also elevated him to 74th place in the 2023 Card Player Player of the Year standings, having achieved three final-table finishes, one title, and over $800,000 in winnings to date.

Additionally, other players made significant gains on the POY leaderboard as a result of this event. Ren Lin, who finished in third place, received $319,000 and 560 POY points for his 12th final-table finish of the year. With Lin’s two titles and almost $2.5 million in cashes in 2023, he is currently in second place in the rankings, trailing only Nacho Barbero with a total of 4,869 points compared to Barbero’s 5,235.

The tournament had a strong turnout and surpassed its $1,000,000 guarantee, with the top 15 finishers sharing a prize pool of $2,593,500. Some well-known poker players, including Kristen Foxen, Alex Foxen, Joe McKeehen, Jonathan Jaffe, Bryn Kenney, Joseph Cheong, and Martin Zamani, made it to the final tables.

Frank Lagodich finished as the runner-up with a career-high payout of $505,200, earning his fifth POY-qualified score of 2023 and entering the top 100 in the POY race.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Brian Luo emerged victorious in the $10,000 no-limit hold’em Deep Stack event held at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in Hollywood, Florida. He won a grand prize of $291,338 and received the Seminole Hard Rock guitar pick trophy. This win marks his third tournament victory and increases his career earnings to almost $500,000. Luo has also secured 720 points in the Card Player Player of the Year race presented by Global Poker with four tournament cashes this year.

The final day of the event saw 35 players returning to compete, and eventually, a three-way chop determined the conclusion of the tournament. Danny Wong secured second place with $253,331, while Toby Joyce finished third with $234,681. Jeremy Ausmus finished in fourth place, earning $88,500 and 456 POY points, and currently ranks in 10th place in the 2023 POY standings. Sam Soverel claimed fifth place, winning $68,600 and 300 points, moving him up to the 16th place on the POY leaderboard. Joey Weissman finished in sixth place, earning $56,700 and 240 points, making it his fourth final table appearance in 2023, and securing a spot in the top 20 of the POY rankings with two titles won and more than $750,000 in POY earnings to date.

The tournament received 149 entries, creating a total prize pool of $1,415,500, and the top 19 players all received at least $21,200. Players who made the money before the final table included Otto Palacios (10th), John Racener (11th), Kyle Ngiyen (12th), Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (13th), Jim Collopy (14th), Jesse Lonis (15th), John Krpan (16th), Harrison Ashdown (17th), David Stamm (18th), and Filipp Khavin (19th).

Here is a look at the payouts awarded at the final table:

On April 27, David Peters, a 36-year-old professional poker player, once again emerged victorious in the $50,000 buy-in super high roller event at the 2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. This was his 41st recorded poker title, and he earned $328,527 for his win. Peters has lifetime tournament earnings of more than $45.6 million and is now fifth on the all-time money list, behind Justin Bonomo, Bryn Kenny, Daniel Negreanu, and Stephen Chidwick.

In 2023, David Peters has already reached six final tables and won his first title. He has accrued 1,240 points in the Card Player Player of the Year standings, putting him in 94th place in the overall rankings presented by Global Poker.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood attracted 18 entries for the super high roller event, creating a prize pool of $873,000 that was paid out among the top four finishers. The tournament was supposed to run over two days but ended in a single session.

The money bubble burst when Farid Jattin went all-in with Q-9 suited and Peters, who had raised on the button, called with pocket jacks. Jattin was eliminated in fifth place, and the remaining players all received at least $104,760.

Sam Soverel won $104,760 for fourth place, and Kevin Rabichow finished in third place with $157,140. Alex Foxen, a fellow bracelet winner, took home $282,573 for finishing as the runner-up.

Before the start of heads-up play, David Peters held 1,454,000 chips to Foxen’s 796,000. They reached a deal that split the remaining prize money between them, with Peters receiving $328,527 and Foxen earning $282,573. Peters was named the official winner as the chip leader at the time of the deal. Foxen earned 170 POY points for his 10th final-table finish of the year, bringing his total to 3,992 points and more than $1.3 million in POY earnings. Foxen’s lifetime earnings now total $28.9 million.

Here is the final table Result:

The Parkwest Bicycle Casino, located near Los Angeles, California, recently wrapped up its extensive Winnin’ O’ The Green festival, which included the World Series of Poker Circuit stop, with a $1.5 million guaranteed Mega Millions XXIV event. The tournament, which lasted for 13 days and featured over 30 starting flights and day 2 direct entry, was a highlight of the Mega Millions event series at the venue.

With a total of 4,817 entries, the Mega Millions event had a prize pool reaching $2,147,490. Of these entries, 2,560 were made at the $275 buy-in price point, and 2,078 were made at the $560 level, demonstrating the popularity of the Mega Millions event at the casino. An additional 179 entries were made for $3,350 on day 2, with players who qualified for day 2 multiple times during the starting flights paid nearly half a million dollars.

On the final day of the Mega Millions event, seven players remained, with West Hills, CA resident Esa Homayun holding the chip lead. Jason Wasser was the clear short stack, having survived the many starting flights of the Mega Millions event. Wasser outlasted Sean Wingruber, Manas Gandhi, and Michael Tabriz to make it to the final four, at which point the remaining players agreed to a deal that redistributed the remaining prize money based on their stacks.

Despite the deal, there was still nearly $80,000 in prize money that the final four played for in the Mega Millions event, in addition to the title. Homayun eliminated Steven Kim and Millard to take a significant chip lead into heads-up play with Wasser, who had also battled his way through the Mega Millions event. In the final hand, all the chips got in preflop, with Wasser holding KClub Suit4Club Suit to Homayun’s QDiamond Suit. Homayun made a king-high straight on the turn, leaving Wasser drawing dead. Wasser earned $174,360 as the runner-up finisher in the Mega Millions event.

Here is a look at the final table results:

On April 16, at the Downstream Casino and Resort near Joplin, Missouri, Dakotah O’Dell secured his second RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) ring and a $63,647 top prize. Dakotah O’Dell had won his first RGPS victory last February at the Iowa stop. These two RGPS rings are now added to the World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring O’Dell won in Choctaw in July 2022. O’Dell’s trophy case now boasts winnings of more than $300,000, which is impressive, considering he only began playing tournaments seriously in 2019, having been previously known as a cash-game player.

After his win, Dakotah O’Dell told that it felt great to win in his hometown casino, stating that while he travels to many circuit events, winning on his home turf was a dream come true. O’Dell attributed his success to learning from better players, absorbing as much content as possible, and grinding. Despite the challenges, he remains focused and continues playing.

The $600 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament attracted 683 entries over four starting flights, creating a total prize pool of $348,330, which surpassed the $100,000 guarantee. The top 84 players received at least $871 in prize money. Notable players that cashed included Mark Martin (33rd), Pete Petree (42nd), Ashley Frank (54th), Joey Gargiulo (64th), and Shantanu Garg (75th).

82 players returned for the final day of play, and it took three hours to reach the final table. O’Dell was initially one big blind above the short stack when the final nine began, but he didn’t let that faze him. “When you come into the final table with five big blinds, you kinda write yourself off sometimes. I had people in my corner, and this time it worked out,” Dakotah O’Dell said.

The final table lasted six hours, and O’Dell rose to the top when he doubled up during eight-handed play, taking the chip lead shortly afterward. O’Dell then eliminated Jael Lewis, but three players later doubled up through him. However, O’Dell regained his footing when he knocked out Richard Hawkins in fourth place and Jason Darland in third after a long battle between the final three players.

At the start of heads-up play, Dakotah O’Dell held a lead of 14 million chips against the 6.5 million of WSOP gold bracelet and five-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner Blair Hinkle. Although Hinkle managed one double up, the second time he got all in, his cards did not favor him. The final hand saw Hinkle shove preflop with pocket fours, and O’Dell called with ADiamond Suit5Heart Suit. The board ran out AClub SuitQClub Suit6Spade Suit8Club Suit2Spade Suit, and Hinkle was eliminated in second place, taking home $42,427. While he narrowly missed out on winning his third RGPS ring, his career earnings rose to almost $5.1 million.

Final Table Results

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is back, and the 2023 edition promises to be bigger and better than ever before. With just 50 days to go until the 54th annual WSOP kicks off, event organizers have announced that online registration will open on April 13. This year’s WSOP will run from May 30 to July 18, with 95 live events scheduled to take place at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas.

Organizers have emphasized the importance of online registration, citing the reduction of long lines and clogged hallways as significant benefits for players. To register online, players will need to visit the Champagne Ballroom at the Le Centre Des Conventions in Paris Las Vegas once to verify their registration with valid identification. Once verified, players can choose events online via BravoPokerLive and use the self-service kiosks located throughout Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas to print their seat cards and head directly to their tables for play. In-person registration is also available at the main casino cage inside Paris Las Vegas.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has also introduced a new Caesars Rewards® Travel Bundle that will allow players to save on booking their entire trip, including flights and accommodations. With an unprecedented range of options to qualify for and attend the WSOP Main Event, organizers are confident that this year’s event will break records. Last year’s WSOP, which was held in Las Vegas, saw nearly $330 million awarded across 89 live events. The $10,000 WSOP main event was just 110 entries shy of an all-time record, with 8,663 players competing for an $81 million prize pool. Norway’s Espen Jorstad emerged as the winner, taking home $10,000,000 and the coveted championship bracelet.

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart expressed his excitement for this year’s event, saying, “We’re excited to offer players an effortless and cost-effective way to book their entire trip to Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas as they set their sights on becoming poker royalty this summer.” With the WSOP just around the corner, poker fans around the world are eagerly anticipating what promises to be an unforgettable event.

On Tuesday evening at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, Scott Eskenazi emerged victorious from a field of 590 players. The 61-year-old from Mercer Island, Washington earned his first-ever World Poker Tour title and took home the top prize of $361,660, as well as a seat in the WPT World Championship.

“Feels awesome. It was great. It was an educational experience. I’m still a rec player, but I learned a lot,” stated Eskenazi following his win. “They were all tough players, especially Jeremy Joseph. He’s a great player. We battled for a long time.”

As well as winning the prize money and seat in the championship, Eskenazi’s name will be engraved on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup, and he was presented with a WPT trophy by world-renowned artist David Arsham.

The event set a new record for entries in a WPT Rolling Thunder, surpassing the previous high of 465 entrants from the 2014 debut. The prize pool of $1,888,000 and the first-place prize of $361,660 were also records, not just for the Rolling Thunder but for all Thunder Valley poker events.

WPT CEO Adam Pliska commented, “We are elated with the tremendous success at Thunder Valley Casino, breaking WPT and venue records in multiple categories. Congratulations to Scott for his crowning achievement in our largest WPT Rolling Thunder event in history.”

Poker pro Jeremy Joseph finished as the runner-up, receiving a payout of $234,000. Other notable players who cashed include Alejandro Jauregui, Albert Tapia, Victor Paredes, and WPT Commentator Tony Dunst.

The next stop on the WPT Main Tour is the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in Hollywood, Florida, with the championship event running from April 28 to May 4.

WPT Rolling Thunder Final Table Results