Matthew Higgins Wins The WSOP Circuit Tunica Main Event

Matthew Higgins secured the top spot in the World Series of Poker Circuit main event, marking his fifth WSOP Circuit gold ring. The tournament, held at the Horseshoe Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi, concluded on January 29. This victory, combined with his four previous triumphs in North Carolina, brings Higgins’ career earnings to nearly $1.75 million, making it his fifth six-figure score.

Reflecting on his win, Higgins shared, “This is ring five. We had control for most of the day, catching a very friendly punt early on that gave me the lead over everybody.” He spoke about his strategy at the final table, stating, “I got lean on them and made them worry about ICM. I applied pressure most of the time, and when we got down to three-handed, Dale (Roesel) was putting pressure on me a lot. I forgot how good he was.”

The $1,700 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament attracted 568 entries across two starting flights, boosting the prize pool to $791,673, surpassing the half-million guarantee. The top 60 players received a minimum cash prize of $3,356, with former WSOP Circuit winners such as Daniel Lowery, Spencer Champlin, Jared Ingles, and Maurice Hawkins making deep runs.

On the final day, only six players vied for the tournament title, with Higgins second in chips initially. He eliminated Marty Martin in sixth place, securing the chip lead by the first break. Higgins maintained his lead throughout, ultimately defeating B.J. MacBrayer in third place to enter the heads-up final against Dale Roesel.

The final showdown between Higgins and Roesel saw Higgins holding the chip lead, and with Q-3 offsuit against Roesel’s suited 8-4, the decisive moment arrived. Higgins found another queen on the flop, sealing Roesel’s fate. Roesel took home $103,248 for the runner-up finish, pushing his career earnings close to $1.3 million.

WSOPC Tunica Main Event Final Table Results