The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) was originally launched in 2005 but has gone through a few iterations since then, with the current version being established back in 2013. It serves as a feeder series for the ‘main event’ – the WSOP in Las Vegas during the summer months – offering players from around the world the chance to qualify for it via numerous routes including online, live and even via a cruise ship!
Like the WSOP itself, the WSOP Circuit stops off at various locations throughout the year, setting up shop in casinos across the USA and Canada, awarding gold rings to winning players rather than the more familiar gold bracelets of the WSOP. However, winning a WSOP Circuit event still carries significant kudos, not to mention a hefty ring and $109,000 (the average win from an open WSOP Circuit Main Event). Below you can find results from every WSOP Circuit event held since its relaunch in 2013, including final table payouts.
You can also check our dedicated section about 2023 WSOP Circuit schedule, events and results. You will also find information about circuit ring winners, leaderboards, circuits of the year and more.
WSOP Circuit 2022-23 Schedule
Harrah's New Orleans
Want to play in one of those events? .
Previous WSOP Circuit Events (2013 – Present)
The table below shows a summary of all WSOP Circuit events that have taken place since its relaunch in 2013, including the number of gold rings that were awarded. As you can see the majority of events took place in the USA, albeit in a wide variety of states, from Florida to Louisiana and everywhere in between, along with some Canadian locations too. One standout trip was in April 2016 when the WSOPC took to the high seas for a 12-day cruise around the Caribbean, stopping off in four ports and providing players with the opportunity to compete in six gold ring events along the way.
Some notable venues include the host casino for the very first ‘Circuit’ back in 2005, the legendary Binion’s Horseshoe in Downtown Las Vegas (now known as Binion’s Gambling Hall), alongside other famous US poker haunts such as the Golden Nugget in LA and Biloxi, the Hustler Casino in LA and the Bike in El Segundo, plus the Caesars properties in Tunica, Lake Tahoe and Atlantic City, to name but a few.
Guide on How to Play Craps Online or at a CasinoOutside of the USA there have been events in the Cannery Casino & Hotel and the Stratosphere Casino, both in Las Vegas, and the gorgeous Playground Poker Club in Alberta, Canada (a short drive from Calgary and Montreal). And let’s not forget the high seas!
On to the numbers: in total there have been events, meaning 470 gold rings have been awarded to date, with over $90M paid out in prize money. Breaking that down to an average of $196K per Main Event and just under $2M per festival in total and we’re talking some serious coin. But who are some of the winners? Let’s take a look at a handful of highlights in the next section.
Biggest WSOP Circuit Winners
As of the end of the most recent WSOP Circuit season (May 2023), the all-time WSOP Circuit player earnings leadersboard looks like this:
In at number 1 is Chase Bianco, who has amassed an incredible $3.8 million in winnings across 9 ring events. The next highest earner has “only” half his total, with Robert Mizrachi on $1.9million from 12 ring events. Mizrachi actually led the ranking for many years after hitting his peak form during seasons 2013-15 when he won 3 rings and came runner-up in 2 others, amassing $1.25m in winnings in the process.
Casinos in Florida, USA - Top Lists, Gambling Facts, Map & GamesHere’s the top 10 all time money list:
- Chase Bianco - $3,817,750 (9 rings)
- Robert Mizrachi - $1,917,255 (12 rings)
- Shawn Busse - $1,665,848 (6 rings)
- Antonio Esfandiari - $1,538,046 (4 rings)
- Andrew Lichtenberger - $1,482,832 (6 rings)
- Jonathan Denis - $1,376,372 (3 rings)
- Brock Gary - $1,356,847 (4 rings)
- Kevin Schaffers - $1,340,653 (5 rings)
- Anthony Spinella - $1,293,484 (4 rings)
- Ronald McMillan - $1,293,384 (4 rings)
Interestingly only 3 of the top 10 have actually won a WSOP Circuit ‘Main Event’, with Shawn Busse (who interestingly has the most rings won in a single season – 4 back in 2016-17) joining Mizrachi on 4, while Brock Gary has three to his name. Everyone else has two wins each from a mix of Pot Limit Omaha and Hold’em events. Just outside the top 10 is Tobias Reinkemeier with $1,243,338 in winnings from 3 rings.
With regards to ring totals, Eric Afriat leads the way with 10, although he hasn’t won a ring since 2017. Mizrachi and Busse are tied in second on 12 visits to the winners’ podium, 2 ahead of the next pair, Kevin Schaffers and Anthony Spinella, both on 10 rings apiece. There are then a group of 5 on 9 rings, followed by a cluster at 8 before the next batch at 7. Interestingly only 24 players have 5 rings or more, suggesting the battle to break into the top 10 earning/ring-winning circles will be hotly contested in the coming years.
Notable WSOP Circuit Winners and Moments
There have been plenty of memorable moments since the WSOP Circuit re-launched in 2013. Here’s a small selection of players who have won WSOP Circuit rings and what they did prior to finding success on the Circuit.
Donnie Peters: A writer for PokerListings at the time, Donnie Peters won the inaugural event of the 2013-14 WSOPC at Harrah’s Ak-Chin in Maricopa, Arizona, for $115,918. He wrote about the biggest live tournaments in the world, now he could add the one he covered to him. You can still read many of his pieces on the site.
slots online casinoLoni Harwood: Back in 2005, Harwood became the first woman to win a WSOP bracelet and in 2014 she joined the elite club of WSOP Circuit winners. She topped a field of 384 entries (including 52 women) in the $1,000 event at Harrah’s New Orleans to bank a cool $171,490.
James Carroll: Best known for his exploits at the cash tables, particularly No Limit Hold’em, Carroll won his first (and so far only) live tournament title at the 2015 WSOPC event in Hammond, Indiana, for $133,310. With almost $11m in career tourney earnings (6th on the all-time list) Carroll will no doubt be looking to add to his tally and potentially catch Ryan Riess who currently tops the cash list.
John Racener: Son of WSOP Bracelet winner "Ace" Racener, John Racener won his first (and again, only) WSOP Circuit ring in December 2016 at Harrah’s Council Bluffs, IA. He defeated Matt Affleck heads-up to secure the victory, banking $126,658. Racener has $2.6m in tournament cashes, a 5th WSOP bracelet and 4 WPT titles (including a title in the ill-fated WPT Chicago center strip event).
Joey Couden: We featured Joey on the site back in 2015, after he shipped the WSOPC event at Harrah’s Philadelphia for $122,240. At the time he had $274k in career Live Tournament earnings and worked full-time as a FedEx driver. Since then he’s added another 3 titles and $350k in cashes.
Yuval Bronshtein: Better known by his online alias “aprotoco”, Bronshtein is a well known member of the online poker streaming community, regularly casting his eyes to camera while playing high stakes online cash games. He won his first ring (and $108,245) in an incredibly stacked field at the 2022 WSOPC event in LA (Golden Nugget), beating the likes of Garrett Adelstein, Nick Pnuka, Mario Ho and David “Miss Orbit” Daniels. Other cash outs included Michael Mizrachi, Chance Kornuth, Ami Barer, Jared Hamby, Robert Mizrachi and Andrey Zhigalov among others. An unlucky A-7 versus Q-J on the bubble cost me dew bettered 150th out of 504 runners, but what a stream it was!
Dash Dudley: In March 2023, 25-year old streamer Dash Dudley won the WSOPC Main Event at Harrah’s Ak-Chin for $150,653 having qualified online for $109. Originally from Germany but living in California, this score catapulted him up the rankings and no doubt kickstarts a successful live career. Watch this space.
Upmoor Poker Club Robbery
One slightly less savory moment occurred at the WSOP Circuit event at the Elements Casino in Toronto, Canada, home of the Ontario Lottery Guild and the Playground Poker Club, which closed its doors for business in May 2023 after being raided by armed robbers. During the WSOP Circuit event in early 2023 a group of masked men entered the premises brandishing handguns and long guns, stealing an undisclosed amount of cash from the cage before fleeing the scene. Thankfully no one was physically harmed, although understandably the incident shook up staff and players alike.
free casino betsHow to Qualify for the WSOP Main Event Through the WSOP Circuit
Just like it acts as a feeder series for individual casinos, the WSOP Circuit also offers players a route into the 'main event' of the World Series of Poker itself each year in Las Vegas. Via a series of ‘last chance’ tournaments, players can buy in directly for $1,080 or qualify via satellites at various Circuit stops.
For example, during the 2023 WSOP Circuit stop at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa, Arizona, run concurrently with the WSOP in Las Vegas, players could enter a $360 Satellite with 5 x $1,080 WSOP Main Event Seats guaranteed, or a $1,580 Direct Buy-In with the last 2 seats going to the losers’ rebuy and the $1,580 entry. In the end 24 players paid $360 to create a $8,480 prizepool which was won by Michael Fettes for $4,240 (plus $880 WSOP Credits) with the remaining 4 players receiving $580 + b&m and the 5th placed player getting $360 and a commemorative WSOP Circuit coin.
The rebuy saw 8 entrants create a $2,360 prizepool with all players receiving a $1,580 WSOP Main Event seat for busting and the last seat going to the chopper. As such Ben Singer, Alex Cho, Joe Palmaza, Joseph Jamison, James Garcia, Mike Koenig, Kenji Chan and Thomas Lee all headed to Sin City with a seat worth $12,600 (entry fee + b&m). Good luck to them and anyone else who qualified via the WSOP Circuit. Roll on the July Shuffle Tracker!
WSOP Circuit Online Events
In response to the global pandemic, the WSOP Circuit went entirely online for seasons running from September 2020 to May 2023, using the WSOP.com platform to host events in Pennsylvania, Nevada and New Jersey. Players had until the day before each event to register and, thanks to the magic of online poker, circumvented the need to travel during these challenging times.
While it would have been amazing to experience these events ‘live’ at one of the many fantastic Harrah’s casinos dotted around the US, the reality was that the broadcast teams did an incredible job bringing the action to us at home. Every effort was made to make it feel like a real event with ring ceremonies, interviews, WSOPC play money chips, feature tables, replays and commentary from the likes of Jack Effel, Matt Parry, David Tuchman, Jamie Kerstetter, Brad Willis, Rick Salomon, Ali Nejedta, Jeff Gross, Lynn Gilmartin, KingCasino29, Lex Lyonheart, Chris Hansen, Tony Dunst, Ali Imsirovic, Dan Negreiu, Nick Vertucci, Steve Sexton, Michael Mizzrachi, Matt Berkey, Brian Rast, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu, to name but a few. Add to this excellent graphics, music and production values and the online WSOPC events truly felt special. Long may it continue!
WSOP Circuit Schedule and Results Archives
Below you will find links to results and schedules from the last 5+ seasons, including details of each Main Event winner and where you can find final table payouts. Enjoy delving through the data!
Free Spins BetRivers Casino Michigan Promo Code September 2023Season 15 (2023) – Running Now
Season 14 (2022-23) – Completed
Season 13 (2021-22) – Completed
Seasion 12 (2020-21) – Mostly Online – Completed
Season 11 (2018-19) – Completed
Season 10 (2017-18) – Completed
Season 9 (2016-17) – Completed
Season 8 (2015-16) – Completed
Season 7 (2014-15) – Completed
Season 6 (2013-14) – Completed
Season 5 (2012-13) – First Gold Ring holder was Noel Schindler in Sept 2012– Completed
Season 4 (2010-11) – First Gold Ring holder was Darren Godfey in Oct 2010 – Completed
Season 3 (2007-08) – First Gold Ring holder was Eric Friberg in Oct 2007 – Completed
Season 2 (2005-06) – First Gold Ring holder was Paul Vas Nunes in Sep 2005 – Completed
Season 1 (2004-05) – First Platinum Ring holder was Brandon Cantu in Oct 2004 – Completed
WSOP Circuit by State/Province
Below is a list of the 22 different states and 1 province (Alberta, Canada) that have hosted WSOP Circuit events since its relaunch in 2013, starting with the state of Louisiana which has played host on 7 occasions.
- Louisiana – 7
- Mississippi – 6
- New Jersey – 6
- Oklahoma – 6
- Alabama – 5
- Florida – 4
- Illinois – 4
- Iowa – 4
- Massachusetts – 4
- Michigan – 4
- Nevada – 4
- New York – 4
- Ohio – 4
- Ontario – 1
WSOP Circuit Circuits of the Year
Players keep a close eye on which venue they win a WSOP Circuit ring at, due to additional benefits accrued to the overall leaderboard should their venue finish in the top spots. It’s not unknown for pros to target certain venues in order to boost their chances of becoming ‘Circuit of the Year’.
calder casino miamiAs such there have been multiple venues with 2 or more ‘Circuits of the Year’ as outlined below. Unsurprisingly, Harrah’s New Orleans, a stone’s throw from many Midwestern and Southern states, is top with an impressive 5 in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023, closely followed by Harrah’s Ak-Chin with 4 in 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2023 (two in the last 3 years!) While Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel in Tunica, MS has 2 in 2014 and 2020, and Harrah’s Kansas City has 2 in 2021 and 2022 circuits, with Harlows Casino Jasper, TX completing the quintet with back-to-back COYs in 2020 and 2021.
Staying at the venue not only saves on travel costs but also affords players the opportunity to get to know the staff and the quirks of the deck, card room personnel and (hopefully!) chew the fat with the previous circuit champions etched on the walls. Whether that’s a factor in the results we cannot say, but it makes good sense for the brain trust behind the WSOP Circuit to give players the opportunity if they so choose. Who knows, maybe future stats gurus will show a correlation between staying at the same venue and winning Circuit of the Year… food for thought.
WSOP Circuit Broadcast Team
The WSOP Circuit receives tremendous coverage via an army of hardworking stream team who bring the action direct to our homes and laptops. Below is a list of the regulars you can expect to see, although undoubtedly there will be others drafted in from time to time to provide analysis, commentary or features on specific players. If we’ve missed anyone out please drop us a line and we’ll update the list. Thanks!
- Jack Effel
- Matt Parry
- David Tuchman
- Jamie Kerstetter
- Brad Willis
- Rick Salomon
- Ali Nejedta
- Chris Hansen
- Tony Dunst
- Dan Negreiu
- Nick Vertucci
- Steve Sexton
- Michael Mizzrachi
- Matt Berkey
- Brian Rast
- Antonio Esfandiari
- Phil Hellmuth
- Lex Lyonheart (KingCasino29)
- Jeff Gross
- Lynn Gilmartin
Further Reading
- Visit the official WSOP website via this link!
