Every year, the WSOP begins with a circuit event in the Grand Casino Tunica in Tunica, Mississippi. At these events you do not win bracelets. Instead, you are given a ring if you are crowned a winner. The WSOP Circuit event is a series of smaller poker tournaments held annually at a variety of casinos in the United States. The Circuit event has been happening since 2005 as a build-up to the actual big money WSOP events. They are typically smaller than what you may expect from traditional WSOP events too.
Three days of grueling and tough poker after this year’s WSOP Circuit Tunica event began, Kai Landry emerged victorious from the field after eliminating David Dao heads-up and claimed his ring and a $183,974 top prize.
When the final table began, Matt Stout had an enormous chip advantage over the rest of the field. He had more than 2.5 times the chips of his closest competitor. The actual chip stacks at the start of the final table and the payouts were as follows:
Matt Stout — 1,000,500 — 3rd, $73,590
Jeremy Byrum — 404,500 — 5th, $51,513
Kai Landry — 375,000 — 1st, $183,974
Leonard Eidson — 375,000 — 4th, $61,816
Mike Leah — 335,000 — 6th, $44,154
Glynn Hyde — 155,000 — 7th, $36,795
Brian McCoy — 150,200 — 8th, $29,436
David Dao — 150,000 — 2nd, $117,744
Frank Wyville — 138,500 — 9th, $22,077
For the final hand, both players limped/checked preflop. The flop came 4♣ K♦ T♦
The A♦ hit the turn, and Landry bet out at the pot. Dao insta-raised. Landry then thought about it, and moved all-in. Dao deliberated, then called. Landry had Q♥ J♠ for the made nut straight, while Dao showed a rather innocent looking J♦ 7♠, hoping only for a river Q to tie, or a river diamond to win.
The river bricked, and Dao was eliminated in 2nd, giving Kai Landry the championship ring, the WSOP Prize package, and $183,974 to spend on booze and other important things in life.