Michael Scarborough, a Cincinnati resident, was the only player left at the table in the May 22 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Main Event that Caesars Southern Indiana hosted. He won his first gold ring and the $123,587 that increased his total poker career earnings to more than $670,000. Still, it was his fifth win.
The champion informed WSOP Circuit journalists after the event that he dedicated the victory to his best poker friend, who died in October 2022. He loved accompanying him to different events, and Scarborough believed his late friend would have been at Caesars to cheer him on if he would have been alive.
Scarborough praised Sean Loring for his outstanding personality despite being famous in the poker community. They had each other’s back for a decade, and his demise still makes the player emotional.
He disclosed that he lost his job and is experiencing health complications of late. So, his win inspired him a lot. He wore his friends’ hoodie in the tournament.
The $1,700 buy-in no-limit Hold’em tournament featured 406 entrants who formed a $615,090 prize pool. It has two starting flights, and each of its top 62 players won over $2,500.
Yet, 41 entrants advanced to Day 2 and played for 10 hours before six finalists were left. Some of the players who cashed but missed a final table seat were Russell Sullivan, Trace Henderson, Robert Hankins, Carl Masters, Maurice Hawkins, and Jake Bazeley. Keven Stammen had the largest stack at the end of Day 2, and Scarborough was among the short stacks.
The Top Finalists’ Payouts
- Michael Scarborough – $123,587 and 720 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points
- Luke Graham – $76,383 and 600 points
- Jeffrey Copeland – $54,900 and 480 points
- Keven Stammen – $40,154 and 360 points
- Bryan Reisner – $29,895 and 300 points
- William Watson – $22,662 and 240 points
- Derek Nold – $17,500 and 180 points
- Brian Jones – $13,768 and 120 points
- Ron Fletcher – $11,042 and 60 points
The Final Day’s Action
Scarborough collected many chips and got the lead in the final day’s four-handed play without busting any player. But he dropped to the fourth position and got his first knockout during the three-handed play.
The player busted Jeffrey Copeland in the third position and got a 7,300,000:4,900,000 chip advantage over Luke Graham. Both players made precise moves as each of them eyed the first-place prize. But they put their remaining chips in the middle after less than 30 minutes.
Graham used JSpade Suit9Spade Suit to make an all-in preflop when Scarborough called and covered him using KClub Suit7Club Suit. The board dealt 9Club Suit8Heart Suit3Club Suit2Diamond Suit8Club Suit, sending Graham packing as a runner-up with $76,383.
He increased his poker career earnings to over $1.45 million and narrowly missed his third gold ring. The Choctaw Casino Resort in Oklahoma will host the next WSOP Circuit tournament between July 20 and July 31. But, the $1,700 buy-in main event will kick off on July 29.
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