THE DUTIES OF A CHAMPION

It's WSOP tradition to take a "winner's shot" of each champion to commemorate and remember their special performance. Huy Nguyen is seen here mid-winner's shot after his Event #10 victory at Choctaw.

YOU'LL DROWN IN THAT RIVER!

On Day 2 of the WSOP Circuit Main Event at Choctaw, three-time ring winner Kyle Cartwright moved in with a set. His opponent called, tabling a flopped straight and Cartwright was taken back. "You've got queen ten?! Wow..." he said. Then BAM! The board paired on the river and Cartwright made a winning full house sending his opponent packing shy of the money bubble. Unfortunately, Cartwright joined his opponent on the rail a bit later, also short of the money bubble.

ALL RAJA, ALL THE TIME

Through nine events at Choctaw Casino Resort, Raja Kattamuri has recorded two wins, a runner-up finish and a fifth place finish. In short, he's final tabled almost half of the events and won more than 20 percent of them. His great performance will not go unnoticed, as he has all but assured himself a seat in the $1,000,000 Circuit National Championship.

WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace Underway!

For the seventh-consecutive season, the WSOP Circuit made a visit to legendary Caesars Palace. The first of 12 gold ring events attracted 482 players. An even bigger turnout appeared for the second event, which has also begun. Action at Caesars continues through January 30th.

BUDDY LOCKWOOD WINS EVENT 6 AT CHOCTAW

Buddy Lockwood wasn't in the business of making friends at the Event 6 final table. He was merciless in overcoming a massive heads-up chip deficit against recent champion, Raja Kattamuri. “A few years ago I won a World Poker Open bracelet, and I wanted to prove to myself it wasn’t just a flash-in-the-pan happening,” Lockwood said. “Now at least it’s a two-time flash in the pan.”

MY BUDDY AND ME

“I knew I could win when I couldn’t get through stacking my chips before the next hand started,” Harold "Buddy" Lockwood, Choctaw Event 6 champion, said. “I never looked up. I was always just stacking chips, taking a quick peak at my hand and then playing. After a while it dawned on me that’s all I was doing. I couldn’t even take time to count them.”

GARDENHIRE WINS SECOND GOLD RING IN AS MANY YEARS

In the early morning hours of January 15th, Justin Gardenhire found himself alone in the winner's circle after a 16-hour Day 2 at Choctaw. The win marked Gardenhire's second Circuit ring, his first coming a year earlier at the same venue. Gardenhire's rail was adamant in saying he had drawn the same table and seat as he had before his winning performance the year prior. Congratulations on a stunning follow-up win, Justin.

1,219 TURN OUT FOR CHOCTAW OPENER

Attendance in WSOPC Event 1, $345 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry, at Choctaw Casino Resort was up more than 30 percent over last year's numbers. In all, 1,219 players put up the buy-in for their shot at the $62,709 first prize. The 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit continues to break records, and the latest numbers solidify the trend in year-over-year growth.

James Paul Wiliamson Wins Event #11

James Paul Williamson, from Marina Del Rey, CA cashed for the first time in a WSOP event on Thursday night. He made the most of his debut, by winning a WSOP Circuit gold ring. Williamson won Event #11, which was a $345 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament with 217 players.

CHOCTAW HOSTS 2012's SECOND CIRCUIT STOP

Actions is underway at Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma. Over the next 12 days, thousands of players will be vying for their chance to earn a seat at this final table and get their shot at WSOP immortality.