Steven McCartney puts on outstanding performance for Casino Championship and Maurice Hawkins extends all-time ring lead.
14 January 2020 (Durant, Okla.) -- To kick off the 2020 side of the 2019/20 Circuit season the World Series of Poker made its third and final stop at Choctaw Durant. The southern Oklahoma casino once again handed out 13 WSOP gold rings, just over three million dollars in prize money, and two seats to the Global Casino Championship.
Majority of the gold rings were seized by players claiming their first WSOP Circuit title. Some of those winners include Sam Murphy (Event #1), Kyle Chance (Event #3), WSOP gold bracelet winner Alan Percal (Event #6), Daniel Butler (Event #7), Adeeb Al-nazer (Event #9), Sai Raghu Uppala (Event #12), and Jason Daly (Event #13).
Three players added to the gold ring collection. The first weekend at Choctaw featured a four-flight competition that encompassed 2,107 entries. Ronnie Robinson was the one to conquer the largest field of the series, grabbing his second gold ring. Also coming away with gold ring number two was Jared Hemingway who topped the Congress (5-Card PLO Hi-Lo) event.
Cory Bogert, two-time gold ring winner at the Ameristar St. Charles Circuit earlier in the season, made the trip down to Choctaw Durant and cashed five times. One of those cashes granted him his third Circuit gold ring, as St. Louis, Missouri native outlasted 261 opponents in Event #8.
The last multi-ring collector to mention and most notable triumph of the series surfaced during Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold’em (1 Day), which drew a field of 218 entries. Maurice Hawkins captured an unprecedented 14th Circuit title after defeating a tough opponent in seven-time gold ring winner Andrew Robinson heads-up. The win extended Hawkins’ all-time ring lead, putting him two clear of Valentin Vornicu (12) and Josh Reichard (12).
Hawkins went on to make a deep run in the Choctaw Circuit Main Event but ended up falling one spot short of the final table in 10th place for $22,519. Winning Choctaw’s most lucrative tournament of the series and a WSOP signature event was Dustin Schoonover.
Schoonover ultimately topped a field of 1,065 entries and overcame a sizable chip deficit heads-up against runner-up John Skrovan ($168,642) to win his first World Series of Poker gold ring and score a massive payday of $272,846. The Texas native also won a berth to the 2019/20 GCC.
The other automatic bid to the GCC went to a well-deserved individual, Steven McCartney. McCartney put on an outstanding performance throughout the 13-event series, granting him the Choctaw Casino Champ honors.
A top-half finish in the Monster Stack was McCartney’s first blip on the radar. However, the inception of his stellar run truly began with a 4th-place finish in Event #6. Two tournaments later, the Poker Pro out of Oklahoma placed 3rd in Event #8.
Directly following his two great runs, McCartney casually strolled into another final table during Event #9 where he recorded yet another 4th-place finish. This left McCartney with 90 points and solid, but susceptible lead in the Casino Champ race.
So, if three final tables were not enough, McCartney decided he would simply make one more. The fourth time around, McCartney’s momentum could not be stopped. In Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em he took his chips all the way to the finish line, earning his first WSOP title.
The achievement also awarded McCartney 50 more points, giving him a total of 140. One last, small cash in Event #13 for good measure, solidified his final points sum at 142.5. It turned out to be a runaway Casino Championship at Choctaw with McCartney on top.
Completed Events
Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) - Sam Murphy defeats 261 entries to win $19,167.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #2: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Multi-Flight - Ron Robinson defeats 2,107 entries to win $58,615.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack - Kyle Chance defeats 604 entries to win $37,764.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #4: $600 Congress - Jared Hemingway defeats 175 entries to win $22,385.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day) - Maurice Hawkins defeats 218 entries to win $16,898.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Alan Percal defeats 193 entries to win $15,857.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack - Daniel Butler defeats 341 entries to win $23,997.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Cory Bogert defeats 262 entries to win $19,246.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em - Adeeb Al-nazer defeats 328 entries to win $36,423.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #10: $1,700 NLHE Main Event - Dustin Schoonover defeats 1,065 entries to win $272,846.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Steven McCartney defeats 198 entries to win $15,761.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty - Sai Raghu Uppala defeats 226 entries to win $12,100.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Event #13: $250 No-Limit Hold'em - Jason Daly defeats 342 entries to win $14,575.
Official Report |
Winner Photo | Results
Casino Champion Update
Steven McCartney is the Choctaw Durant Casino Champion. The Poker Pro out of Oklahoma went on a stellar spree, finishing with six cashes, including four final tables, two fourth-place finishes, one third-place finish, and to top it off a first-place run in Event #11 for a grand total of 142.5 points.
About the Winners
Event #1 - Sam Murphy
Sam Murphy won a debut gold ring by taking down the first World Series of Poker Circuit event of 2020. The 61-year-old topped a field of 261 entrants in Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day), which took nearly 12 hours to complete.
During the final hours of play, Murphy was ready to get back home, but stuck around to get the job done, earning $19,167 in the process. Directly after posing for a winner’s photo, the husband and father of six took a phone call from his wife.
“She was calling me. I guess she knew I was finished up,” Murphy said. “She wants me to get my butt home, I guess. Pretty good timing.”
Murphy owns a construction company as well as works with some housing development in southern Texas. Even with a full-time business, the poker hobbyist finds pockets of time to hit the felt. In fact, Murphy has amassed nearly $300,000 in total career earnings.
“I’ve had some bigger
wins. But, I think this is like eight-in-a-row cashes for me. That’s the
biggest thing for me,” mentioned Murphy.
Event #2 - Ron Robinson
After taking down a one-day ring event back in July, Ron Robinson returned to Choctaw Durant and captured his second World Series of Poker title of the 2019/20 Circuit season. The Insurance Data Analyst navigated through a large field of 2,107 entrants in Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Multi-Flight to capture gold ring number two along with a $58,615 payday. The tournament encompassed four Day 1s and took three days to complete.
Robinson survived Day 1C, bagging the second-largest stack. During Day 2 on Sunday, the smooth ride continued as he made the final table of nine as second in chips. The 56-year-old then chipped up to a big lead.
“I realized after the dinner break, I got tired. And actually, I sat here for like 5-10 minutes kind of meditating,” mentioned Robinson. “For the first time ever in my life I was thinking ‘ok, when I go back to this final table, I have the chip lead. I’m just going to grind and get it.’”
Robinson eventually met Rene Castillo heads up, but he was behind by a lot.
When asked if his past experience with a heads-up deficit aided him in his recent obstacle faced, Robinson responded with “Absolutely. I just said I can’t give up. I kept trying, two or three different ways, to try to break his wall of chips. I would limp in. I would raise excessively on the button… I tried all these different things. And then, I just finally realized I just had to make a stand.”
The biggest pot of heads-up play occurred near the end of Level 34. A king-high flop provided Castillo with two pair and Robinson with an ace-high flush draw. Robinson ended up rivering a Broadway straight to win the hand. The 20-million-chip pot left Castillo with a mere 800,000, which Robinson confiscated the very next hand.
Event #3 - Richard 'Kyle' Chance
Kyle Chance seized his first World Series of Poker gold ring, late Monday night at the Choctaw Durant Circuit series. The 32-year-old out of Wilburton, Oklahoma ultimately topped a 604-entry field in Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack and endured a nearly three-hour battle against a tough opponent, three-time gold ring winner La Sengphet.
Chance has only recently begun to participate in tournament poker. With three min cashes already to his name, he was determined to close one out and aware of what it truly takes.
“It seemed like min cashing was as far as I could get,” stated Chance. “Honestly, it just comes down to, you got to get hot and just winning flips. Today it just seemed like I won almost every flip. They finally went my way. I felt like I played well too. I made some really good calls. It was just a good day, man.”
It turned out to be a $37,764 day for Chance who scooped the final pot. Not too bad for a recreational player in his seventh-ever live tournament. After his win, Chance was asked whether he will continue to pursue competitive poker.
“This probably helps. My bankroll just exploded,” Chance said with a smile. “I have so much fun doing this. All this does is fuel the fire. I already loved it and love coming to these and playing in these tournaments.”
Event #4 - Jared Hemingway
The current World Series of Poker Circuit at Choctaw Durant had just one non-Hold’em ring event on the schedule, Event #4: $600 Congress. Out of 175 entrants, the 5-card PLO Hi-Lo tourney ultimately boiled down to Jared Hemingway and Sean Moore It was a powerhouse battle that Hemingway came out on top of, winning his second gold ring and the first-place prize of $22,385.
Hemingway has over $150,000 in WSOP Omaha cashes, mostly coming from a runner-up finish at the 48th annual WSOP, but his debut gold ring was earned in No-Limit Hold’em.
“I like the fact that it’s a different game. I play all games, so it’s nice to win a tournament other than Hold’em,” Hemingway mentioned.
The Texas native asserts that he does not rely on poker for a living. However, Hemingway does frequent the felt and has recently set some goals pertaining to his profitable hobby.
“I’m actually staring my goals in poker, they are to be competitive in bigger, higher games,” said Hemingway. The 43-year-old is looking to transition away from mid-stakes and throw his hat into the ring of larger buy-in tournaments. “That’s just a goal. Like I said, I’m not professional, but I’m a winner,” he said with a smile before taking his leave.
Event #5 - Maurice Hawkins
The World Series of Poker Circuit phenom, Maurice Hawkins, seized yet another title on Monday. Hawkins cruised to victory in Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold'em (1 Day), which encompassed a field of 218 entries and finished in under 12 hours.
“Feel like I got my mojo back,” Hawkins divulged. “Feels good to know that the beginning of the year is going to end like it should, which means, that when you start the year off winning, it only can get better. It’s time to go up.”
The 39-year-old had hauled in over one million in chips by the time the final table hit. Hawkins’ dominant chip lead going into the final table provided smooth sailing into the heads-up finale where he defeated seven-time gold ring winner Andy Robinson.
The achievement granted Hawkins with an unprecedented 14th WSOP
gold ring, putting him two rings ahead of Valentin Vornicu (12) and
Josh Reichard (12). Along with extending his all-time ring lead, Hawkins
banks $16,898 and 50 Casino Championship points.
“Can’t nobody pass me unless I wanted them too, which means if I quit playing poker then they’ll get more rings than me. So, I am the Circuit g.o.a.t. We know this. There, the bar has been set. They count them for a reason," Hawkins expressed after his win.
Event #6 - Alan Percal
Tuesday evening, Alan Percal picked up a Circuit gold ring to go along with his World Series of Poker gold bracelet. The 26-year-old ended up outlasting 192 opponents in Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed at the Choctaw Durant tournament series.
“The bracelet trumps it slightly,” Percal said half-jokingly after his victory. “But I’ve been close to this a few times, recently, so it’s nice to close it out.”
Percal’s bracelet run occurred in 2016 at the 47th annual WSOP where he conquered the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Championship for $320,574. Though his recent win, good for a cash prize of $15,857, was much more scaled down, Percal was pleased to hit the Circuit milestone.
Before his accomplishment at Choctaw Durant, Percal had recorded three final-table appearance this season (2019/20). The Florida native, now living in Louisville, Kentucky intermittently travels to certain series around the nation.
“Depends on the stop really and when I have time… We have a friend that works here that helped out,” stated Percal on his presence in Oklahoma. "Actually, I haven't been here since I was 19."
Event #7 - Daniel Butler
Daniel Butler became the newest World Series of Poker champ on Wednesday at the Choctaw Durant Circuit stop. The 33-year-old Texas native topped a field of 341 entrants in Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack, earning his first gold ring and $23,997. The tourney took two days to complete and when the final card hit Butler was ecstatic.
“A lot,” Butler answered when asked what the ring meant to him. “I’ve been chasing this dude for a long time. It’s been crazy, you know… It’s been a long time coming.”
Butler deals for a living in his hometown of Waco. He tries to make at least one event per series at the southern Oklahoma casino, and this time around, he made his entry count.
Event #8 - Cory Bogert
Cory Bogert added another World Series of Poker gold ring to his 2019/20 Circuit campaign on Thursday. That makes three for the 28-year-old out of Illinois who snagged a pair of gold rings at the Ameristar St. Charles stop near the beginning of the season.
“I’ve just been working on my game a little bit in the last year. I really focused on tournaments,” Bogert said about an attribution to his successes. “But, I mean, got to have a lot of run good to win a couple rings, or three rings, in not very many events.”
Bogert's most current triumph entailed a field of 262 entries in Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold’em. Aside from a third piece of WSOP gold, Bogert cashed for $19,246 and banked an important 50 Casino Championship points.
Bogert, who racked up a healthy amount of points during the Ameristar Circuit, made the trip to Oklahoma in an effort to tack on more. The ultimate goal for the St. Louis native is of course to secure a seat in the 2019/20 Global Casino Championship, which can be accomplished by being one of the top 50 cumulative points earners over the entire season.
“Well, right now I’m leading this casino stop, so hopefully I can get Casino Champ and I don’t have to worry about it,” mentioned Bogert.
Event #9 - Adeeb Al-nazer
A fast-paced finish at the Choctaw Durant Circuit series left Adeeb Al-nazer as the newest member of the World Series of Poker winner’s club. The Professional Gambler from Texas landed on top of a 328-entry field in Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold’em, a two-day tournament that wasted no time in deeming a champion.
“I love the fact that it was fast-paced. I wish we had like a lot more tournaments that are like that,” stated Al-nazer. "I cannot believe that the final table like got done within an hour and I love it. I love fast poker. It’s been a great journey and I loved every bit of it.”
Al-nazer was also awarded $36,423 for his triumph, along with the coveted gold ring. The 33-year-old narrowly missed out on a Circuit title when he went on incredible run in the multi-flight re-entry in 2017 at Choctaw Durant. There, he finished as the runner-up among 5,280 entries for $146,789.
Although the payout was significantly less, a first-place, gold-ring triumph with the WSOP is a milestone Al-nazer will never forget.
“It means a whole lot, actually. I have a lot of cashes and stuff like that, but I don’t have any rings or bracelets or anything,” said Al-nazer. “I’m so happy that I finally got one… This will definitely be a memory that I’ll have forever. There is no price I could sell on this ring.”
Event #10 - Dustin Schoonover
A climax to the World Series of Poker Circuit series at Choctaw Durant occurred Monday evening with the conclusion of its most lucrative tournament. When all was said and done in Event #10: $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em, Dustin Schoonover reigned as last man standing.
The 38-year-old from Texas ultimately took down a four-figure field of 1,065 entries to win his first WSOP gold ring. What ended up being a grueling three days of focused tournament poker stemmed from an unassuming beginning for Schoonover.
“I didn’t start till, hell, 10th round our something. I came up here to play cash,” Schoonover said with a laugh. “Got down to like 14, 15 thousand and just kept grinding, man.”
Schoonover joined in on the Main Event action late, around Level 10, during Day 1B on Saturday. Then, after three days of grueling tournament poker, he waltzed into the winner's circle.
Along with his first Circuit gold ring, the husband and father of two girls earned the top prize of $272,846. As President and CEO of his own oil company, Schoonover admitted he really wasn’t after the prize money.
“How much did I win?” Schoonover sincerely asked after his win. “I was playing for the ring.” When the significant sum was pointed out to him, Schoonover did provide some uses for it. “Man, I got a 13-year-old girl. We’re gonna send her to college wherever she wants to go. She’ll go to college and me and my wife will go on vacation.”
Event #11 - Steven McCartney
An outstanding performance has been put on at Choctaw Durant by Steven McCartney. After making four final tables in the past five days, the 35-year-old Poker Pro finally broke through to the winner’s circle in Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em on Saturday, winning $15,761 and his first WSOP gold ring.
McCartney was asked what was behind all his recent success. “I don’t know. I’ve just been grinding a lot. I’ve been running bad lately, so I feel like it was due. I feel like I was due to come up,” he responded. “Run good, obviously, too.”
Although he was solidified as a final-table machine, McCartney was still without a gold ring. That is, until Event #11 where McCartney continued his momentum to take home the title.
Another award for first place, and arguably more important for McCartney, is 50 additional points. The Oklahoma resident now sits with a total of 140 points and an immense stronghold in the Choctaw Casino Champion race. It is a spot McCartney never imagined himself in ahead of the WSOP Circuit coming to town.
“I’ve been playing for about 13 years, but I probably play 15 tournaments a year… Besides that, I just play cash,” mentioned McCartney. “After the first one I felt good, so I was like ‘let’s just try this again,’ and then I final tabled. And then I had Kessler in my ear saying ‘Well, you have to go to for the points now.’ So, I just started playing everything.”
Event #12 - Sai Raghu Uppala
Sai Raghu Uppala became the Bounty king at Choctaw Durant on Sunday when he went on his first World Series of Poker Circuit title run. The 32-year-old Software Engineer topped a field of 226 entries in Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty to win his first gold ring.
“This is a lot to me because I’ve been a big cash game player, but now I’m switching back to tournaments,” Uppala stated. “Since November I came to play full event for a week. First time in Choctaw.”
Choctaw Durant’s Circuit in the fall was Uppala’s first real introduction to a WSOP series. The native of India lived in Detroit for five years where very few poker tournaments are held, but later moved to the state of Kansas.
After cashing three out of four tournaments back in November, Uppala decided to return to the southern Oklahoma Circuit for another round and took down ring Event #12, becoming the Bounty king.
Event #13 - Jason Daly
Jason Daly was the one to take down the final open ring event of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Choctaw Durant. Event #13: $250 No-Limit Hold’em brought in a field of 342 entries and paid out the top 52 finishers. Daly, hailing from Texas, walked away with the top prize of $14,575 and his first WSOP gold ring.
“I play a decent amount. I mean, it’s cool. It was definitely on the check off list. You know, come here thinking you’re good. To do it is good. Wish it could have been a bigger one, but I’ll take it,” stated Daly after his victory.
The title looked to be Daly’s for the taking. He had amassed an enormous chip lead by the end of Day 1 and moved to the finale with just four opponents remaining. The advancing field of five players snap dropped down to two at the start of Day 2, pitting Daly and Raul Garza heads-up.
At 38 and 29, Daly and Garza, respectively, were the two youngest players at the final table. They battled back and forth for just over an hour before Daly reeled in the final pot with a rivered flush. It was the Restaurant Owners 10th cash with the WSOP.