This is the central page for information about the ongoing WSOP Circuit series at Harrah's Cherokee. Check back here daily for updated schedules and results.
16 August 2022 (Cherokee, NC) - The first of four World Series of Poker Circuit stops this 2022/2023 season at Harrah’s Cherokee is in the books. There were 17 gold rings up for grabs, with many familiar faces making deep runs and winning seats into the Tournament of Champions in July 2023.
The $1,700 Main Event attracted 1,558 entries across two starting flights and crushed the $1,000,000 guarantee with a record-breaking prize pool of $2,360,370 paying out 233 spots. The top five players earned six figures, with many final table players booking career-best scores. All of the guarantees throughout this series were blown out of the water, and four events paid out six figures for first place.
It was Florida’s Brett Bader who took down the Main Event at Cherokee, earning $364,104 in prize money, his 3rd WSOP Circuit ring and a seat into the Tournament of Champions. This was Bader’s biggest career score by almost three times, bringing his total career earnings over $1.5 million. Bader went deep with some tough players, including the likes of a tough pro in his heads-up opponent Matthew Wantman, 10-time WSOP Circuit champion Jeff Trudeau, (6th - $77,351), WSOP bracelet and ring winner David Moses (8th - $47,799), and 8-time Circuit champion and bracelet winner Michael Lech (11th - $30,618) to name a few.
"It hasn't really sunk in, to be honest," Bader stated after his victory. "I haven't been here in a few years, and the last time I was I finished runner-up to Leif Force in the $1k."
Bader came into the final day at near the bottom half of the counts but picked his spots and went on a late final table heater to claim his third gold ring, first since 2017, along with taking down over a quarter-million dollars to go along with it was rewarding as well.
"I'm just really grateful and glad I ran well," Bader said in his closing statement.
The heads-up battle proved to be a formidable one, as both players exchanged the chip lead until Matthew Wantman called off his stack after he rivered a seven-high straight, only to see Bader held a full house, and he finished runner-up for $225,047.
Players in this series got to compete for a piece of gold jewelry and a shot at a bid to the Tournament of Champions yet again, which will be held during the 54th annual WSOP in the summer of 2023. The event will feature a $1 million prize pool and coveted gold bracelet up top.
The North Carolina stop saw a few multi-ring winners including Max Young (7th ring), Brett Bader (3rd ring), Eric Rivkin (3rd ring) and Stuart Moody (2nd ring). The rest of the winners at this Circuit stop all won their first rings and will have a shot at a bracelet in the Tournament of Champions later this summer in July in Las Vegas.
Harrah’s Cherokee Main Event Final Table Results:
1st place: Brett Bader - $364,104
2nd place: Matthew Wantman - $225,047
3rd place: Amir Atabaki - $170,095
4th place: Thong Ho - $129,670
5th place: David Dowdy - $99,714
6th place: Jeff Trudeau - $77,351
7th place: Bryan Emory - $60,535
8th place: David Moses - $47,799
9th place: Chris Meyers - $38,083
Completed Events
Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack - Stuart Moody topped a field of 573 entries to win $35,241
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Shannon Hamblen topped a field of 2,726 entries to win $120,742
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Chris Reaves topped a field of 691 entries to win $41,728
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #4: $400 Seniors' No-Limit Hold'em - Richard Fowlkes topped a field of 925 entries to win $51,755
Winner's Photo | Results
Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em - Joshua VanHoose topped a field of 414 entries to win $43,181
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Max - Brandon Zuidema topped a field of 786 entries to win $47,422
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #7: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha - Dominique Morrison topped a field of 365 entries to win $25,422
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #8: $400 Monster Stack - Eric Snyder topped a field of 2,493 entries to win $113,839
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #9: $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em - Matt Emmel topped a field of 415 entries to win $84,297
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Michael Esquivel topped a field of 443 entries to win $29,108
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #11: $250 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em - Donna Phillips topped a field of 198 entries to win $9,550
Winner's Photo | Results
Event #12: $1,700 MAIN EVENT - Brett Bader topped a field of 1,558 entries to win $364,104
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Russell Brooks topped a field of 473 entries to win $30,623
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Matthew Stuff topped a field of 581 entries to win $35,501
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #15: $250 Seniors' No-Limit Hold'em - Richard Fowlkes topped a field of 914 entries to win $31,055
Winner's Photo | Results
Event #16: $2,200 High Roller - Max Young topped a field of 205 entries to win $100,234
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results
Event #17: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack - Eric Rivkin topped a field of 423 entries to win $28,146
Official Report | Winner's Photo | Results