News

Choctaw, Oklahoma (November 7, 2023) - While Brad Ruben is used to acquiring World Series of Poker hardware, the seasoned pro has made a new addition to his trophy case by winning the WSOPC Choctaw Main Event. Finishing on top of a competitive 934-player field that included fellow bracelet winners and many former WSOPC Main Event champions, Ruben not only added a Circuit ring to his finger but won the lucrative $250,140 top prize. 

With every event of the WSOPC Choctaw series surpassing guarantees, the series’ Main Event was no different as the overall prize pool grew to $1,415,010. Scoring his largest WSOP event cash to date, Ruben’s career WSOP winnings now stand at over $1.6 million.

Day three of the WSOPC Choctaw Main Event began with 12 poker players all vying to reach the final table and have their shot at becoming champion. Coming into the day as chip leader, Ruben would lose the chip lead briefly on several occasions but always found a way to reclaim it with his excellent play.

Early in the day, Ruben would not be the one to eliminate his opposition, letting his fellow poker players battle it out amongst themselves as they were eliminated one by one. All of that changed at the final table, however, when Ruben squared off with 2022 WSOPC Choctaw Main Event champion Danny Marx. On a paired board that included two aces and two eights, Ruben played Marx perfectly when he went all-in on the river. Flipping over ace-jack offsuit, Marx assumed the two poker pros would be chopping, only to see Ruben flip over pocket eights for quads, eliminating him in 7th place. Having finished in 4th place in the Choctaw Main Event the year Marx won his title, Ruben jokingly told his peer that it was simply payback.

Playing well but also running good, Ruben built even more momentum when he got it all-in preflop against 5th-place finisher Will Nguyen. Calling off Nguyen’s three-bet shove preflop with pocket sixes, Ruben was delighted to see Nguyen had pocket fives. With his sixes holding, Ruben continued to further his chip lead and add pressure to his opponents.

En route to the title, Ruben would face off against defending champion Harvey Castro, who was determined to become Choctaw Casino’s first-ever back-to-back Main Event winner. Having lost a significant amount of chips to 3rd place finisher Kaleb Harwell in a recent hand, Castro attempted to squeeze his ace-nine offsuit with a three-bet shove. Getting snap-called by Ruben and his pocket tens, Castro could not catch up and relinquished his chips and eventually the title of defending champion to Ruben.

With three players remaining, it seemed a heads-up match between Ruben and Harwell was imminent as David “Lefty” Diaz was nursing an incredibly short stack. Despite being third in chips, Diaz refused to go quietly, as the WSOP bracelet winner doubled twice through Ruben. Having gained just enough chips to be dangerous, Diaz became the second biggest stack after cracking Harwell’s aces with flopped two-pair. 

Taking all of the wind out of Harwell’s sails, it seemed Diaz had set him up perfectly to be eliminated next. Soon after being coolered by Diaz, Harwell shoved over Ruben’s preflop limp with ace-jack suited, only to be snapped off by pocket aces. On the negative side of variance, Harwell was eliminated in 3rd place.

Heading into heads-up play, Ruben’s staggering chip lead made it seem like the outcome had already been decided. After only a few hands, Diaz would get it in good with ace-jack offsuit to Ruben’s ace-ten. While it seemed Diaz might be able to start some sort of comeback, the deck had other plans, as Ruben turned a ten to claim the title.

While certainly not Ruben’s first WSOP event victory, his win in the WSOPC Choctaw Main Event serves as his largest career cash to date. Congratulations to Brad Ruben for winning his first career WSOP Circuit ring and $250,140.