News
GRANT JURIC VICTORIOUS IN GRAND VICTORIA WSOP CIRCUIT MAIN EVENT
Las Vegas, Nevada (April 14, 2026) - Nestled atop the Fox River in Elgin, Illinois, on the outskirts of Chicago, Grand Victoria Casino has concluded yet another World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit series.
The featured event of the series, the $1,700 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em WSOP Circuit Main Event, took place from April 9 through 13, 2026, running three day one flights that drew 593 entrants, culminating in a $898,395 total prize pool.
Emerging amongst the 593 total entrants to take down the Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit Main Event and lay claim to the $167,608 first place prize and his first WSOP Circuit ring was Hanover, Maryland’s Grant Juric, who now resides in the Windy City.
Leveraging a large chip lead heading into the final day of play, Juric was awarded with one of the most valuable WSOP Circuit rings one can win on the popular poker tour.
Far surpassing his previous career high live cash of $59,563 (statistic courtesy of The Hendon Mob), which came from a third-place finish in a $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack event at Harrah’s Cherokee in December 2024, Juric nearly tripled his previous “high score”.
Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit Main Event Final Table Results
1st place: Grant Juric - $167,608
2nd place: Lee Rzentkowski - $111,742
3rd place: Matt Shepsky - $77,013
4th place: Thomas Koral - $54,091
5th place: Bohdan Slyvinskyi - $38,731
6th place: John Kamis - $28,282
7th place: Leon Kwauk - $21,071
8th place: Mihai Taizs - $16,023
9th place: Boshuang Gao - $12,441
Grant Juric uses massive chip lead to win the Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit Main Event
Arriving at the Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit Main Event final table with over half of the chips in play, Juric was in the driver's seat when it came to securing his first piece of WSOP hardware.
Even with the intense action that took place amongst the six remaining players at the start of the final day of play, Juric’s momentum would be sustained, setting up what would prove to be an exciting heads-up duel with second-place finisher Lee Rzentkowski.
Starting heads-up play with the chip lead, Juric’s road to the Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit Main Event title would experience a detour, as he would lose the chip to Rzentkowski only a few hands into their duel.
Although he fell behind, the eventual champion would not be deterred, regaining an even bigger chip lead than the one he had at the start of heads-up play only a few minutes after relinquishing it.
Juric continued to further the gap between himself and Rzentkowski, ultimately winning his opponent’s final 10 big blinds, winning a flip, and the title with pocket fours to Rzentkowski’s king-eight.
Speaking with Poker.Org live reporter Liam Gannon following his victory in the Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit Main Event, Juric drew on years of experience in live tournaments, cash games, and coaching to help guide him to victory.
“I’m a cash game player mainly, shoutout to Poker With Riske coaching, but I have been playing tournaments for years. Most of my studying is in cash games, but how to play against different player types and how to play when you have a lot of chips, helped me out a lot.”
Congratulations to every Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit Ring Winner
Congratulations to our latest WSOP Circuit Main Event champion Grant Juric, and every poker player who won a WSOP Circuit ring at Grand Victoria.
Every WSOP Circuit ring winner in 2026 receives a special $5,000 WSOP Paradise 2026 package, which includes entry to the 2026 WSOP Circuit Championship, plus a free hotel stay in the Bahamas.
Wins of note from the Grand Victoria WSOP Circuit series include all-time WSOP Circuit ring leader Maurice Hawkins, who further added to his all-time lead by winning the $400 No-Limit Double Stack in Elgin for a $17,419 score.
With his all-time lead now standing at a total of 24 WSOP Circuit rings, Hawkins is four rings ahead of both Ari Engel and Daniel Lowery, each holding 20 WSOP Circuit rings.
Winning the second-biggest first-place prize of the series, local poker player Charles Brooks took down the $400 No-Limit Hold’em Mini Main Event at Grand Victoria, receiving an impressive $85,481 top prize, the largest of his live poker career (statistic courtesy of The Hendon Mob), along with his first WSOP Circuit ring.
Using every single chip contained within his large starting stack to its highest potential was Khaled Selim, who scored a career-best cash and his second WSOP Circuit ring when he won the $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack for a $51,888 score.
Taking a break from reporting on the felt to crushing on the felt, poker live reporter Liam Gannon nabbed his second WSOP Circuit ring at the Grand Victoria, winning the $600 No-Limit Hold’em Event to take home $19,625.
