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WINSTON DJONLI SCORES BIG IN THE CHOCTAW WSOP CIRCUIT MAIN EVENT
Las Vegas, Nevada (January 20, 2026) - After 13 days of pulse-pounding poker tournament action, Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, has awarded 18 WSOP Circuit rings and millions of dollars in prize money.
Drawing 922 total entrants, the Choctaw WSOP Circuit Main Event would surpass its impressive $1 million prize pool guarantee, ending up with a total prize pool of $1,250,630 (97 positions paid).
Taking home the biggest prize of them all was Texas-based poker player Winston Djonli, who took down the Million Dollar Choctaw WSOP Circuit Main Event to win $232,680 and his first WSOP Circuit ring.
A regular amongst the poker tournament scene in the Lone Star State and around the United States, Djonli’s win in the Choctaw WSOPC Main Event serves as the highest score of his poker career.
To secure his first WSOP Circuit ring, Djonli would have to play through an impressive final table that included the likes of former Choctaw WSOP Circuit Main Event champion Dustin Schoonover and WSOP Circuit ring winners Todd Tucker and Chris Vickrey.
Djonli’s heads-up opponent would be Dixon, Missouri’s Matthew Barnett, whose runner-up finish in Choctaw would be good enough for a career-best cash worth $155,010.
Despite coming into heads-up play with a 2-to-1 chip lead, Barnett could not keep the eventual Choctaw champion at bay. After three hours of heads-up play, Barnett would ultimately fall to Djonli after his pocket aces were cracked by flopped trips.
Speaking with Poker.Org’s Ryan Lashmar following the biggest win of his poker career, Djonli remained a cool customer as he reflected on his victory.
“Feels great. Honestly, I’m still kind of in the mode of not having any emotions fresh off the table. That’s usually how I play poker,” Djonli said. “I try to turn it all off and just focus on the cards. I’m sure it will hit me in maybe an hour or two.”
"I’ve been playing for a long time," Djonli continued, "and it’s definitely nice to finally get some big scores come in. I do feel like I have recently come through a breakthrough, just in the way that I’m playing and how I approach the game, and it seems to be paying off."
Choctaw WSOP Circuit Main Event Final Table Results:
1st place: Winston Djonli - $232,680
2nd place: Matthew Barnett - $155,010
3rd place: Venkat Nagabhairava - $107,360
4th place: Chris Vickrey - $75,700
5th place: Kenneth Lemer - $54,360
6th place: Dustin Schoonover - $39,770
7th place: Jeremy Kennon - $29,650
8th place: Todd Tucker - $22,540
9th place: Alejandro Jaureguireynoso - $17,470
Congratulations to every Choctaw WSOP Circuit event winner
Congratulations to our latest WSOP Circuit Main Event champion Winston Djonli, and every poker player who received a WSOP Circuit ring at Choctaw.
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 at Atlantis Paradise in the Bahamas.
Check out the full list of Choctaw WSOP Circuit ring winners who punched their ticket to WSOP Paradise 2026:
Event #1: $500 Monster Stack NLH - William Hesser - $41,310
Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - Lisa Schuessler - $12,380
Event #3: $500 Big O - Glen Goldsmith - $16,530
Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack - Gregg Merkow - $21,990
Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Black Chip Bounty - Daryle Cuherpin - $9,550
Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - Daniel Butler - $23,220
Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - Michael Slate - $15,270
Event #8: $250 No-Limit Hold’em Seniors - Jeffrey Whittle - $23,310
Event #9: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - Charles Deatherage - $11,970
Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 40/40/40 - James Williams - $29,880
Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max - Jeffery Sowell - $15,270
Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack - Connor Steinbrook - $22,010
Event #13: $500 No-Limit Hold’em - Jason Royman - $38,800
Event #14: $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event - Winston Djonli - $232,680
Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - Eric Bunch - $18,880
Event #16: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack - Daxton Alexander - $27,660
Event #17: $250 No-Limit Hold’em Ladies Event - Cammie Allen - $7,920
Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - Srinivasa Vadlamudi - $20,530
