Michael Persky Wins Inaugural WSOP Circuit Graton Main Event ($175,595)
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The latest World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) champion was crowned this week in Northern California as Michael Persky took down the inaugural WSOPC Graton Main Event for $175,595.
The first-ever Circuit stop at Graton Casino & Resort ran Aug. 10-21 and consisted of 20 Circuit ring events. The $1,700 buy-in drew 616 entrants for a prize pool of $933,240.
Persky, a native of Novato, California, defeated Thailand's Dan Sarasin during heads-up play as the runner-up was denied a maiden bracelet and took home $100,528. Meanwhile, five-time Circuit ring winner Jasthi Kumar finished third for $80,135 and New York grinder Benjamin Ludlow finished ninth for $16,868.
Read About Ari Engel's Victories At WSOPC Graton!
WSOPC Graton Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Persky | Novato, CA | $175,595 | |
| 2 | Dan Sarasin | Thailand | $100,528 | |
| 3 | Jasthi Kumar | San Ramon, CA | $80,135 | |
| 4 | Benjamin Underwood | Canada | $60,122 | |
| 5 | Paul Vlahos | N/A | $45,532 | |
| 6 | Zhengxiong Zouxu | Malden, MA | $34,890 | |
| 7 | Kurt Watkins | San Luis Obispo, CA | $27,055 | |
| 8 | Avenes Rastomyan | N/A | $21,233 | |
| 9 | Benjamin Ludlow | New York, NY | $16,868 |
Memorable First Stop At Graton
Persky was dominant at WSOPC Graton even before he took down the Main Event for his first ring and a career-best score.
At the start of the series, Persky finished 20th in Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Big 30K Stack for $1,077 before going on to finish runner-up in Event #3: $600 No-Limit Hold'em for $54,900. In that event, Persky fell to fellow Californian Albert Gorelik, who took home $88,888 and his second Circuit ring before winning Event #12: $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em for $30,004 and a third ring.
And Persky wasn't the only player to dominate at the inaugural Northern California Circuit stop. Longtime Circuit crusher Ari Engel picked up his 14th and 15th rings in back-to-back events to tie Maurice Hawkins in first on the all-time ring list, which PokerNews wrote about here.
Further shifting the all-time Circuit ring list, Daniel Lowery took down Event #13: $1,125 Pot-Limit Omaha for a 14th Circuit ring and $21,518, which can be read about here.
Those were hardly the only highlights. As the series wound down, Allen Kessler took down Event #15: $400 Stud 8 / Omaha 8 for $18,810 and his fourth Circuit ring after a decade-long drought. Before that, Southern California grinder Shirley Rosario won Event #8: $400 Limit Omaha 8 for $9,193 and her third Circuit ring.
Other players who picked up rings at WSOPC Graton include Albert Tapia (Event #9: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack - $40,950), Ian Mckinnon (Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - $25,323) and Taylor Pollard (Event #18: $3,250 High Roller - $60,641).
A full list of ring winners at the WSOPC Graton stop is available in the table below.
WSOPC Graton Ring Winners
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSOPC Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Big 30K Stack | 364 | $120,120 | Maemm Patel | N/A | $25,277 | |
| WSOPC Event #2: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 60 | $19,800 | Victor Paredes | Modesto, CA | $6,745 | |
| WSOPC Event #3: $600 No-Limit Hold'em | 1,049 | $540,235 | Albert Gorelik | San Francisco, CA | $88,888 | |
| WSOPC Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 367 | $121,110 | Ian Mckinnon | Burbank, CA | $25,323 | |
| WSOPC Event #5: $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em | 72 | $72,000 | John Kenner | Redding, CA | $23,136 | |
| WSOPC Event #6: $400 Seniors Event | 202 | $44,888 | Aquil Salahudeen | Fairfield, CA | $15,920 | |
| WSOPC Event #7: $600 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | 109 | $56,135 | Roger Bailey | Modesto, CA | $15,777 | |
| WSOPC Event #8: $400 Limit Omaha 8 | 93 | $30,690 | Shirley Rosario | Redondo Beach, CA | $9,193 | |
| WSOPC Event #9: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack | 696 | $229,680 | Albert Tapia | Anaheim, CA | $40,950 | |
| WSOPC Event #10: $400 H.O.R.S.E. | 60 | $20,130 | Ari Engel | Las Vegas, NV | $6,647 | |
| WSOPC Event #11: $400 Pot-Limit Big O | 61 | $20,130 | Ari Engel | Las Vegas, NV | $6,564 | |
| WSOPC Event #12: $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em | 105 | $105,000 | Albert Gorelik | San Francisco, CA | $30,004 | |
| WSOPC Event #13: $1,125 Pot-Limit Omaha | 65 | $66,000 | Daniel Lowery | Charleston, AR | $21,518 | |
| WSOPC Event #14: $1,700 Main Event | 616 | $933,240 | Michael Persky | Novato, CA | $175,595 | |
| WSOPC Event #15: $400 Stud 8 / Omaha 8 | 57 | $18,810 | Allen Kessler | Las Vegas, NV | $6,314 | |
| WSOPC Event #16: $600 No-Limit Hold'em | 119 | $61,285 | Aaron Motoyama | Monterey Park, CA | $17,063 | |
| WSOPC Event #17: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 287 | $94,710 | Eli McCargar | N/A | $12,700 | |
| WSOPC Event #18: $3,250 High Roller | 62 | $186,000 | Taylor Pollard | Concord, CA | $60,641 | |
| WSOPC Event #19: $250 Seniors Event | 252 | $50,400 | Francois Bertrand | San Jose, CA | $11,390 | |
| WSOPC Event #20: $400 The Bay Area Closer | 151 | $49,830 | Kaidi Yan | San Francisco, CA | $12,949 |
*Photos courtesy of Hayley Hochstetler and 8131 Media
