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The World Series of Poker Circuit recently came through South Florida, stopping at Isle Casino Pompano Park from Oct. 13-24. The total prize pool topped $2 million.
Each tournament event had a different winner
The Floride poker scene has taken off. The fifth-largest field in World Poker Tour history happen earlier this year at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.
At Isle Casino Pompano Park, 15 gold ring events ran, creating $2,721,269 in total prize pools over the 12-day series. The $1,700 Main Event more than doubled its $500,000 guarantee, resulting in a seven-figure prize pool and a $200,000-plus first-place prize.
Each event had a different winner, meaning all 15 players also earned a seat in the $1 million Tournament of Champions freeroll, held at the end of the 2022-23 WSOP Circuit season in Las Vegas.
Series generated mostly first-time ring winners
For 13 of the 15 winners, this was their first time winning a WSOP Circuit event. Yuval “Yuvee” Bronshtein and Marshall White were the only two to add to their collections.
Bronshtein, an Israeli pro who lives in South Florida, earned his second-career gold ring in Event No. 5 ($1,700 Purple Chip Bounty). He also took eighth place in the opening event of the series.
Bronshtein has two WSOP gold bracelets and an impressive 18 wins on his Hendon Mob database, which totals over $2.6 million in lifetime earnings.
White took down Event No. 14 ($2,200 High Roller), earning his fourth-career circuit title and bringing his career live earnings above $2 million in the process.
WSOP Circuit Isle Casino Tournament Winners
| Tournament | Winner | Prize | Entries | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $600 No-Limit Hold’em | Roberto Schmeda | $71,776 | 805 | $332,937 |
| Event #2: $400 Seniors | Daniel Cruz | $17,317 | 227 | $74,910 |
| Event #3: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em | Niall Costigan | $39,024 | 151 | $147,225 |
| Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Venkat Chivukula | $20,081 | 277 | $91,410 |
| Event #5: $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty | Yuval Bronshtein | $25,201 | 82 | $124,230 |
| Event #6: $400 Monster Stack | Mathew Kaplan | $45,653 | 791 | $203,627 |
| Event #7: $600 Black Chip Bounty | Spinella Carmine | $21,150 | 217 | $90,055 |
| Event #8: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | Matthew Bretzfield | $10,468 | 112 | $36,960 |
| Event #9: $1,700 Main Event | Mike Chiappetta | $200,196 | 726 | $1,099,890 |
| Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Kevin Macdonald | $14,747 | 180 | $59,400 |
| Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Joseph Gargiulo | $15,920 | 202 | $66,660 |
| Event #12: $600 No-Limit Hold’em | Nino Natale | $17,353 | 123 | $63,345 |
| Event #13: $400 Seniors | Tamara Goldshteyn | $16,158 | 205 | $67,650 |
| Event #14: $2,200 High Roller | Marshall White | $56,414 | 97 | $194,000 |
| Event #15: $400 Double Stack Turbo | Benjamin Robinson | $16,342 | 209 | $68,970 |
Main Event eclipses $1 million prize pool
The $1,700 Main Event ran the final weekend of the series, with three starting flights between Oct. 20 and 22. A combined 726 entries generated a total prize pool of $1,099,890, of which 77 returned for Sunday’s Day 2 already in the money.
Eventual champion Mike Chiappetta bagged a top-five stack going into Day 2, which he rode through a full day of play that finished with just seven remaining. Floridians James Calderaro, David Tuthill and Matthew Zarcadoolas were also in contention.
Calderaro, both a WSOP and WPT champion with over $5 million in lifetime earnings, took the chip lead into the final day. However, Chiapetta caught heat early, notching two eliminations and surpassing “Caldo” in the counts.
After four hours of play, the two got heads up with even stacks, and Chiapetta came out on top after a back-and-forth, 90-minute battle.
Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Chiappetta | $200,196 |
| 2 | James Calderaro | $123,731 |
| 3 | Rafael Reis | $90,744 |
| 4 | Eric Yanovsky | $67,399 |
| 5 | Anibal Salazar | $50,705 |
| 6 | David Tuthill | $38,644 |
| 7 | Matthew Zarcadoolas | $29,841 |
| 8 | Steve Karp | $23,353 |
| 9 | Evan Beard | $18,523 |
Upcoming Florida poker tournaments
If you missed out on the recent action or are looking for the next stop, you’re in luck. Florida has some of the best poker tournament series in the US, and they run on a near-monthly basis.
Upcoming festivals to check out:
- Oct. 27 – Nov. 14: CardPlayer Poker Tour – bestbet Jacksonville
- Nov. 16-30: WPT Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open – Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood
- Nov. 30 – Dec. 12: 2022 Winter Poker Open – Seminole Hard Rock Tampa
- Jan. 12-25: Lucky Hearts Poker Open – Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood
- Feb. 2-13: WSOP Circuit – Florida: Isle Casino Pompano Beach
- Feb. 8 – March 12: Escalator Series – Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood
Photo by Shutterstock.com
