The second edition of the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Graton running from 15-26 August at Graton Resort and Casino has concluded crowning several big winners across 18 ring events. The crown jewel of the series was Event #12: $1,700 No Limit Hold’em Main Event, which drew an impressive 580 entries, easily crushing the $500,000 guarantee to build a final prize pool of $877,185.
Following two starting flights, a full Day 2 and an action-packed final table, Sasha Sabbaghian emerged victorious to win his first WSOPC gold ring and a career-best $168,015. The victory marked his first live title of 2024 but it isn’t the first main event title in the region for the Granite Bay grinder. In September 2021, Sabbaghian had won the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Thunder Valley Main Event for $40,485. This was his fourth title overall and took his live earnings to an impressive $632,050.
Sabbaghian ended up as the biggest winner of the series far ahead Daniel Hughes, who had won Event #2: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack for $86,857, the second largest single score awarded in Graton.
2024 WSOPC Graton Main Event Final Day Action
The final day of the event saw nine players return, with two-time bracelet winner Marco Johnson leading them. Sabbaghian was second in chips when the day began. The short stack Francis Nguyen was the first to fall as he couldn’t improve against the queens of Mitchell Tsang. Liz Tedder and Dan Casetta followed him in eighth and seventh places, respectively.
Marco Johnson exited in sixth place. He shoved with pocket eights and ran into the jacks of Bob Mather who doubled up. After losing this hand, he became short and was knocked out by Michael Persky the very next hand. Persky claimed another pot when he busted Bob Mather who was gunning for his second ring. Persky’s pocket sevens held up against the five-four of Mather.
Persky’s remarkable run ended in fourth place when his A-8 ran into the A-Q of Mitchell Tsang. Later, Peter Yang got all-in with A-10 facing the pocket sevens of Sabbaghian. Neither player improved and Yang was eliminated in third place ($77,399).
Heads-up saw Sabbaghian with more than a 2:1 lead over Tsang. In the final hand, Sabbaghian min-raised with As 9d and Tsang three-bet shoved with Ah Qd from the big blind. Sabbaghian called and the board came Kh 10d 10c 7d 9s, sealing the victory for Sabbaghian.
2024 WSOPC Graton Main Event Final Table Results
| 1 | Sasha Sabbaghian | $168,015 |
| 2 | Mitchell Tsang | $112,010 |
| 3 | Peter Yang | $77,399 |
| 4 | Michael Persky | $54,475 |
| 5 | Robert Mather | $39,067 |
| 6 | Marco Johnson | $28,557 |
| 7 | Daniel Casetta | $21,286 |
| 8 | Elizabeth Tedder | $16,184 |
| 9 | Francis Nguyen | $12,557 |
Featuring an impressive 18 rings, the WSOPC Graton series generated $2.5 million in prize money. Several players won big during the series and we have already covered some of the earlier winners in the series, including Frank Chavez (Won Event #1: $400 Big 30K Stack Kickoff for $21,762), Daniel Hughes (Won Event #2: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack for $86,857), Lev Saakov (Won Event #3: $400 No Limit Hold’em $22,901), Charles Himes (Won Event #4: $400 Seniors Event for $15,738), and software engineer Andreas Kniep (Won #5: $600 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed for $15,907).
Some other prominent winners in Graton include William Sandberg (Won Event #6: $400 Monster Stack – $33,180), Johnny Bromberg (Event #9: $1,125 No-Limit Hold’em – $29,340), and Ira Berry (Won Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – $16,878)
Women Won Three Tournaments at 2024 WSOPC Graton
Recently, we’ve seen numerous female champions emerge across the world, with many women securing titles at the recently concluded APL Millions 2024 in Australia. At the 2024 WSOPC Graton too, women power showed up, with female players winning an impressive three ring tournaments.
Manju Gera won Event#7: $400 Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better to clinch her second ring. She emerged victorious against a field of 90 entries and a final heads-up match against Kathy Chang.
Eva Huang made history by winning the first-ever WSOP Ladies Circuit Ring in Northern California in Event#11: $400 Ladies Event. Huang topped a field of 70, overcoming Alison Gray in heads-up.
Elisa Nakagawa claimed her first WSOP ring in Event #18: $400 Bay Area Closer. Nakagawa outlasted a field of 150 entries before defeating four-time circuit ring winner Brett Murray in the heads-up.
The next stop is the WSOP Circuit in Horseshoe Council Bluffs, which runs from September 5 to 16. It comes with a $1,700 buy-in Main Event and provides plenty of opportunities to shine and win big.
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Image & hands courtesy: WSOP
