Maria Konnikova showcased her exceptional poker skills by winning her first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit event on Thursday, earning a WSOPC gold ring and $57,532. Renowned as a poker player and the author of The Biggest Bluff, she bested a field of 504 entries to take down the $525 WSOPC Online Main Event, held on WSOP.com and accessible to players in New Jersey and Nevada. Beyond the top prize, the victory earned her a ticket to the coveted WSOP Tournament of Champions this summer.
Konnikova overcame a stacked final table featuring WSOP bracelet winner Desmond Haynes (third for $23,217, his second-highest score on WSOP), WPT Prime Championship winner Calvin Anderson (fourth for $16,834), and Jason Pew placing runner-up for $35,456, just shy of his first WSOPC title.
The win marked Konnikova’s second-highest career score, and it comes over a year after her appearance at the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, where she finished seventh in the BSOP Bahamas Main Event for $13,650 before her 30th-place finish for $38,900 in PCA Main Event in 2023. However, this was not her first live poker title as this talented female poker player had also won a PCA National event for $84,600 back in January 2018. The same year, she had also notched up $57,519 for her runner-up finish in an event at the APPT Macau.
WSOP Online Circuit Main Event Top 10 Payouts:
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Maria “konnster” Konnikova | $57,532 |
| 2 | Jason “TruthChronic” Pew | $35,456 |
| 3 | Desmond “Deezz_Nutzz” Haynes | $23,217 |
| 4 | Calvin “projector52” Anderson | $16,834 |
| 5 | Adam ”PHsGoldShoes” Hendrix | $11,945 |
| 6 | David “pmtbmusic” Woodley | $8,618 |
| 7 | Joseph “ShoeGoat” Walters | $6,350 |
| 8 | Michael “Thank_A_Vet” Raynor | $4,763 |
| 9 | Mark “Liquidsword” Twilligear | $3,654 |
| 10 | Daniel “Posterized” Marcus | $2,848 |
Image Credit: WPT
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