Matthew Higgins emerged victorious in the World Series of Poker Circuit main event at the Horseshoe Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi, winning his fifth WSOPC ring, $167,058 and a seat in the Casino Global Championship. The victory marked his fifth six-figure score and took his earnings close to $1.75 million.
“This is ring five. We had control for most of the day, we caught a very friendly punt early in the day that gave me the lead over everybody,” said Higgins shortly after the massive victory to reporters.
The $1,700 buy-in tournament drew 568 entries over two flights and generated $791,673 in prize pool. The top 60 players made the money with a min-cash worth $3,356. Some notables among them were Daniel Lowery (11th), Spencer Champlin (15th), Jared Ingles (16th) & Maurice Hawkins (30th).
The final day saw just six players return for a shot at the tournament title. Higgins started the day with the second largest stack. He took out Marty Martin in sixth place to take the chip lead. He never relinquished the chip lead and took out B.J. MacBrayer in third place to take that lead into the heads-up. Higgins extended his lead against Dale Roesel after taking down a crucial pot.
Finally, it was all over with the money getting in the middle between the final two contenders. Higgins had Q-3 offsuit against the suited 8-4 of Roesel. Higgins flopped a queen pair, which was enough for him to win the title. Roesel took home $103,248 as the runner-up, propelling his live career earnings close to $1.3 million.
Final Table Payouts (USD)
- Matt Higgins – $167,058
- Dale Roesel – $103,248
- BJ McBrayer – $74,743
- Ronnie Taylor – $54,898
- Richard Hines – $40,919
- Marty Martin – $30,958
The next stop on the WSOP Circuit schedule begins on February 1 at the Harrah’s Pompano Beach in Florida. The key highlight will be a $1,700 buy-in main event that runs from February 8 to 12.
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Image Credit: WSOP Circuit/Horsehoe Tunica
