The 2022 World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma had a $1,700 price tag and attracted 1,411 runners with a prize pool worth $2.1 million. Quan Tran was the last player standing and he banked $336,412 after outlasting a final table that also included bracelet winner Rick Alvarado, Rual Garza, Jessica Vierling, Hayden Fortini, Nate Steuer, Jonathan Bennett, Justin Coliny, and Richard Bennett.
The World Series of Poker Circuit continued their 2021-22 season with the latest stop in Oklahoma. The Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma hosted the first WSOP Circuit series of the new calendar year, which began on January 5 over two weeks ago. There's 13 events on the docket this year in addition to two Senior's event and a Ladies event. Of course, the Main Event is what everyone wanted to win because it is one of the cooler tournaments on the regional circuit.
The 2022 WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event had a $1,700 buy-in. A total of 1,411 entrants took a shot this year. Only the top 213 places earned a cut out of the $2,137,665 prize pool.
Only 16 players were remaining at the end of Day 2 and Jessica Vierling bagged the lead. Bracelet winner Brian Green was one of the most notable player among the final two tables. He failed to advance to the final table after a quickie elimination at the onset of Day 3.
Quan Tran went to work right away and he knocked out four players to seize the chip lead, which held on to by the time the final table rolled around.
The final table of nine included Quan Tran, Rual Garza, Jessica Vierling, Hayden Fortini, Nate Steuer, Jonathan Bennett, Rick Alvarado, Justin Coliny, and Richard Bennett. Yup, two guys named Bennett made the final table, but neither won.
Richard Bennett and Justin Coliny were among the first eliminations at the final table hit the road early. Bennett's Ace-Queen was no match against Tran's seven-five suited after Tran flopped bottom pair, which held up. With eight to go, Coliny flopped top two pair with Ace-King but got ambushed by Garza's flopped devilish set of sixes.
Rick Alvarado is no stranger to the winner's circle, but the bracelet winner saw his tournament life end in seventh place when he ran into Jessica Vierling's pocket Aces. Alvarado added $73,224 to his bankroll.
Jonathan Bennett busted in sixth place, which paid out $73,224, but he was the last Bennett standing.
Nate Steuer clashed with Nate Stuer in a couple of pots and dusted off all his chips to bust in fifth place, which paid out a shade under $94K.
With four to go... it was Quan Tran, Rual Garza, Jessican Vierlin, and Hayden Fortini vying for the ring and small mound of cash.
Fortini was picked off in fourth place in an unusual hand. He got it all in with Ac
against Tran's Ad
. And you guessed it... Tran four-flushed Fortini. Tran flopped a nut-flush draw with three diamonds on the board, and he got there on the turn. Fortini headed to the rail losing with Big Slick vs Big Slick. He banked $121,449 for the first six-figure score at the final table.
Jessica Vierling saw her majestic run end in third place when her Queen-eight lost to Tran's Queen-nine. Rough. Outkicked by the 
. Vierling earned a third-place score worth $158,286. Her elimination set up a heads-up joust between Rual Garza and Quan Tran. However, the two did not fight for very long because their battle lasted just one hand. Garza was outchipped by Tran heading into heads up.
On a flop of 
, Tran moved all in. Garza tank-called with pocket treys hoping that he was ahead of Tran's draw. Alas, Tran tabled a pair of sevens, which held up. Rual Garza earned $207,928 for a second-place finish. Not too shabby, eh?
Quan Tran banked $336,412 for his victory in the Choctaw Main Event. He also won a coveted gold ring and a freeroll into the end of the season 2022 Tournament of Champions.
Notable players who went deep at the WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event included... Brian Green, Yoann Gimenez, David the Dragon Pham, Max Young, Sean Lee, Rob Miller, Tony Nguyen, John Land, Tony Garcia, Nick Pupillo, Aaron Ang, Jeff Banghart, Vincent Moscati, Brett Murray, and Craig Varnell.
2022 WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event
Buy-in: $1,700
Entrants: 1,411
Prize Pool: $2,137,665
Payouts: 213
Final Table Results:
1. Quan Tran $336,412
2. Rual Garza $207,928
3. Jessica Vierling $158,286
4. Hayden Fortini $121,449
5. Nate Steuer $93,926
6. Jonathan Bennett $73,224
7. Rick Alvarado $57,547
8. Justin Coliny $45,595
9. Richard Bennett $36,423
