Grant Hinkle Wins WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event ($375,427)
World Series of Poker bracelet winner Grant Hinkle has added another trophy to his collection. He bagged a gold WSOP Circuit ring and $375,427 in prize money for winning the WSOP Circuit Choctaw $1,675 Main Event in a field of 1,451 players.
It's Hinkle's second six-figure score inside of five months in the state of Oklahoma. Back in September, at nearby WinStar Casino, Hinkle banked $207,669 as part of a five-way chop of the River Poker Series Main Event.
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant Hinkle | Overland Park, KS | $375,427 |
| 2 | John Patterson | San Antonio, TX | $232,866 |
| 3 | Shino Fujiwara | Austin, TX | $170,659 |
| 4 | DJ Alexander | Houston, TX | $129,741 |
| 5 | Austin Peck | Allen, TX | $98,770 |
| 6 | Viet Vo | Pearland, TX | $76,069 |
| 7 | Allan Hedin | Evergreen, CO | $59,266 |
| 8 | John Richards | Roxana, IL | $46,708 |
| 9 | Will Berry | Norman, OK | $37,240 |
The event carried a guarantee of $1 million that was easily surpassed with a prize pool of nearly $2.2 million. Maxx Coleman, David "ODB" Baker, Josh Reichard, Jason Strasser, Andy Philachack, Josh Turner, Nick Pupillo, Ray Qartomy, Jonathan Gaviao and Justin Gardenhire were some of the players eliminated en route to the final table.
According to the live updates, Hinkle was in dire straits just before the final table after he ran jacks into the queens of John Patterson. Hinkle shipped his short stack in from the button with 7♣3♠ and managed to hit a straight to double through Will Berry, who put him at risk with Q♦J♠.
Berry nonetheless advanced to the official final table for the second year in a row, but he couldn't better last year's fourth-place run as he busted ninth in a race with Viet Vo.
After John Richards went out eighth, Hinkle prevailed in another preflop all-in pot, this time with his king-queen hitting a queen on the turn against Vo's tens. That was the start of a slide for Vo, who busted in sixth after Allan Hedin got seventh.
Just before that, though, Hinkle took a crucial pot in a four-way checkdown that saw 8♣7♣7♥K♣6♦ the board. The Kansas City native finally bet the river for 400,000 into a pot of over 1 million, only to see Austin Peck make it 1.6 million to go on a check-raise from the blinds. Hinkle called and his 5♦4♠ was good against pocket nines. Hinkle finished Peck off in fifth with A♦9♦ against A♣5♠.
Patterson held with nines against DJ Alexander's ace-jack to send him out in fourth.
Hinkle experienced a setback when his A♦8♦ couldn't hold against the A♣5♠ of Shino Fujiwara as the latter found four spades on the board, but Fujiwara couldn't keep it going and ended up busting in third.
That left Hinkle and Patterson battling for the ring with Hinkle holding the chip lead. Patterson moved into the lead with an early double when he completed with A♣J♣ and Hinkle raised in the big blind with K♦Q♠. Patterson shoved all in for around 20 big blinds and got the double when neither player improved.
Hinkle took a decisive lead when the two saw a 10♥6♦6♠ flop for a raise and Hinkle check-shoved holding ace-ten. Patterson called with pocket eights but saw Hinkle turn him dead with another ten and 24.5 million of the 27 million in play was pushed to Hinkle.
With that monstrous lead, it didn't take long for Hinkle to finish the job, grabbing his first WSOP Circuit ring. However, he still has work to do if he wants to catch his brother — Blair Hinkle has three circuit rings to his name.
“It’s nice to get one on the board," Grant said to WSOP staff after the win.
Photo courtesy of WSOP
