Sabbaghian Denies Persky Back-to-Back Victories in WSOPC Graton Main Event
Last year, Michael Persky became the first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Graton champion by taking down the Main Event for $175,595. One year later, Persky came close to winning back-to-back titles with a deep run in this year's $1,700 Main Event as he finished fourth for $54,475 to be denied a third Circuit ring by fellow Californian Sasha Sabbaghian.
Sabbaghian came out on top to win a career-best $168,015 and his first Circuit ring, but it isn't the first major victory in the region for the Granite Bay grinder. In September 2021, Sabbaghian chopped the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Thunder Valley Main Event for $40,485.
Sabbaghian defeated heads-up opponent Mitchell Tsang, while the final table also included two-time bracelet winner Marco Johnson (6th - $28,557) and Bob Mather (5th - $39,067), who has likely been getting some help from his poker coach wife, Lexy Gavin-Mather, as he looked for a second Circuit ring in Thunder Valley after winning one in 2018.
Read More About the WSOPC Graton Stop!
WSOPC Graton Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sasha Sabbaghian | Granite Bay, CA | $168,015 |
| 2 | Mitchell Tsang | San Francisco, CA | $112,010 |
| 3 | Peter Yang | N/A | $77,399 |
| 4 | Michael Persky | Novato, CA | $54,475 |
| 5 | Bob Mather | Las Vegas, NV | $39,067 |
| 6 | Marco Johnson | Walnut Creek, CA | $28,557 |
| 7 | Dan Casetta | Los Gatos, CA | $21,286 |
| 8 | Elizabeth Tedder | Newberg, OR | $16,184 |
| 9 | Francis Nguyen | Rancho Cordova, CA | $12,557 |
The WSOPC Graton stop consisted of 18 ring events that generated $2.5 million in prize money. PokerNews highlighted some of the earlier winners in the series, including software engineer Andreas Kniep, who finally won a piece of WSOP hardware as he took down Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed for $15,907.
Kniep is best known for some of his televised moments at the WSOP, and the same could be said of another Graton ring winner, Pat Lyons. The eccentric Californian bracelet winner took down Event #16: $3,250 High Roller for $36,447 and his second Circuit ring.
Lyons has also had plenty of success away from the World Series, including a career year in 2016 that saw him winning the Arizona State Poker Championship for $241,700 and the World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker for $615,346.
Other ring winners in Graton include William Sandberg (Event #6: $400 Monster Stack - $33,180), Johnny Bromberg (Event #9: $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em - $29,340), Ira Berry (Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - $16,878) and Elisa Nakagawa, who finished out the series with a victory in Event #18: $400 The Bay Area Closer for $12,414.
Next up for the WSOP Circuit is a stop in Horseshoe Council Bluffs from Sept. 5-16 that will include a $1,700 buy-in Main Event.
A full list of ring winners at the WSOPC Graton stop is available in the table below.
2024 WSOP Circuit Graton Ring Winners
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $400 Big 30K Stack Kickoff | 311 | $102,630 | Frank Chavez | Sacramento, CA | $21,762 |
| Event #2: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack | 1,131 | $582,465 | Daniel Hughes | Fair Oaks, CA | $86,857 |
| Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Mega Stack | 333 | $109,890 | Lev Saakov | San Francisco, CA | $22,901 |
| Event #4: $400 Seniors Event | 201 | $66,330 | Charles Himes | Santa Rosa, CA | $15,738 |
| Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | 120 | $61,800 | Andreas Kniep | San Francisco, CA | $15,907 |
| Event #6: $400 Monster Stack | 555 | $183,180 | William Sandberg | San Francisco, CA | $33,180 |
| Event #7: $400 Limit Omaha 8 | 90 | $29,700 | Manju Gera | Diamond Bar, CA | $8,327 |
| Event #8: $400 H.O.R.S.E. | 73 | $7,091 | Rocky Paradise | Walnut Creek, CA | $7,091 |
| Event #9: $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em | 114 | $114,000 | Johnny Bromberg | Los Angeles, CA | $29,340 |
| Event #10: $400 Pot-Limit Big O | 84 | $27,720 | Willie Smith | Little River, CA | $7,851 |
| Event #11: $400 Ladies Event | 70 | $23,100 | Eva Huang | N/A | $6,800 |
| Event #12: $1,700 Main Event | 580 | $877,185 | Sasha Sabbaghian | Granite Bay, CA | $168,015 |
| Event #13: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 68 | $22,440 | Adam Curchack | Petaluma, CA | $6,607 |
| Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 140 | $46,200 | Corey Rogers | San Francisco, CA | $11,366 |
| Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 221 | $72,930 | Ira Berry | Turlock, CA | $16,878 |
| Event #16: $3,250 High Roller | 29 | $102,000 | Pat Lyons | Hillsborough, CA | $36,447 |
| Event #17: $250 Seniors Event | 194 | $39,200 | Michael Coleman | Carmichael, CA | $9,037 |
| Event #18: $400 The Bay Area Closer | 150 | $49,500 | Elisa Nakagawa | San Jose, CA | $12,414 |
*Photos courtesy WSOPC
