Erik Gorman Wins WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Main Event ($260,480)
The World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee $1,700 Main Event is now history and taking home the top prize of $260,480 was Erik Gorman, who topped a field of a smooth 1,000 entries to win his first gold ring.
Donning his Baltimore Ravens apparel throughout his run, the Maryland resident captured the ring after he had come close on a few other occasions, particularly in 2014 when he finished third in the same tournament. This win more than doubles his career WSOP earnings, adding $260,480 to his previous total of $216,606.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
| 1 | Erik Gorman | Maryland | $260,480 |
| 2 | Hannah Guthrie | Montgomery, AL | $160,978 |
| 3 | Michael Kassem | Kingsport, TN | $120,770 |
| 4 | Ryan Jones | Burlington, NC | $91,459 |
| 5 | Fikret Kovac | Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina | $69,920 |
| 6 | Kyle Cartwright | Bartlett, TN | $53,968 |
| 7 | Marshall White | Boone, NC | $42,058 |
| 8 | Ken Aldridge | Pleasant Garden, NC | $33,098 |
| 9 | Randall Rothwell | Dayton, TN | $26,304 |
| 10 | Spencer Champlin | Scarborough, ME | $21,114 |
Road to Title
It was a classic worst-to-first story as Gorman began the day dead last in chips out of the returning 15 players. However, on the second and fourth hands of the day he immediately shot his stack up toward the top. That quickly changed his perspective moving forward on the day.
“Yeah. Those two hands were sick. I was like, I have a chance now,” he said after the win.
Gorman would remain among the chip leaders for the rest of the day, helped in large part by the hand he identified as a key one to help him win. It happened when Kyle Cartwright shipped pocket nines right into Gorman's pocket aces with two tables remaining. Gorman battled his way down to the final table and from there played solid poker, often maneuvering his way to getting the best of his competitors during short-handed play.
After beginning heads up almost even in chips, Gorman found himself whittled down to a 3:1 chip disadvantage against Hannah Guthrie. That is when a bit of good fortune would save Gorman when he got it in behind on the turn, his two pair up against a flush. The river filled up his boat to give him the dramatic survival. He would take down the title just a couple of hands later.
Action of the Day
Outside of Gorman’s victory, the story of the day was Guthrie, a player out of Alabama. A newcomer with only three modest cashes previously, she was able to navigate her way through the sea of monsters that the final day offered to find herself on the cusp of the title and eventually the second-place finish for a whopping $160,978.
That sea of monsters came in the form of many of the Circuit's most well known and most successful players. Last December’s Cherokee champion Jake Bazeley’s attempt to go back-to-back ended quickly as he was eliminated in 14th place.
The bust outs would continue until the final table was reached where a total of 16 WSOP circuit rings and two WSOP bracelets were represented. The owner of two of those circuit rings, Spencer Champlin, was the first player to bite the dust at the final table when he was eliminated in 10th place. After Randall Rothwell bowed out in ninth, WSOP bracelet winner Ken Aldridge fell in eighth place. Marshall White’s elimination in seventh place would see the ring total reduced by another four.
The most decorated player at the final table with eight circuit rings and one bracelet was Cartwright, who was eliminated in sixth place leaving two-time circuit ring winner Ryan Jones as the only player remaining with a previous ring. When Jones was eliminated in fourth place it guaranteed there would be a new ring winner. Michael Kassem’s elimination in third place set up the aforementioned heads-up battle that saw Gorman conquer the loaded field.
WSOPC Harrah's Cherokee Ring Winners
Here's a look at all those who captured rings at Harrah's Cherokee:
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $250 NLH Double Stack | 323 | $64,600 | Lenol Clark | $14,378 |
| Event #2: $400 NLH Multi-Flight | 2,249 | $741,840 | Ray Langston | $96,921 |
| Event #3: $400 NLH Turbo | 552 | $182,160 | Sam Cynamon | $35,304 |
| Seniors Event #1: $250 NLH | 1,006 | $201,200 | Carol Porter | $34,534 |
| Event #4: $600 NLH | 393 | $202,395 | Todd Mercer | $42,907 |
| Event #5: $400 NLH 6-Max | 634 | $209,220 | Josh Johnson | $40,330 |
| Event #6: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha | 287 | $147,805 | Joey Fabre | $33,837 |
| Event #7: $400 Monster Stack | 1,193 | $633,930 | Leif Force | $97,676 |
| Event #8: $1,125 NLH | 267 | $267,000 | Todd Mercer | $62,282 |
| Event #9: $400 NLH | 333 | $109,890 | Aria Homayounnejad | $24,330 |
| Event #10: $1,700 Main Event | 1,000 | $1,515,000 | Erik Gorman | $260,480 |
| Event #11: $400 NLH Turbo | 350 | $115,500 | Taylor Williams | $25,184 |
| Event #12: $400 NLH Turbo | 438 | $144,540 | Jaeyoung Wi | $29,755 |
| Seniors Event #2: $250 NLH | 576 | $115,200 | Michael Gunning | $22,057 |
| Event #13: $400 NLH Double Stack | 471 | $155,430 | Ricardo Eyzaguiree | $31,386 |
Thanks to winning two events and two other small cashes for $106,421 in earnings, Todd Mercer was crowned the WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Casino Champion with 105 points. That meant the three-time ring winner won a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.
That does it for the PokerNews coverage of the WSOPc Main Event in Cherokee. However, we're currently offering live updates from the WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino $1,700 Main Event, which is happening now Follow that tournament here.