Following Dan Lowery’s narrow miss at setting a new record, Ari Engel won his 17th career World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) event, cementing his place as a luminary in the Canadian poker fraternity. This latest victory boosts Engel’s winning total and widens the gap between him and his other very competitive competitors, Maurice Hawkins, Josh Reichard, and Lowery, each of whom has 15 wins in their careers.
Lowery had just won the live tournament at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina, where he took the Monster Stack for $400 and defeated 3,577 competitors to collect $148,416. This was the sawmill owner’s fifth Circuit triumph in less than a year, placing him very near to Engel’s record.
Engel recently achieved success at WSOPC Michigan Event #11. Specifically, he prevailed in the $500 No-Limit Hold ’em Big 500 8-Max event, which required him to repurchase after overcoming a couple of setbacks. Despite this, he emerged victorious with two re-entries out of a total of 76 participants, including his multiple entries in the rebuy tournament. Despite Engel’s denial regarding the significance of the relatively small group of 48 unique players who participated in the tournament, his $9,778 victory is still a significant career accomplishment, as it further solidifies the milestones he has accumulated on the WSOPC.
In the ultimate finale, Engel prevailed over “rush783” to earn his 17th bracelet, which was valued at $6,388. Kevin “Mcleskey” McLeskey secured the top three positions and was awarded $4,170. In addition to reaching the final table, World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet-winning Ryan “MagicJohnson” Hiller finished in sixth place for $1,703.
According to the poker news, the competition for the WSOPC ring count lead has become considerably more intense over the course of the previous year. Hawkins initially established a new standard of 15 rings, but Engel surpassed him by attaining his 16th one during the period from July to October. Lowery and Reichard vied for the lead during the intense competition, each attaining their fifteenth ring and an unprecedented level of intrigue on the leaderboard.
The poker community is on edge as it awaits whether Engel will maintain his record or whether a dark horse player, Lowery, Hawkins, Reichard, or someone else will leapfrog him in 2024, shocking the standings and writing a new chapter in the history of the World Series of Poker Circuit.
