After taking down the $400 Monster Stack for $148,416 at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina on Thursday, Dan Lowery is now just one World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring away from tying the all-time record.
The sawmill owner from Arkansas claimed his 15th Circuit event, moving into a second place tie with Maurice Hawkins and Josh Reichard. Ari Engel leads the way with 16, a record he snatched away from Hawkins in October.
Lowery is Unstoppable
Entering 2023, Lowery had 10 Circuit rings to his name, putting him among the Circuit’s all-time greats. But he’d go on to have his best year ever, posting four WSOPC tournament wins, and that doesn’t even include a $394,636 score for taking down a $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Seniors event in December.
He picked up another win, his 15th Circuit ring, on Thursday, beating James Willey heads up for the title. The runner-up received $91,745 as a consolation prize. Jason Isbell took third place for $69,574 in a field of 3,577 entrants. David Moses, David Jackson, Darren Rabinowitz, and Steven Buckner all reached the money.
Harrah’s Cherokee $400 Monster Stack Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Lowery | $148,416 | |
| 2 | James Willey | $91,745 | |
| 3 | Jason Isbell | $69,574 | |
| 4 | Mark Hickman | $53,220 | |
| 5 | Richard Ali | $41,067 | |
| 6 | Lorenzo Bassette | $31,969 | |
| 7 | Scott Davis | $25,109 | |
| 8 | William Baskin | $19,899 | |
| 9 | Mario Hudson | $15,913 |
Lowery now has $3.4 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. Equally impressive, he’s only one Circuit ring away from tying the all-time record.
The race for the top spot heated up last year with Hawkins setting the record (15) in May at Harrah’s Cherokee. Engel then went on a heater, winning number 13 in July, followed by 14 and 15 in consecutive days in August, before overtaking Hawkins in October.
Lowery then captured his 14th ring in August two days after Engel reached 15. Reichard then came to within one of Engel in November, and now Lowery is one off the lead in a three-way tie for second place.
The race to the top isn’t just a four player battle, however. Valentin Vornicu, who previously held the record, isn’t far back with 13 Circuit rings after having won his first WSOPC event in five years last October. There are 12 players in history in possession of at least 10 rings.