The busy 2024 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) keeps on trucking, with the WSOPC Grand Victoria wrapping up in Elgin, Illinois.
The event was hosted by the Grand Victoria Casino, an iconic Caesars-owned riverboat casino on the Fox River and awarded 19 rings across eleven days of poker. The most important of these events was the $1,700-buyin Main Event.
The Main Event attracted 606 runners, putting $918,090 in the prize pool and $173,593 up top. The Main Event ring is staying in Illinois with Chicago resident Kevin Andriamehefa taking the tourney down. David Kowal from nearby Saint Charles, put up a good fight in the heads-up phase, but ultimately came up a short.
Andriamahefa replaces respected pro Stephen Song as the incumbent champ.
WSOPC Grand Victoria Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Andriamahefa | Chicago, IL | $173,593 |
| 2 | David Kowal | Saint Charles, IL | $107,290 |
| 3 | Brett Reichard | Janesville, WI | $78,458 |
| 4 | Daniel Aloia | Carol Stream, IL | $58,127 |
| 5 | Sye Hickey | Nashville, TN | $43,637 |
| 6 | Grad Zbigniew | Chicago, IL | $33,201 |
| 7 | Joseph Elpayaa | Forest Park, IL | $26,606 |
| 8 | Michael Estes | Chicago, IL | $20,022 |
| 9 | Dylan Wilkerson | San Fransisco, CA | $15,876 |
The Main Event final table was a local reunion with Illinois-based professional and recreational players outnumbering the out-of-staters. Brett Reichard of Wisconsin took the most money back across state lines with his third-place finish of $78,458.
Andriamahefa has a solid record on the tables with ten high-profile final tables on series like the WPT, PCA, and Aussie Millions. However, this was the first time he made it all the way to first place. As a result, his WSOPC Grand Victoria Main Event win is his most prestigious (and most lucrative) live tournament finish to date.
While plenty of players won their first WSOPC rings at this year’s series in Grand Victoria, there were a few second-timers as well.
Most notably, Courtney Kim duplicated her performance from February’s WSOPC Cherokee ladies event by taking down the WSOP Grand Victoria Event #14: $250 Ladies Event.
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Meanwhile, Frank Swierczynski took home two rings from this series alone. His first was in Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Max where he won $71,610 for first place. His second came in the penultimate Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo where he beat 121 other players to add another $39,930 to his pile.
The WSOP Circuit is headed to its next stop at the Horseshoe Tunica in Tunica, Mississippi. That event opens on Thursday, April 18 and will run until April 29. The WSOPC Horseshoe Tunica will feature a $1,700 Main Event starting on April 26, 2024.
2024 WSOPC Grand Victoria Ring Winners
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSOPC Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 30K Opener | 467 | $154,100 | Imran Sajwani | Prospect Heights, IL | $30,240 |
| WSOPC Event #2: $600 No-Limit Hold’em | 1,138 | $586,070 | John Wilson | King of Prussia, PA | $93,986 |
| WSOPC Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 301 | $99,330 | Guillermo De La Vega | Mexico City, Mexico | $21,889 |
| WSOPC Event #4: $400 Seniors Event | 534 | $172,920 | Kevin Will | Germantown, WI | $32,955 |
| WSOPC Event #5: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty | 144 | $100,800 | Jason Calvert | Chicago, IL | $27,033 |
| WSOPC Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Max | 217 | $71,610 | Frank Swierczynski | Plainfield, IL | $17,210 |
| WSOPC Event #7: $600 No-Limit Hold’em | 98 | $50,470 | Christopher Bucceri | Laingsburg, MI | $14,804 |
| WSOPC Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | 830 | $273,900 | Jeremy Drewery | Arlington, TN | $47,231 |
| WSOPC Event #9: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 185 | $61,050 | Mohammad Affaneh | Lockport, IL | $15,003 |
| WSOPC Event #10: $400 No Limit Hold’em | 130 | $42,900 | Amit Srivastava | South Barrington, IL | $11,602 |
| WSOPC Event #11: $1,700 Main Event | 606 | $918,090 | Kevin Andriamahefa | Chicago, IL | $173,593 |
| WSOPC Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 174 | $57,420 | David Shin | Northbrook, IL | $14,263 |
| WSOPC Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 208 | $68,640 | Ryan Mazurkiewicz | Tampa, FL | $16,266 |
| WSOPC Event #14: $250 Ladies Event | 155 | $31,000 | Courtney Kim | Charlotte, NC | $7,961 |
| WSOPC Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 226 | $74,580 | Ian Behr | Rockford, IL | $17,362 |
| WSOPC Event #16: $400 Seniors Event | 478 | $157,740 | Spiro Lempesis | Elgin, IL | $30,830 |
| WSOPC Event #17: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | 49 | $98,000 | Dimitre Dimitrov | Elk Grove Village, IL | $34,081 |
| WSOPC Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo | 121 | $39,930 | Frank Swierczynski | Plainfield, IL | $10,940 |
| WSOPC Event #19: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack | 324 | $106,920 | Alex Rivera | Hamburg, NY | $23,160 |
*Feature image courtesy WSOPC