Gordon Wilcox Wins WSOPC Foxwoods Main Event

August 27, 2018

The World Series of Poker Circuit wrapped up its second event of the 2018-19 season, and Gordon Wilcox emerged triumphant to claim his first Circuit ring and $169,052 in prize money in the $1,700 Main Event.

Wilcox made it through a field of 519 and held the chip lead the whole way through the final day of play. The win is worth more than triple Wilcox's previous career cashes of about $54,000.

Official Final Table Results

The tournament paid out 54 places and sported a prize pool over $786,000. Samuel Taylor, Roland Israelashvili, Dave Stefanski, Randy Pisane, Todd Rebello and two-time Circuit ring winner Nick Pupillo were among those making it into the money but busting out before the final table.

Pupillo appeared to be in great shape to get there but took a nasty beat when his aces lost to K♦10♦ during the final two tables, according to the live updates, and he didn't recover.

Meanwhile, Wilcox grabbed the chip lead when he coolered Giuliano Lentini with aces over kings for a pot worth 120 big blinds. He then picked up the blades again to bust Shane Howeth in 10th — Howeth flopped a set of tens all in preflop but Wilcox found an ace on the river — and took the chip lead into the final day with just eight players remaining.

Final Table Action

It took nearly 50 hands for an elimination on Day 3, but Wilcox finally all but busted Justin Carey making the nut flush with A♦K♦ and getting a river raise paid. Carey's last few blinds were gone moments later. Carey had won his first ring earlier in the series.

The player with the most poker accomplishments at the final table was Dylan Wilkerson, and the WPT champ and two-time ring winner — both in Circuit Mains — scored the next knockout when ace-five held against the shove of a short-stacked Sean Kelly, who had king-ten.

Wilcox then busted Manny Okrah when the latter shoved for 15 big blinds and Wilcox called with king-queen in the big blind. Okrah was leading with ace-eight but saw a king fall on the river to doom him and keep Wilcox north of 150 big blinds.

Wilkerson then put himself in position to take control of the tournament. He barreled twice and shoved all in over a Wilcox check-raise on 6♠5♦4♣3♣. Wilkerson held the nuts with 8♠7♠ and Wilcox needed help with 5♥4♥, having committed about half of his massive stack. He got there when the 4♦ hit to relegate Wilkerson to a disappointing fifth.

It would be some time before the next bustout as short stacks doubled numerous times. Finally, 119 hands into the final day, a short-stacked Dan Chalifour fell when A♦10♦ didn't hold against the K♦9♦ of Lentini.

Jason Bolton took most of Lentini's chips in a flip right after that though, and Wilcox finished him off a bit later. Wilcox had about a 5-1 chip lead and over 150 big blinds heads up, so Bolton certainly had his work cut out for him.

Bolton wouldn't make much headway over the next 30 or so hands, and he finally found himself all in and at risk when he shoved about 20 big blinds holding ace-six only to have Wilcox wake up with ace-nine and call. The flop brought a nine and Bolton went to collect his own six-figure payday after missing his backdoor straight.

Here's a look at all of the ring winners in Foxwoods:

_{Photo courtesy of WSOP}

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