Texas Grinder on Wild Heater Wins WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event for $232,680
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Last November, Texas poker player Winston Djonli had around $72,000 in poker earnings. Several deep runs and one World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Main Event victory later, Djonli has grown that number to $453,479 after an impressive two-month heater.
Djonli's hot streak began in late November 2025 when he finished 13th in a $1,200 buy-in event on the Texas Card House Trailblazer Poker Tour for a career-best $7,060. It was a short-lived high score as Djonli went on to cash the $10,000 WPT World Championship in Las Vegas the next month for $25,000.
The Texan ended the festival with a runner-up finish in a $3,000 buy-in event that earned him $115,682. And now, he has tasted victory and secured another career-high score by winning the WSOPC Choctaw Main Event for $232,680.
Winston Finds Victory
The WSOPC stop at Choctaw Casino Resort in Oklahoma consisted of 18 ring events, drawing hundreds of players and awarding well over $2 million in prize money.
The stop, which ran Jan. 8-9, culminated with the $1,700 buy-in Main Event that drew 922 runners for a prize pool of $1.2 million, surpassing the $1 million guarantee.
This week, Djonli defeated heads-up opponent Matthew Barnett, while the final table also included Venkat Nagabha (3rd - $107,360), Chris Vickrey (4th - $75,700) and Kenneth Lemer (5th - $54,360).
2026 WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winston Djonli | United States | $232,680 |
| 2 | Matthew Barnett | United States | $155,010 |
| 3 | Venkat Nagabha | United States | $107,360 |
| 4 | Chris Vickrey | United States | $75,700 |
| 5 | Kenneth Lemer | United States | $54,360 |
| 6 | Dustin Schoonover | United States | $399,770 |
| 7 | Jeremy Kennon | United States | $29,650 |
| 8 | Todd Tucker | United States | $22,540 |
| 9 | Alejandro Reynoso | United States | $17,470 |
WSOPC Choctaw kicked off with William Hesser winning Event #1: $500 Monster Stack NLH for $41,310 and wrapped up with Srinivasa Vadlamudi taking down Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold’em for $20,530.
The biggest winner other than Djonli was Jason Royman, who took down Event #13: $500 No-Limit Hold’em for $38,800.
Other players who picked up Circuit rings in Choctaw include Gregg Merkow (Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack - $21,990), Eric Bunch (Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - $18,880) and Cammie Allen, who won the $250 Ladies Event that also had content creator Ashley Frank at the final table.
A full list of ring winners at the WSOP Circuit Choctaw stop is available in the table below.
WSOP Circuit Choctaw Ring Winners
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $500 Monster Stack NLH | 545 | $177,320 | William Hesser | United States | $41,310 |
| Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 146 | $48,180 | Lisa Schuessler | United States | $12,380 |
| Event #3: $500 Big O | 158 | $66,360 | Glen Goldsmith | United States | $16,530 |
| Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack | 312 | $102,960 | Gregg Merkow | United States | $21,990 |
| Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Black Chip Bounty | 169 | $38,870 | Daryle Cuherpin | United States | $9,550 |
| Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 334 | $110,220 | Daniel Butler | United States | $23,220 |
| Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 197 | $65,010 | Michael Slate | United States | $15,270 |
| Event #8: $250 No-Limit Hold’em Seniors | TBD | TBD | Jeffrey Whittle | United States | $23,310 |
| Event #9: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | TBD | TBD | Charles Deatherage | United States | $11,970 |
| Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 40/40/40 | TBD | TBD | James Williams | United States | $29,880 |
| Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max | 196 | $64,680 | Jeffery Sowell | United States | $15,270 |
| Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack | TBD | TBD | Connor Steinbrook | United States | $22,010 |
| Event #13: $500 No-Limit Hold’em | TBD | TBD | Jason Royman | United States | $38,800 |
| Event #14: $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event | 922 | $1,250,630 | Winston Djonli | United States | $232,680 |
| Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 252 | 83160 | Eric Bunch | United States | $18,880 |
| Event #16: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | 428 | 141240 | Daxton Alexander | United States | $27,660 |
| Event #17: $250 No-Limit Hold’em Ladies Event | 157 | 31400 | Cammie Allen | United States | $7,920 |
| Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | TBD | TBD | Srinivasa Vadlamudi | United States | $20,530 |
*Photo courtesy of WSOP Circuit
