Heads-Up Players Agree to Winner-Take-All Deal in WSOP Circuit Event
Mehmet Siginc took home CA$40,545 (approximately USD $29,000) for winning a $600 NLH/PLO event during the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) series in Calgary, even though first-place money was only worth CA$24,580.
The tournament didn't involve a bounty component, so all the money he won came from the main prize pool, which hit $106,101 with 31 places paid. If you're scratching your head trying to figure out how Siginc collected more than the maximum payout for winning the tournament in a non-bounty event, it was due to a “gentleman's agreement," the champion told PokerNews.
Crazy Heads-Up Deal
Amir Khan busted in third place for CA$10,692 in the NLH/PLO event at Deerfoot Inn & Casino. That left Signinc and his friend Nicholas Lee, both Canadians, to battle it out for the ring. Both players were WSOP Circuit ring winners already, and both have six-figure live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
The heads-up match was a fair fight with stacks close to even in size. It was anyone's game, and each player has won numerous poker tournaments in the past. But the final two players decided to make a deal that was unique and quite risky. They didn't go for a standard ICM chop or a chip chop, nor did they agree to just split the money evenly.
Instead, they agreed that the winner would receive both first and second-place money, and the runner-up would go home with nothing. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) doesn't typically facilitate chops, something the poker world learned this past summer during the Millionaire Maker event. But this wasn't technically a chop. It was more of a risky mutual gamble.
"He is just my friend. It was a gentleman's agreement," Signinc said.
Signinc would go on to take a massive chip lead during heads-up play — around 15:1 in chips. But Lee would go on a heater and not only even up the score, but would take a 2:1 chip lead at one point. That didn't last long, as Signinc would get it in with Ax10x against Ax7x, and the best hand would hold up.
That brought Signinc back into a commanding lead, which he would never relinquish. The match lasted around two hours before Lee went all in with Kx10x and lost to Ax9x. He'd go home with nothing.
"Everyone who was eliminated was watching the heads-up match. It was very exciting," Signinc said.
Signinc said Lee is a "good friend of mine" and they've played together for years. He referred to his friend as an "amazing player," and they both love to gamble. The newest Circuit ring winner explained that the winner-take-all deal was offered to Lee when the tournament reached eight players. Lee agreed at that time that if the two ended up playing heads-up, the champion would take all of the remaining prize pool.
"I was asking to do this for years and he was the only one to except it, and I would do it again," Signinc explained.
Signinc now has over $360,000 in live tournament cashes. He's now a two-time WSOP Circuit champion. His first ring came in May 2023 at the same casino. Lee will have to wait for another opportunity to win his fifth ring.
The WSOP Circuit series in Calgary, which features 18 gold ring events, runs through Jan. 19.
*Feature image courtesy of Lyle Bateman/PokerPro.
