2026 World Series of Poker Circuit Events. 12 Days, More Than $2.5 Million in Guaranteed Payouts

WSOP Circuit Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino: Winners & Results

Massive Payouts at the World Series of Poker Tournament at Turning Stone

• Over $5.8 million in cash prizes
• More than 15,000 entries
• More than 2,900 guests traveled to Upstate New York from more than 39 states as well as 3 Canadian provinces
• 18 World Series of Poker gold rings awarded
• 13 event winners from New York - One New Yorker won two gold rings
• Each ring winner received a World Series of Poker Paradise package featuring entry and accommodations to the Circuit Championship at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas this December.

This year's Main Event winner, Zachary Vankeuren, from Saratoga, NY, brought home $267,437 in prize money and his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring. Having already won a World Series of Poker bracelet, Vankeuren was focused on winning a WSOP Circuit Main Event and earning the ring at Turning Stone Resort Casino, where he first learned to play poker, made the win even sweeter. The final showdown featured head-up play against Adam Kurnitz, where Kurnitz's stack was decimated just a couple of hands in after flopping top-set, only for Vankeuren to turn a straight. Kurnitz put on an admirable attempt at a comeback and doubled up twice from three big blinds immediately after. The final hand of the night saw the chips go in on the turn, with Vankeuren holding with bottom two pair against Kurtnitz's pair and flush to draw the win of the final hand of the night. Kurtnitz took home $178,255.

World Series of Poker at Turning Stone Notable Winners

New Yorkers Won Big! 12 World Series of Poker Gold Ring Winners from New York Collectively Won $645,671

Along with serious prize money, each New York player also took home their first-ever World Series of Poker gold ring along with an invitation to the World Series of Poker Circuit Championship at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas this December. In the case of Jason Nablo from Niagara Falls, NY - he brought home not one but two rings!

• Mark Roberts from Kenmore, NY took home $33,762 in the $30,000 Opener No-Limit Hold'em $50,000 Guarantee Event.
• Paul Ross from Halfmoon, NY won $30,469in the Mini Main No-Limit Hold'em $50,000 Guarantee Event.
• Patrick White of West Nyack, NY won $41,731 in the Black Chip Bounty No-Limit Hold'em $100,000 Guarantee Event.
• Shaun Deeb from Wynantskill, NY took home $34,195 in the 6 Max No-Limit Hold'em $50,000 Guarantee Event.
• Anthony Caruso from Syracuse, NY won $27,435 in the Pot Limit Omaha $50,000 Guarantee Event.
• Jason House from West Monroe, NY took home $69,397 in the Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em $200,00 Guarantee Event.
• Thomas Catana from Stony Creek, NY won $22,286 in the No-Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha $50,000 Guarantee Event.
• Zachary Vankeuren from Saratoga, NY who took home $267,437 in the Main Event No-Limit Hold'em $1 Million Guarantee.
• Kimberly Sclafani from Medford, NY who won $11,867 in the Ladies Event.
• Jason Nablo from Niagara Falls, NY who took home $25,675 in a No-Limit Hold'em $25,000 Guarantee Event and also won $21,111 in the Double Stack Closer No-limit Hold'em event.
• Srikanth Gundela from Schenectady, NY who won $15,390 in the Turbo No-Limit Hold'em Event.
• Michael Barbarita from Spencerport, NY who took home $44,916 in the 40+ Event.

After this year's action-packed Circuit Event, World Series of Poker play continues at Turning Stone with satellite tournaments held every Sunday leading up to May 17, when the resort will give away seats to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas along with a $10,000 buy-in and travel expenses.

WSOP Circuit Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino: Winners & Results

From March 13 - 24, 2025, Turning Stone Resort Casino was the battleground for poker's most prestigious tournament, hosting its fourth World Series of Poker Circuit Events. As the only stop in New York State, the stakes were high and the competition fierce. The resort drew a staggering 15,063 entries, paid out $6,078,860 in prize money and awarded 18 coveted gold rings.

Big Winners

Taylor Hart dominated the Main Event, overcoming a marathon 20-minute tank from Michael Aman to claim his third Circuit ring, sealing the victory with a final all-in call with a Broadway straight.

• Taylor Hart (Portland, Ore.): Main Event winner, $280,770
• Michael Aman (Wilton, N.Y.): Main Event runner-up, $187,172

New York State Ring Winners

All 18 rings found their champions - each of whom claimed huge payouts and earned complimentary entries to the World Series of Poker Main Event this summer in Las Vegas and the $1 Million Free Roll Tournament in Commerce, California. Here are our home state heroes:

• James Vandemark (Schenectady): Event #1, $34,411 - won his first ring after 25 years of playing poker
• Klyde Forte (Syracuse): Event #3, $27,546
• Russell Dizer (Pine City): Event #4, $43,267
• Jose Rivera-Ramirez (New Rochelle): Event #6, $34,214
• Tyler Culpepper (Liverpool): Event #8, $76,068
• Danielle Moran (Auburn): Event #12, $10,839
• Shane Friedlander (Kerhonkson): Event #16, $20,600
• Jerod Cassidy (Rochester): Event #18, $20,500

Event Highlights

Large guarantees set a high bar for excitement - and the final prize pools soared even higher.

• Three-Day $1 Million Guaranteed Main Event paid out $1,792,245
• $200,000 Guaranteed Monster Stack Tournament paid out $553,740
• $25,000 Ladies-Only Event paid out $46,080

2025 by the Numbers

• 15,063 total entries
• 39 U.S. states plus Canada represented $6,078,860 final payout - more than double the $2,600,000 guarantee
• 18 World Series of Poker gold rings awarded
• Two players - Brian Altman (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Ryan Eriquezzo (Danbury, Conn.) - joined the elite ranks of players to capture their fifth ring

WSOP Circuit Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino: Winners & Results

Record-Breaking Payouts at the WSOP Tournament at Turning Stone

• $6.2 million in cash winnings paid out, more than double the minimum guarantee (vs. $5.4 million in 2023)
• More than 16,000 total entries in the WSOP at Turning Stone (vs. 14,658 in 2023)
• Several thousand players traveled to Central New York from 38 states and four providences of Canada
• 18 WSOP Gold Rings awarded, the ultimate trophy of the Circuit Event (vs. 16 in 2023)
• 18 WSOP Circuit Winners to compete in the $1 million Tournament of Champions this summer

The three-day championship main event came down to a thrilling nail-biter finale that ultimately crowned Ethan Bennett from Brooklyn, NY, the WSOP Main Event Champion. Bennett was in a back and forth finish at the final table with two female players – Kathrine Brandt Weir (Ladera Ranch, CA) and Cindy Spier (Newton, MA) – who placed second and third, respectively. Winning a total of $298,546 in the Main Event, Bennett earned his first WSOP Gold Ring, the ultimate trophy of the World Series of Poker Circuit event, and a trip to WSOP’s $1 million Tournament of Champions this summer.

WSOP at Turning Stone Notable Winners

WSOP Circuit winners receive cash winnings, a coveted WSOP Ring – the trophy of the WSOP Circuit event – and a chance to compete in the $1 million Tournament of Champions this summer.

WSOP Main Event Winner: Ethan Bennett, Brooklyn, NY Won $298,546

• Bennett from Brooklyn, NY won $298,546 and his first WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the $1 million Tournament of Champions.
• Going head-to-head with Bennett at the final table were two female players – Kathrine Brandt Weir from Ladera Ranch, CA and Cindy Spier from Newton, MA. Weir earned second place in the Main Event and took home $184,521. Spier placed third and took home $137,178.
• Total payout for the Main Event was $1.8 million, exceeding the minimum guarantee.

One WSOP Winner from Central New York: Edward Lupinski, Ilion, NY Won $17,211

• Lupinski from Ilion, NY won $17,211 in the WSOP tournament at Turning Stone, his first WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the Tournament of Champions this summer.

Five WSOP Gold Ring Winners from Western New York: Collectively Won $254,057

• Budwey Salhab from Getzville, NY (near Buffalo): Won $123,316, his first WSOP Gold Ring and a seat in the $1 million Tournament of Champions.
• Leonid Kaplin from East Amherst, NY (near Buffalo): won $38,712 and beat out last year’s WSPOP Main Event champion and professional poker player Shaun Deeb, earned his first WSOP Gold Ring and a seat in the $1 million Tournament of Champions.
• Travell Thomas from Orchard Park, NY (near Buffalo) won $33,800, his first WSOP Gold Ring and a seat in the $1 million Tournament of Champions.
• Michael Rellinger from Tonawanda, NY (near Buffalo) won $30,150, his first WSOP Gold Ring and a seat in the $1 million Tournament of Champions.
• Shane Friedlander from Kerhonkson, NY (near Rochester) won $28,080, his first WSOP Gold Ring and a seat in the Tournament of Champions. Friedlander’s total WSOP earnings are $41,389.

WSOP Concludes with Record-Breaking $5.4 Million Paid in Total Winnings

Thousands of Poker Players Traveled from 38 States and Canada to Participate in New York’s Only WSOP Tournament

New York’s only World Series of Poker® (WSOP) tournament once again exceeded expectations and attracted even more players to Central New York than last year’s event.  The 12-day WSOP Tournament series at Turning Stone resulted in more than 14K entries and attracted people from 38 states and Canada to Central New York, paying more than $5.4 million in total winnings, $1 million more than the 2022 WSOP Event. The exciting championship event crowned Shaun Deeb from Las Vegas the ultimate WSOP Main Event Champion, taking home more than $275,000.

The 12-day World Series of Poker® (WSOP) Circuit Event at Turning Stone was once again a huge success, surpassing last year’s exceptional performance. Highlights from this year’s tournament include:

2023 WSOP at Turning Stone By the Numbers:

• $5.4 million in cash winnings paid out (vs. $4.4 million in 2022).
• 14,658 total entries in the WSOP at Turning Stone (vs. 11,000 in 2022).
• Several thousand players traveled to Central New York from 38 states and four provinces of Canada (vs. 26 states in 2022).
• 16 WSOP Gold Rings awarded, the ultimate trophy of the Circuit Event.
• 16 WSOP Circuit Winners to compete in the $1 million Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.
• New York’s first-ever WSOP Ladies Tournament Winner Awarded

The three-day championship event came down to a nail-biting finish that crowned Shaun Deeb, originally from Troy, NY, the ultimate WSOP Main Event Champion. Winning a total of $275,916 in the Main Event, Deeb adds his first WSOP Gold Ring to his collection of five WSOP Gold Bracelets, the ultimate trophy of the World Series of Poker. 

The WSOP at Turning Stone also hosted New York’s first-ever WSOP Ladies Tournament where Katelin Koper from Long Island, NY won nearly $10,000 and her first WSOP Gold Ring.  Koper will also join 15 other WSOP Circuit ring winners in Las Vegas as she competes in the $1 million Tournament of Champions.

WSOP at Turning Stone Notable Winners

WSOP Circuit winners receive cash winnings, a coveted WSOP Ring – the trophy of the WSOP Circuit event – and a chance to compete in the $1 million Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas this summer.

• WSOP Main Event Winner: Shaun Deeb, Las Vegas, NV Won $275,916
  • Deeb from Las Vegas, NV won $275,916 and his first WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.
  • Deeb adds his Gold Ring from Turning Stone to five WSOP Gold Bracelets.
  • Total payout for the Main Event was more than $1.6 million, three times more than the guarantee.
• Two WSOP Winners from Central New York: Steven Goodemonte, Canandaigua and Jeffrey Kurtz, Camillus
  • Goodemonte from Canandaigua, NY won $39,688 in the WSOP tournament at Turning Stone, his first WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.
  • Kurtz from Camillus, NY won $37,653 in the WSOP tournament at Turning Stone, his second WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas. Kurtz won his first WSOP Gold Ring competing in Atlantic City in 2020.
• First New York WSOP Ladies Tournament Winner Crowned: Katelin Koper, Elmont, NY
  • Katelin Koper from Long Island, NY won $9,951, her first-ever WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the $1 million Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.
  • Koper is New York’s first WSOP Ladies Tournament winner.
• Three WSOP Winners from Western New York Winners: Timothy Russ, Ryan Dell and Tyler Dietz
  • Russ from Rochester, NY won $116,971, his first WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.
  • Dietz from Lewiston, NY (Niagara County) took home $34,085, his first WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.
  • Dell, also from Rochester, won $27,025 at the WSOP at Turning Stone, his first WSOP Gold Ring and earned a seat in the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

2022 WSOP Circuit Winner at Turning Stone: Tom Frank

In 2022, Tom Frank took home a coveted WSOP ring at Turning Stone’s WSOP Circuit Event – the first-ever in NY – and punched his ticket to the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. It could be your turn when the most prestigious poker tournament in the world returns to Turning Stone.

The story behind the World Series of Poker, the world's most prestigious poker tournament.

"Why Ike, maybe poker just isn't your game," Doc said with a wry grin. Poker played a central role in the blockbuster movie Tombstone when Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were the regulars around the tables. While Hollywood may have written the line, poker became a symbol of westward expansion, though its origins date back centuries earlier. Poker's popularity soared after the Civil War when soldiers carried the game back home with them across the US. An American obsession was born.

Just over a century later, in 1969, a group of gamblers met in Reno for a contest that would send one of them home with bragging rights for poker's greatest player. The contest, dubbed the Texas Gamblers Reunion, included several high-stakes games over several days. As a result, some of the most notable poker players of the day were joined by a handful of sports celebrities in what inspired the first World Series of Poker, founded the following year in Las Vegas.

Today, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has become the largest, longest-running and most prestigious gaming event globally, with more than $3.3 billion in total prize money paid throughout its 50+ year history.