The World Series of Poker Circuit is a series of poker tournaments held annually at a variety of casinos since 2005 as a build-up to the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
All Championship events are competed in no limit Texas hold 'em; preliminary events may be different poker variants.
In 2015, the WSOP International Circuit was launched, with rounds in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa. The International Circuit has expanded to 13 tournaments for the 2017/18 season.
WSOP Circuit bracelets WSOP Circuit National Championship Starting in 2010–11, the WSOP Circuit National Championship was held as a closed event for participants of various circuit events. The winner of the WSOP Circuit National Championship won a World Series of Poker bracelet.
Starting in 2011–12, qualification for the WSOP Circuit National Championship was significantly changed. A total of 100 players now receive automatic seats in the WSOP Circuit National Championship. The winners of each Circuit main event and the highest point earner at each circuit stop receive seats, with the remaining automatic seats filled by the top points earners throughout the Circuit season who are not already qualified. Additionally, the top 100 players in the "WSOP World Rankings", a points race determined on results in open events of the previous two WSOPs, are eligible to enter. The Circuit qualifiers play the National Championship on a freeroll, while the WSOP World Rankings qualifiers must pay a $10,000 buy-in.
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up Results2010–11May 29, 2011WSOPC National ChampionshipCaesars Palace$1,000,000 Sam Barnhart$300,000 James Anderson2011-12July 8, 2012WSOPC National ChampionshipRio All-Suite Hotel & Casino$1,570,000 Ryan Eriquezzo$416,051 Nikolas Stone2012-13May 24, 2013WSOPC National ChampionshipHarrah's New Orleans$1,270,000 Jonathan Hilton$355,599 Max Steinberg2013-14May 24, 2014WSOPC National ChampionshipBally's Casino Atlantic City$1,260,000 Dominik Nitsche$352,800 Athanasios Polychronopoulos2014-15July 31, 2015WSOPC National ChampionshipHarrah's Cherokee$1,220,000 Loni Harwood$341,599 Alexandru Masek
WSOP Global Casino Championship
In 2015–16, the WSOP National Championship was renamed to the WSOP Global Casino Championship, featuring the winners from both WSOP Circuit and WSOP International Circuit. The winner of the WSOP Global Casino Championship won a World Series of Poker bracelet.
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up Results2015–16August 11, 2016WSOPC Global Casino ChampionshipHarrah's Cherokee$1,260,000 Said El-Yousfi$343,256 Yasin Ahmady2016–17August 10, 2017WSOPC Global Casino ChampionshipHarrah's Cherokee$1,090,000 Sean Yu$296,941 Alexander Lakhov2017–18August 9, 2018WSOPC Global Casino ChampionshipHarrah's Cherokee$1,050,000 Warren Sheaves$282,113 Jeremy Meacham2018–19August 8, 2019WSOPC Global Casino ChampionshipHarrah's Cherokee$1,040,000 Ryan Eriquezzo$279,431 Eric Salazar2019–20September 13, 2020WSOPC Global Casino ChampionshipWSOP.com ONLINE$1,070,000 Andrew Kelsall$275,632 Michael Trivett2020–21season not held
WSOP Tournament of Champions
Non-bracelet event. Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up Results2003-04September 1, 2004WSOP Tournament of ChampionsRio All-Suite Hotel & Casino$2,000,000 Annie Duke$2,000,000 Phil Hellmuth Jr.2004-05November 8, 2005WSOP Tournament of ChampionsCaesars Palace Las Vegas$2,000,000 Mike Matusow$1,000,000 Hoyt Corkins2005-06June 25, 2006WSOP Tournament of ChampionsRio All-Suite Hotel & Casino$2,000,000 Mike Sexton$1,000,000 Daniel Negreanu2007–2009event not held2009-10July 4, 2010WSOP Tournament of ChampionsRio All-Suite Hotel & Casino$1,000,000 Huck Seed$500,000 Howard Lederer2011–2021event not held2021–22July 20, 2022WSOP Tournament of ChampionsHorseshoe Las Vegas$1,000,000 Benjamin Kaupp$250,000 Raul Garza2022–23June 2, 2023WSOP Tournament of ChampionsHorseshoe Las Vegas$1,000,000 Ronnie Day$200,000 Kenneth Gregory2023–24May 24, 2024WSOP Tournament of ChampionsCommerce Casino Los Angeles$1,000,000 Dong Meng$200,000 Kevin Will2024–25May 17, 2025WSOP Tournament of ChampionsCommerce Casino Los Angeles$1,000,000 Kevin Li$200,000 Shawn Rice
WSOP Circuit rings
Like the World Series of Poker and its prestigious bracelet, all circuit stops have preliminary events that award rings as well.
In March 2018, WSOP.com in New Jersey hosted the first online poker tournament to award a Circuit ring.
WSOP Circuit ring winners Below is a list of the top-ten poker players with the most World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit rings.
Information correct as of 21 April 2025. Rings Player Bracelets19 Ari Engel419 Maurice Hawkins018 Daniel Lowery017 Michael Lavin116 Joshua Reichard116 Michael Setera114 Soheb Porbandarwala114 Valentin Vornicu011 Richard Ali111 Roland Israelashvili1
Most WSOP Circuit Rings in Shortest Period of Time In July 2022, Sergio Ramirez became the first player to win 4 WSOP Circuit rings in 12 days: $500 PLO WSOPC Online (July 15), $600 PLO WSOPC Choctaw (July 19), $400 NLHE WSOPC Choctaw (July 25), and $400 NLHE WSOPC Choctaw (July 26)
WSOP Circuit Main Event Winners
The World Series of Poker Circuit now has 22 stops along the national tour. Each stop ends with a $1,675 buy-in Main Event. Originally they were $10,000. However, it changed rapidly with each succeeding WSOP Circuit season.
2005 season
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up ResultsJanuary 18, 2005 Atlantic CityHarrah's Atlantic City$2,365,500 Nghi Tran$780,615 Erick LindgrenMarch 2, 2005 Southern CaliforniaHarrah's Rincon$1,985,500 Chris Ferguson$655,220 Prahlad FriedmanMarch 23, 2005 Las VegasRio Casino Las Vegas$2,109,000 Doug Lee$695,970 Jennifer HarmanMay 8, 2005 NevadaHarrah's Lake Tahoe$1,643,500 Jeff Lisandro$542,360 Phil IveyMay 28, 2005 New OrleansHarrah's New Orleans$2,460,500 Walter Chambers$787,340 Corey Bierria
2005–06 season
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up ResultsAugust 25, 2005 MississippiGrand Casino Tunica$1,736,300 Gregg Merkow$561,175 Robert LawSeptember 16, 2005Las VegasHarrah's Las Vegas$1,005,800 Chris Ferguson$362,088 Chade LayneNovember 2, 2005 Southern IndianaCaesars Indiana$1,216,000 Vinny Vinh$437,760 Men NguyenNovember 22, 2005Las VegasParis Las Vegas$1,259,600 Thang Pham$453,456 J. C. TranDecember 9, 2005 Atlantic CityShowboat Atlantic City$931,200 Chris Reslock$335,235 John JuandaJanuary 26, 2006 MississippiGrand Casino Tunica$2,289,500 Daniel Negreanu$755,525 Bryant KingFebruary 17, 2006 Atlantic CityHarrah's Atlantic City$1,202,800 Abraham Korotki$433,008 Brian JensenMarch 7, 2006 Southern CaliforniaHarrah's Rincon$1,035,500 Darrell Dicken$372,780 Weikai ChangMarch 31, 2006 Atlantic CityCaesars Atlantic City$960,300 Jeffrey King$345,708 Rep PorterMay 11, 2006 Las VegasCaesars Palace$1,964,600 John Spadavecchia$648,320 Sean McCabeMay 28, 2006 New OrleansHarrah's New Orleans$1,615,000 Peter Feldman$532,950 Gavin SmithJune 19, 2006 NevadaHarrah's Lake Tahoe$1,034,000 Clint Baskin$372,240 Brian Fidler
2006–07 season
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up ResultsSeptember 17, 2006 NevadaHarrah's Lake Tahoe$615,950 Michael Arents$196,005 Jerry RenfroeOctober 4, 2006 MississippiGrand Casino Tunica$955,450 Mark Smith$306,003 Manelic MinayaNovember 3, 2006 Southern IndianaCaesars Indiana$819,650 Chad Batista$262,002 Hoyt LanceDecember 19, 2006 Atlantic CityHarrah's Atlantic City$1,161,300 Rick Rossetti$379,096 Alexandre GomesJanuary 17, 2007 MississippiGrand Casino Tunica$1,817,450 Dennis Perry$563,402 Gioi LuongFebruary 7, 2007 Omaha/IowaHorseshoe Council Bluffs$688,700 Kosta Sengos$219,576 Paul KrausFebruary 22, 2007 Southern CaliforniaHarrah's Rincon$877,850 Peter Feldman$280,859 David MatthewMarch 14, 2007 Atlantic CityCaesars Atlantic City$1,538,600 Danny Yousefzadeh$488,828 John McMahonApril 6, 2007 Southern IndianaCaesars Indiana$736,900 Men Nguyen$238,756 Young PhanMay 2, 2007 Las VegasCaesars Las Vegas$1,335,272 Cory Carroll$515,176 Justin PechieMay 23, 2007 New OrleansHarrah's New Orleans$1,667,100 Lou Esposito$516,801 Clint Schafer
2007–08 season
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up ResultsSeptember 13, 2007 MississippiGrand Casino Tunica$669,300 Jordan Morgan$216,852 Terry HawkinsNovember 2, 2007 Southern IndianaCaesars Indiana$688,401 Carlos Uz$223,042 Marc FratterNovember 18, 2007 NevadaHarrah's Lake Tahoe$677,928 Chris Ferguson$203,649 Dustin FoxDecember 5, 2007 New OrleansHarrah's New Orleans$765,000 Andy Philachack$247,860 Josh AriehDecember 16, 2007 Atlantic CityHarrah's Atlantic City$1,195,600 John Racener$379,392 Eric BuchmanJanuary 22, 2008 Mississippi Grand Casino Tunica$1,350,000 Bart Tichelman$425,595 Donald NicholsonFebruary 7, 2008 Southern California Harrah's Rincon$706,800 Mike Pickett$229,002 David PetersFebruary 27, 2008 Omaha/Iowa Horseshoe Council Bluffs$484,137 Benjamin Hock$169,327 Michael MartinMarch 15, 2008 Atlantic City Caesars Atlantic City$1,357,000 Eric Haber$431,136 Dan HicksApril 6, 2008 Southern Indiana Caesars Indiana$556,450 Wilbur Futhey$180,290 Steve MerrifieldMay 1, 2008 Las Vegas Caesars Palace$1,670,000 Allen Cunningham$499,162 Benjamin FinemanMay 21, 2008 New Orleans Harrah's New Orleans$1,196,654 Nick Ceci$382,928 Timothy Miles
2008–09 season
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up ResultsOctober 14, 2008 Southern IndianaHorseshoe Southern Indiana$420,000 Samuel Oberlin$143,064 Jerry MartinNovember 2, 2008 ChicagoHorseshoe Casino Hammond$800,250 Steve Billirakis$208,885 Thomas KoralNovember 16, 2008 NevadaHarveys Lake Tahoe$640,200 Michael Binger$181,379 Tyrone StewartDecember 16, 2008 Atlantic CityHarrah's Atlantic City$867,100 Brent Roberts$280,040 Phillip ReedFebruary 2, 2009 MississippiHarrah's Casino Tunica$735,900 Kai Landry$183,974 David DaoFebruary 25, 2009 Omaha/IowaHorseshoe Council Bluffs$313,950 Jesse Hale$113,020 Dennis MeierottoMarch 14, 2009 Atlantic CityCaesars Atlantic City$1,009,200 Sam Chartier$322,944 John NixonApril 1, 2009 Southern CaliforniaHarrah's Rincon$503,100 Dwyte Pilgrim$125,775 Esther TaylorApril 30, 2009 Las VegasCaesars Palace$896,950 Justin Bonomo$227,692 Michael MizrachiMay 20, 2009 New OrleansHarrah's New Orleans$798,950 Jean Gaspard$211,722 Billy Kopp
2009–10 season
Date Location Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize Runner-up ResultsOctober 25, 2009 ChicagoHorseshoe Hammond$1,190,800 Daniel Livingston$291,749 Thanasi FlorosNovember 2, 2009 Southern IndianaHorseshoe Southern Indiana$275,000 Gabriel Cook$92,430 Chris TrybaNovember 17, 2009 NevadaHarveys Lake Tahoe$299,400 Matt Keikoan$106,435 Justin HallstromDecember 15, 2009 Atlantic CityHarrah's Atlantic City$926,835 Chris Klodnicki$215,915 Kyle BowkerFebruary 10, 2010 MississippiHarrah's Casino Tunica$449,750 Paul Wasicka$139,422 Larry GurneyMarch 2, 2010 Omaha/IowaHorseshoe Council Bluffs$212,110 Jovan Sudar$95,455 Gerald WalterMarch 14, 2010 Atlantic CityCaesars Atlantic City$817,019 Roland Israelashvili$264,715 Chris MitchellMarch 31, 2010 Southern CaliforniaHarrah's Rincon$328,500 Bryan Devonshire$114,975 Daniel SchreiberApril 15, 2010 MissouriHarrah's St. Louis$625,650 Jeffrey Roper$170,814 Jason MoApril 30, 2010 Las VagasCaesars Palace$717,500 Andrew Lichtenberger$190,137 Dan CasettaMay 19, 2010 New OrleansHarrah's New Orleans$745,600 Fred Berger$197,584 Mike Beasley
2010–11 season