WSOPC-Tunica

Saeed Nia

Saeed Nia closed out the series in style by winning his second World Series of Poker Circuit ring in Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack at Horseshoe Tunica. The final event of the stop drew 111 entries and generated a prize pool of $36,630, all wrapped up in a single-day sprint.

Nia, from Collierville, TN, took home $9,594 for the win after a steady performance that saw him climb the leaderboard late and close it out at the final table. His heads-up opponent, Jason Rogers, put in a strong showing of his own, but ultimately settled for second place and a $6,194 payday.

Saeed Nia

David Moses, fell short of his second ring of the series but was able to capture first place on the series leaderboard. He claimed third for $4,157, while a pair of Memphis locals—Alan DeFlumere and John Therrell—rounded out the top five.

Final Table Results

1. Saeed Nia – $9,594
2. Jason Rogers – $6,194
3. David Moses – $4,157
4. Alan DeFlumere – $2,903
5. John Therrell – $2,115
6. Andrew Dykeman – $1,609
7. Larry Riggs – $1,282
8. Robert Lemke – $1,071
9. Dave Alfa – $941
10. Trace Henderson – $871

Saeed Nia

Melanie Pittard captured her first World Series of Poker Circuit ring with an impressive run in Event #16: $400 40/40/40 No-Limit Hold'em at Horseshoe Tunica. The tournament brought in 215 entries to create a prize pool of $70,950, and after two days of play, Pittard emerged victorious, earning $16,536 and her first piece of WSOP gold.

The 40/40/40 format was designed for players over 40 years old, featuring a 40,000 starting stack and 40-minute levels. After a full opening day of action, just six players advanced to Day 2, all chasing the title.

Pittard outlasted Thomas Scott heads-up to claim the win, denying Scott his second ring of the series after he had already taken down the Seniors Event earlier in the week. Scott still walked away with a solid $10,727 for his runner-up finish.

The final table was packed with regional grinders and local standouts, each making deep runs, but in the end, it was Pittard's day.

Final Table Results:

1. Melanie Pittard - $16,536
2. Thomas Scott - $10,727
3. Charlie Ealy - $7,169
4. Teresa Lammie - $4,942
5. Robert Richardson - $3,517
6. Michael Myers - $2,587
7. Khou Fang - $1,969
8. Stephen Cleghorn - $1,553
9. Raymond Riley - $1,270
10. Billy Clark - $1,079

When you QUADRUPLE up at the final table!  Dreams turning into stacks real fast!  Final table fireworks in full effect.

Vincent Moscati

Vincent Moscati has officially cemented his name in poker history after winning Event #12: $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event at the World Series of Poker Circuit at Horseshoe Tunica. Moscati battled through a field of 371 entries, creating a $562,065 prize pool, and topped a tough final six on Day 3 to earn the gold ring, the $111,454 first-place prize, and his tenth career WSOP Circuit title — becoming just the 20th player ever to hit double digits in rings.

Moscati, who had already won Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold'em earlier in the series, continued an incredible run of momentum in Tunica. After bagging his Day 1 flight in the Main, he jumped into a side event on his day off — and won that too. He’s now the only player at the stop to win two rings and has climbed into the top spot on the series leaderboard. Unless David Moses, still alive with two tables left in the last event, makes a final table run, Moscati will also lock up a fully comped seat to this summer’s $10,000 WSOP Main Event.

Vincent Moscati

"It's gotta be the baby run good," Moscati said after the win. "I've been trying to win one of these main events for a while now, and it hasn't happened. So I gotta give all the credit to the baby." Moscati’s second child was born just two months ago — a crazy story in itself, as Moscati actually delivered the baby at home before medics could arrive. If poker ever stops being so profitable, Moscati might have a second career lined up as a midwife.

The road to victory wasn’t easy. After making it through 38 Day 2 survivors to reach the final table, Moscati had to battle some of the circuit’s best over three days of poker in the Bluesville Events Center at the Horsehoe Tunice.

Jason Mendoza came in as the short stack but managed to double early before falling in sixth place. Shortly after, Roger Foley saw his run end in fifth after his ace-king couldn’t outrun Moscati’s pocket sevens.

Casey Hatmaker, a five-time Circuit ring winner and bracelet holder, was next out in fourth. Hatmaker played the short stack brilliantly, laddering up the payouts without ever quite finding a big double. Michael Ledford brought fireworks to the table, mixing it up with big moves and gutsy bluffs. Ultimately, he ran a bluff with a missed flush draw into Moscati’s made straight and bowed out in third.

Vincent Moscati

That left Moscati heads-up against Michael Esquivel. The battle stretched over two hours, with both players trading small pots until Esquivel pulled ahead by winning the first major all-in of the duel. But Moscati stayed patient, regained the momentum, and finally sealed the deal when his pocket eights held against Esquivel’s pocket sixes.

"He was a tough opponent for sure," Moscati said. "He put a lot of pressure on me the whole tournament. You gotta play good and get lucky - that's what it takes to win these things, and that’s what happened."

Moscati’s win is made even sweeter by the journey to get here. After nearly missing their flight, arriving in Mississippi without any bags, and contemplating skipping the trip altogether, Moscati turned a chaotic travel story into one of the most memorable series runs of his career. He now has incredible momentum riding into the summer, as the series in Vegas is about a month away. Let's hope the baby run good continues.

Vincent Moscati

Here's how the complete final table shook out:

1. Vincent Moscati – $111,454
2. Michael Esquivel – $74,552
3. Michael Ledford – $51,040
4. Casey Hatmaker – $35,783
5. Roger Foley – $25,705
6. Jason Mendoza – $18,932
7. Saeed Nia – $14,305
8. Maurice Hawkins – $11,096
9. Jason Grimes – $8,843

Congratulations on moving into the double-digit ring club, Vinny!