The race for the all-time lead in victories in the World Series of Poker Circuit tour's official ring events has tightened once again, with Wisconsin's Josh Reichard collecting his 15th career ring in a preliminary event at the WSOP Circuit stop in Elgin, Illinois, on Sunday.
Reichard emerged from a 271-entry field at the Grand Victoria Casino, an hour west of downtown Chicago, to win Event #13 of the Circuit stop, $400 No-Limit Hold'em. The win was worth $19,786 and moved Reichard, who lives about 90 minutes from the Grand Vic, a riverboat casino, closer to the $2 million plateau in all-time WSOP earnings.
Reichard, of Janesville, Wisconsin, tied Florida's Maurice Hawkins for second place on the WSOP Circuit list. Both Reichard and Hawkins are one Circuit ring-event win behind current leader Ari Engel, who surged past his rivals with two Circuit wins in October. Reichard's good friend Daniel "Duma" Lowery sits fourth on the all-time list with 14 Circuit ring victories.
Hour-long heads-up duel
Reichard triumphed in the NLH tourney after busting from the Elgin main, and he outlasted another Wisconsin player, St. Francis's Kathy Pink, for the Event #13 win following an hour of heads-up play. Wisconsin visitors swept the top three spots as Monroe's Dustin Ethridge finished third.
Reichard told PokerOrg that the competition for the career Circuit ringwinner lead is intense and that he expects someone to reach the 20-ring mark by the end of 2024. That likely won't be Reichard, however, as he admitted to doing not quite as much traveling to Circuit stops as in prior years. Here's Reichard speaking on the topic after the win:
Feature image source: WSOP
