Coming into the final day of play for the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event at the Tunica Horseshoe, a camo-donned Jessie Bryant not only had the chips but the experience to go the distance and outlast 487 entries for $144,962.
Along with having five WSOP Circuit rings to his name, Bryant notably finished 17th in the 2024 WSOP Main Event for a $450,400 payday. He now has a sixth ring and another six-figure score.
A proven poker player who has shown he is capable of running deep and competing in even the biggest tournaments, it was a surprise to no one that Bryant would use his sizeable chip lead at the final table to win the WSOPC Tunica Main Event here today.
'A long time coming'
“I’m pretty excited,” Bryant said. “This feels like a long time coming. Every time I’ve been in the Circuit Main nothing ever works out. I had one where I had three kings against aces with one card to come. Ari Engel spikes an ace on the river after we were all in to win it. Things always seem to happen, but in this one, since Day 1 it just seemed meant to be.”
Bryant says that it seemed he was firing on all cylinders for all three days. “Two levels into Day 2 I just felt like everything was clicking, “ Bryant said. “It just felt like everything I was doing was correct. I knew I had a great shot.”
Even when he would relinquish the lead to Dylan Lemery in heads-up play, Bryant maintained his composure and confidence.
“I didn’t get too stressed,” Bryant said. “I never felt like I didn’t have enough chips to win it. My mentor Shawn Rice tells me to forget about those hands, to be a beast and take what you got to get them back.”
Keeping his mentor’s words in mind, Bryant would do exactly that and grind his way back into the chip lead and the WSOP-C Main Event title.
Cracking Leremy’s pocket aces when he flopped the bottom two pair, Bryant would get the remainder of the chips and accomplish his goal of taking down a WSOP Circuit Main Event.
When asked how he planned to celebrate one of his biggest poker achievements to date, all Bryant could think about was getting back home to Arkansas.
“I got a lot of work and some important stuff to do at home. I put a lot off to come here and play.”
Quick final table turns into heads-up grind
Coming into Day 3, only six players remained at what seemed like would be a very quick final table. Short-stacked at the start of the action, B.J. McBrayer would quickly be eliminated in 6th place for $23,825.
Not too long after, Jason Munlin was eliminated by Bryant in brutal fashion, having his ace-jack lose to ace-five via a rivered five of clubs. Mark Kehrees would be the next to go after getting out-kicked with A-3 suited to Donald Voyles A-7 suited.
Three-handed play would allow some time before another elimination took place, but that would change when Bryant’s pocket eights won the flip against Donald Voyles K-Q suited, eliminating him in third place.
Even though he was at a substantial chip disadvantage when heads-up play began, Lemery showed how he had gotten so far in the tournament by showcasing his poker acumen.
Eventually pulling even with Bryant and then taking the lead, for a number of hours Leremy and Bryant would take turns serving as the biggest stack. At some point though, something had to give, as only one player was able to leave the tournament stage as the winner.
Getting it all-in on a K-8-6 rainbow flop, Lemery flipped over pocket aces — only to see that Bryant had flopped two pair with 8-6 offsuit.
Although losing in brutal fashion, Lemery could take solace not only in receiving $96,893 for second place, but knowing that he had played incredibly well throughout the tournament.
Finally securing every single chip in play, Bryant became the official Tunica WSOP Circuit Main Event champion.
WSOP-C Tunica final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jessie Bryant | $144,962 |
| 2 | Dylan Lemery | $96,893 |
| 3 | Donald Voyle | $66,100 |
| 4 | Mark Kehrees | $46,043 |
| 5 | Jason Munlin | $32,762 |
| 6 | B.J. McBrayer | $23,825 |
