William Kopp Wins Third Circuit Ring in WSOP Cherokee Main Event ($376,154)
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The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Cherokee stop in North Carolina wrapped up this week and saw William Kopp taking down the $1,700 buy-in Main Event for a career-best $376,154 and his fourth piece of WSOP hardware.
Kopp, who defeated heads-up opponent Brian Jones to deny the Kentucky resident his first Circuit ring, had two Circuit rings heading into the Main Event that drew 1,623 runners for a prize pool of $2,458,845. Not only that, Kopp won his first bracelet earlier in the summer at the 2023 WSOP when he took down Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better for $259,549.
Kopp, the brother of 2022 WSOP Casino Employees event champion Katie Kopp, proved his no-limit Hold'em chops by navigating a final table that included Texans Lam Nguyen (4th - $133,953) and Jorge Arriola (5th - $103,007) and Circuit crusher Preston McEwen, who finished third for $175,713 to be denied his sixth Circuit ring.
McEwen had a fantastic series that saw him making three final tables, first finishing seventh in Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em for $19,128 before besting that with a sixth-place finish in Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Monster Stack for $23,102.
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WSOPC Cherokee Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Kopp | Brecksville, OH | $376,154 | |
| 2 | Brian Jones | Louisville, KY | $232,481 | |
| 3 | Preston McEwen | Murfreesboro, TN | $175,713 | |
| 4 | Lam Nguyen | Houston, TX | $133,953 | |
| 5 | Jorge Arriola | Midland, TX | $103,007 | |
| 6 | John Wilder | Greensboro, NC | $79,906 | |
| 7 | Omar Hafeez | Pigeon Forge, TN | $62,535 | |
| 8 | Ivan Starostin | Aventura, FL | $49,378 | |
| 9 | Robert Browning | Kings Mountain, NC | $39,341 |
Kopp, who now has $764,447 in Hendon Mob earnings, won his first Circuit ring in 2014 at WSOPC Foxwoods resort when he took down a $580 buy-in event for $40,836 and his second Circuit ring in 2018 at Harrah's Cherokee when he won Event #6: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha for $26,261.
According to live updates, Kopp entered heads-up play with the chip lead and maintained it up to the final hand where Jones moved all in with jack-five and Kopp called with pocket nines. A runout without a jack secured the victory for Kopp as Jones earned a career-best $232,481.
Mercer Wins Fourth Ring; Porbandarwala Wins Eighth Ring
Several players picked up their maiden Circuit rings during the WSOPC Cherokee stop, which consisted of over a dozen ring events across two weeks. Kelly Andrews kicked things off by winning Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Big 30K Stack for $35,429 before Christopher Catone took down Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em for $118,932.
Other first-time ring winners include Artur Winstone (Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - $44,167), Alvin Wilson (Event #4: $400 Seniors Event - $50,979), Roy Parkhurst (Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - $44,510) and Larry Slater (Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - $28,347).
One player who wasn't after their first ring was Bradley Mercer, who had three rings before getting through a field of 371 runners in Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em to win a fourth ring and $39,947. The North Carolinian went on to finish runner-up in Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Monster Stack for $69,910 and also finished 23rd in the Main Event for $14,492.
Mercer wasn't the only player to add to his ring collection. Soheb Porbandarwala closed out the Cherokee stop by taking down Event #19: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack Closer for $27,593 and his eighth Circuit ring.
Other ring winners at WSOPC Choctaw include James Naifeh (Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - $32,822), Richard Scott (Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - $35,048) and Robert Gregory (Event #16: $250 Seniors Event - $34,047).
The WSOP Circuit team is also at Graton Resort & Casino in northern California this month and will head to Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Aug. 16-27 for a stop that will include a $1,700 buy-in Main Event.
A full list of ring winners at WSOPC Cherokee is available in the table below.
WSOPC Cherokee Ring Winners
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSOPC Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Big 30K Stack | 578 | $190,740 | Kelly Andrews | Florence, SC | $35,429 | |
| WSOPC Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 2,657 | $876,810 | Christopher Catone | Atlanta, GA | $118,932 | |
| WSOPC Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 746 | $246,180 | Artur Winstone | Honolulu, HI | $44,167 | |
| WSOPC Event #4: $400 Seniors Event | 906 | $298,980 | Alvin Wilson | Douglasville, GA | $50,979 | |
| WSOPC Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em | 371 | $191,065 | Bradley Mercer | Elon, NC | $39,947 | |
| WSOPC Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | 723 | $238,590 | Roy Parkhurst | Charlotte, NC | $44,510 | |
| WSOPC Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 426 | $140,580 | Larry Slater | Eden, GA | $28,347 | |
| WSOPC Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Monster Stack | 2,478 | $817,740 | Arthur Demmerley | Lakeview, NY | $113,115 | |
| WSOPC Event #9: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha | 258 | $132,870 | Jeremiah Wheeler | Banner Elk, NC | $29,791 | |
| WSOPC Event #10: $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em | 483 | $470,925 | Yuan Jiang | Madison, WI | $94,402 | |
| WSOPC Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 517 | $170,610 | Donald Pritt | Hampstead, NC | $32,627 | |
| WSOPC Event #12: $250 Ladies Event | 190 | $38,000 | Angelita Grayer | Sumter, SC | $9,257 | |
| WSOPC Event #13: $1,700 Main Event | 1,623 | $2,458,845 | William Kopp | Brecksville, OH | $376,154 | |
| WSOPC Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 522 | $172,260 | James Naifeh | Covington, TN | $32,822 | |
| WSOPC Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 570 | $188,100 | Richard Scott | Edmond, OK | $35,048 | |
| WSOPC Event #16: $250 Seniors Event | 1,032 | $206,400 | Robert Gregory | N/A | $34,047 | |
| WSOPC Event #17: $2,200 High Roller | 187 | $374,000 | Corey Biddle | Charlotte, NC | $93,116 | |
| WSOPC Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo | 263 | $86,790 | Floyd Washer | Bowling Green, KY | $19,315 | |
| WSOPC Event #19: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack Closer | 411 | $135,630 | Soheb Porbandarwala | Stamford, CT | $27,593 |
*Photos courtesy of WSOPC
