Two Circuit Main Events Close in May
The WSOP Circuit produced two Main Event champions as the May stops at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina and The Commerce Casino in Commerce, California reached their conclusion.
Both series closed with a $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Hamid Izadi won the Harrah’s Cherokee Main Event for $332,405, while Anthony Marques took down the Commerce Main Event for $187,977.
The results arrived as the poker calendar moves toward the 57th annual World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas, where the 2026 schedule includes 100 bracelet events and the $10,000 WSOP Main Event.
Izadi Adds a Third Circuit Main Event Title
Hamid Izadi continued his strong WSOP Circuit record at Harrah’s Cherokee, defeating runner-up Louis George to win the $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event.
The victory gave Izadi his third WSOP Circuit Main Event title and his tenth WSOP Circuit ring. His previous Circuit Main Event wins came at Harrah’s Pompano Beach in 2024, where he earned $245,225, and Caesars Southern Indiana in 2025, where he earned $111,979.
Harrah’s Cherokee Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamid Izadi | $332,405 |
| 2 | Louis George | $221,559 |
| 3 | Lou Ojeda | $156,736 |
| 4 | Konstantin Shukman | $112,495 |
| 5 | Thomas Beckstead | $81,936 |
| 6 | Nathan Dunlop | $60,575 |
| 7 | Jack Nathan | $45,465 |
| 8 | Jeremiah Fitzpatrick | $34,652 |
| 9 | Tongzhou Sun | $26,827 |
Marques Breaks Through at Commerce
While Izadi added to an established Circuit record, Anthony Marques secured his first WSOP Circuit ring at Commerce Casino.
Marques defeated second-place finisher Erik Selami to win the $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event and claim the $187,977 top prize. Selami finished second for $125,313, while Michael Wasserman placed third for $85,646.
Marques had already recorded a major WSOP result before this Circuit victory, having won the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max event at the 2017 WSOP.
Commerce Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Marques | $187,977 |
| 2 | Erik Selami | $125,313 |
| 3 | Michael Wasserman | $85,646 |
| 4 | Ethan Green | $59,751 |
| 5 | Fausto Valdez | $42,568 |
| 6 | Quoc Le | $30,983 |
| 7 | Martin Carnero | $23,050 |
| 8 | Satheesh Francis | $17,536 |
| 9 | Du Charley | $13,651 |
WSOP Paradise Packages Added to Ring Wins
Every WSOP Circuit ring winner in 2026 receives a $5,000 WSOP Paradise 2026 package. The package includes entry to the 2026 WSOP Circuit Championship and a complimentary hotel stay at Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas, the event’s new host property.
At WSOP Paradise 2025, Marker Darner won the $2,750 WSOP Circuit Championship No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty, earning his second WSOP bracelet and the $350,000 first-place prize.
Harrah’s Cherokee Ring Winners
| Event | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $400 40/40/40 No-Limit Hold’em | David Wise | $41,836 |
| Event #2: $400 Mini-Main No-Limit Hold’em | Christopher Mason | $117,038 |
| Event #3: $400 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Ages 50+ | Scotty Lee | $44,447 |
| Event #4: $600 No-Limit Hold’em | Donovan Dean | $36,999 |
| Event #5: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better | John Kim | $21,836 |
| Event #6: $400 6-Max No-Limit Hold’em | Mark Davis | $46,086 |
| Event #7: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | Bradley Butcher | $118,868 |
| Event #8: $600 8-Max Pot-Limit Omaha | Mitchell Smith | $38,223 |
| Event #9: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em | Maurice Hawkins | $113,223 |
| Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Ladies Event | Svetlana Gromenkova | $12,075 |
| Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Rohit Kwatra | $32,781 |
| Event #12: $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event | Hamid Izadi | $332,405 |
| Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Michael Lucas | $31,485 |
| Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Preston McEwen | $28,974 |
| Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Seniors Event | Kenneth Brosnahan | $35,817 |
| Event #16: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Jason Morgan | $24,711 |
| Event #17: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | Darrell Blodgett | $76,734 |
| Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack Closer | Matthew Yankowski | $27,393 |
Circuit Momentum Builds Before the WSOP
The Cherokee and Commerce results added two more Main Event winners to the WSOP Circuit season before attention turns to Las Vegas.
Izadi left Harrah’s Cherokee with another Main Event title and his tenth Circuit ring, while Marques left Commerce Casino with his first Circuit ring and a six-figure Main Event score.
