Robert Shuptrine took a break from poker to focus on family. His son told him to go play. He won a Circuit title.
TULSA, Okla. — Robert Shuptrine had not cashed in a live tournament in nearly three years when he showed up at the Tulsa Hard Rock for the WSOP Circuit stop. By the time he left, he had a Main Event title and $142,758.
His last recorded cash before this week was a $1,500 Badugi event at the 2022 World Series of Poker. Before that, one of his previous results at WSOPC Tulsa was a 44th-place finish in the 2019 Main Event, which paid $4,190.
The gap was intentional. "Kids. Life. Family. Trying to get things squared away and my head in the right direction," Shuptrine said. "Now I'm back at it."
The person who finally nudged him back to the felt was his son. "He's turned 13. He's got his own mind, and he's his own self. He told me to go play, so I went and played."
How the Week Unfolded
Shuptrine did not come in cold. He opened the series with a 14th-place finish in the Pot-Limit Omaha event, then carried that momentum into the Main Event, closing Day 1b in 11th place among the final 55 survivors.
On Day 2, he worked his way into the chip lead. At the final table, a double-up through William Rowlette gave him the stack he needed to take control. He went on to eliminate three of the remaining players before the night ended with four left.
When play resumed, Shuptrine closed it out quickly. He eliminated John Reynolds, Christy Cranford, and Christopher Stewart in order, all within roughly two hours and before the first scheduled break of the day.
Wholesale Cars, Wholesale Risk
Shuptrine moves about 100 cars a week in his wholesale business, and he draws a direct line between that work and poker.
"It's gambling," he said. "We wholesale about 100 cars a week. Buying cars is gambling. I'm buying cars to take them to another location, so we're gambling that that car is going to make more money at the next location. It's all gambling. We always compare everything to gambling. Just in a different form."
What Comes Next
The plan was already set before Tulsa. Next month, Shuptrine is headed to Florida for another tournament series. "I already had it planned, even before this," he said with a smile.
His goal for the run? "Just make some money."
