Alex Cruz Wins WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event

Photo credit: WSOP / Poker.Org

It feels as though the poker world is still catching its breath post-World Series of Poker. It’s been two weeks, and it’s still July, and yet the first post-WSOP Circuit stop is already in the books.

The WSOP Circuit‘s second stop of the year through Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma awarded 18 Circuit rings over 12 days. The festival culminated in the customary $1,700 main no-limit hold’em main event, and after battling through three days of poker and a field of 968, Alex Cruz of Midland, Texas earned a breakthrough victory.

This is the first recorded live tournament win of Cruz’s career. He takes home $241,412, his first WSOP Circuit ring and 912 points in the Card Player Player of the Year race, presented by Coin Poker. The total prize pool for the event cleared $1.3 million.

“I was due,” Cruz told Poker.Org, the live updates provider for the WSOP Circuit, after the tournament’s conclusion. “You know, some things are just meant to be. I had a really good feeling about this one. My friend even texted me, I think you are going to win this. Sometimes you just get gut feelings.”

It was a major come-from-behind victory for Cruz. He was the shortest stack five-handed, and remained so when the field reached four. Cruz was all in for his last 10 big blinds, at risk, and behind with A♠7♠ against Eliaan Pilo’s A♦Q♥. The 9♥8♦2♠ flop offered only glimmers of hope. But the K♠ turn and 6♠ river gave Cruz the runner-runner flush.

Cruz doubled again and pulled even with Alex Rindone atop the chip counts when he picked up pocket aces. Rindone’s A♣Q♥ could not get any help from the board, and Cruz had new life.

The Final Push To Victory

Cruz made himself the standalone chip leader when he took Pilo’s last few big blinds. With K♥2♦ against Pilo’s 10♥9♣, Cruz had everything locked up by the turn of an A♥K♠6♣A♠J♣ runout.

There was a bit more luck in store for Cruz. On a Q♥10♦9♦ flop, Cruz shoved with J♦6♦ and Clive called with K♦3♦. Not only was Cruz’s flush draw dominated, his jack was eliminated as a pair out. He had nine cards to hit to come from behind, and the 3♥ turn was no help. The 8♠, however, made Cruz’s queen-high straight, and Clive was out in third.

The chip counts favored Cruz significantly to start heads-up play with Rindone, and Cruz soon pulled further ahead. But then, Rindone doubled twice, with A♠10♠ holding off Cruz’s A♦5♦, and then with pocket sixes against Cruz’s A♠J♣.

There would be no denying Cruz in the end, though. He chipped Rindone down, pot by pot. On the fateful final hand, Cruz shoved the button with Q♦4♥ and Rindone called with J♥10♦. The board kept Cruz ahead throughout, coming down A♠6♣3♣8♦4♣.

For Rindone, who hails from Davenport Texas, right on the Red River border with Oklahoma, this is the second major career tournament result. Back in August 2024, Rindone outlasted a field of 1,670 to win a $900 buy-in, $1 million guaranteed PokerAtlas Tour Dallas event.

In a strange quirk, two players at this WSOP Circuit Choctaw main event final table share an unusual career-best in common. Seventh-place finisher Jacob Thibodeau’s career best result came in the 2019 WSOP main event, in which he finished 74th. Ninth-place finisher Ahmad Popal’s best live tournament result came in the 2023 WSOP main event, also coming in 74th that year.

Final Table Results