Vincent Moscati finished a strong run at the World Series of Poker Circuit tournament series hosted at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi with a victory in the main event that earned him $111,454 along with his 10th career gold ring. The tournament professional had won his ninth earlier in the series in a $400 no-limit hold’em event.
The Verplanck, New York native is now one of 20 players to record double-digit victories in WSOPC events. His career earnings now sit at more than $2.5 million, with over $1 million of that coming from his 155 cashes in gold ring events.
“It’s gotta be the baby run good, I’ve been trying to win one of these main events for a while now, and it hasn’t happened. So I gotta give all the credit to the baby,” said Moscati, who actually delivered the baby with his wife at home before medics could arrive.
The $1,700 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament netted a field of 311 entries over the course of two starting flights. The total prize pool topped off at $562,065 to eclipse the guarantee of a half million. The top 54 players all secured a min-cash worth $3,404.
Day 2 welcomed back the final 38 players, and by the end of play the stage was set for the final table of six to return for the final day of the tournament. Notables that made a deep run in the tournament included multiple circuit winners with Saeed Nia (seventh), 19-time ring winner Maurice Hawkins (eighth), defending WSOPC Tunica champion Jessie Bryant (12th), William Stanford (14th), Walker Millesky (22nd), and Kyle Cartwright (24th) making the final three tables.
When the final table began Moscati was third in chips, and Jason Mendoza was the first player to fall in sixth place. Moscati then got in on the action by taking out Roger Foley in fifth to take his stack to the top of the standings. Casey Hatmaker (gold bracelet and five gold rings) was eliminated in fourth place, and once again it was Moscati who delivered the final blow.
Moscati was on a roll at that point, and his good fortune did not stop when he sent gold-ring winner Michael Ledford to the rail in third place. That gave Moscati 9.2 million in ammo for the heads-up final against the 5.2 million held by Michael Esquivel. There were two double ups waiting for Esquivel to prolong the final match, but Moscati regained the advantage before the last hand of the tournament.
“He was a tough opponent for sure, he put a lot of pressure on me the whole tournament. You gotta play good and get lucky, that’s what it takes to win these things, and that’s what happened,” said Moscati when he was asked about his final opponent.
Esquivel opened the action on the final hand with a raise to 400,000 on the button, and Moscati three-bet to 1.4 million. Esquivel tanked for a moment before shoving all in with pocket sixes, and Moscati called to cover him holding pocket eights. The final board bricked out, and Moscati was crowned the champion. Esquivel was awarded $74,552 after a strong fight for the runner-up finish. He missed out on winning a second gold ring, but his career earnings are now close to $600,000.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Vincent Moscati | $111,454 | 600 |
| 2 | Michael Esquivel | $74,552 | 500 |
| 3 | Michael Ledford | $51,040 | 400 |
| 4 | Casey Hatmaker | $35,783 | 300 |
| 5 | Roger Foley | $25,705 | 250 |
| 6 | Jason Mendoza | $18,932 | 200 |
| 7 | Saeed Nia | $14,305 | 150 |
| 8 | Maurice Hawkins | $11,096 | 100 |
| 9 | Jason Grimes | $8,843 | 50 |
The next WSOP Circuit tournament series begins on May 1 at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina, and the main event will run from May 9-12.
Photo credit: WSOP.
