Alex Cruz Wins First WSOP Circuit Ring at Choctaw Main Event

The poker calendar isn’t slowing down even as players recover from the World Series of Poker. The WSOP Circuit made its second stop of the season at Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, where 18 rings were awarded over 12 days of action. The $1,700 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event drew 968 players and wrapped up with a breakout win for Alex Cruz from Midland, Texas.

Good to know

• Cruz earned $241,412 and his first WSOP Circuit ring
• The Choctaw main event generated a prize pool of $1.3 million
• The tournament spanned three days and attracted 968 entries

Cruz’s victory marks his first recorded live tournament win, a moment he says felt destined.

“I was due,” Cruz told reporters after the final hand. “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.”

The road to victory wasn’t easy. Cruz was the shortest stack with five players left and still battling from behind at four-handed play. He managed a critical double-up holding A7 against AQ, spiking a runner-runner flush to stay alive. That momentum carried him through several more key hands, including a big knockout with pocket aces that leveled him with fellow contender Alex Rindone.

As play reached the last few players, Cruz’s stack grew, and he went into heads-up play against Rindone with a big lead. Rindone doubled up twice to stay in the fight, but Cruz methodically chipped away again.

On the final hand, Cruz shoved the button holding Q4, and Rindone called with J10. The board fell A6384, sealing the win for Cruz and locking up the largest score of his poker career.

The final table featured several experienced players, including Peter Clive, who finished third for $111,537, and Eliaan Pilo, who finished fourth. Rindone, from Davenport, Texas, added another major result to his résumé after winning the PokerAtlas Tour Dallas event last year.

Two other finalists, Jacob Thibodeau and Ahmad Popal, share a curious connection—both have career-best finishes in the WSOP Main Event, and both finished 74th in different years.

Final Table Payouts

1. Alex Cruz – $241,412
2. Alex Rindone – $160,932
3. Peter Clive – $111,537
4. Eliaan Pilo – $78,692
5. Marcus Dickey – $56,535
6. Rohini Telukutla – $41,373
7. Jacob Thibodeau – $30,853
8. Bradley Ritschel – $23,453
9. Ahmad Popal – $18,180

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