Stephen Song Wins WSOP Circuit Grand Victoria Main Event

Stephen Song has already achieved significant milestones in live poker tournaments. Hailing from Greenwich, Connecticut, he boasts a World Series of Poker bracelet and the inaugural World Poker Tour Prime Championship trophy. Recently, Song secured his fourth WSOP Circuit championship with a notable victory in the 2023 WSOPC Grand Victoria Casino $1,700 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event. Overcoming a field of 652 entries, he claimed the title and a top prize of $183,508.

Expressing his satisfaction, Song stated, “Winning a [WSOP] Circuit main event has been on my bucket list for a while. I’ve played many of these and come close a few times, but this is the first time I’ve clinched the title,” as he shared with Poker.org live reporters on-site.

This triumph marks Song’s sixth-largest recorded score, following his highest payout of $712,650 as the champion of the WPT Prime Championship in 2022. With this recent win, his career earnings now stand at nearly $5.9 million.

The event took place from Nov. 16-20 at the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Illinois, near Chicago, attracting 653 entries and generating a prize pool of $987,780, with the top 80 finishers in the money.

Heading into the final day, Lee Rzentkowski led the remaining five contenders, with Song in second chip position. Song played a crucial role in the final table, securing key knockouts and ultimately facing Rzentkowski in heads-up play. The final hand saw Song’s 9Heart Suit8Club Suit forming a nine-high straight, outclassing Rzentkowski’s 6Spade Suit2Diamond Suit two pairs on a 7Club Suit6Club Suit2Club Suit5Spade SuitKDiamond Suit board.

As the runner-up, Rzentkowski earned $113,415, marking the second-largest score in his tournament resume, second only to the $145,006 he received as the winner of the 2022 Mid-States Poker Tour Riverside stop in Iowa.

Here is the final table Results: