WSOP Circuit Returns To Horseshoe Baltimore For First Time Since 2019
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The last time the World Series of Poker Circuit was held in the WSOP room at the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, it was October 2019. Two months later the first case of COVID was identified in Wuhan and a few months after that, the U.S. was locking down and masking up while poker went on hiatus.
More than five years on, the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore is back for the first time since the start of the current pandemic. The festival begins on February 20 and will continue with the current WSOPC formula of 18 ring events, including a $1,700 Main Event, plus daily side events and satellites.
The festival closes with Event #18: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack Closer on March 3.
Top Tourneys At The WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore
Players who want to try to win a ring at the freshly resurrected WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore have plenty of choices. There are 18 events to choose from, ranging in buy in from the $1,700 Main Event, with its $500,000 guarantee, to the $300 Turbo event on March 1.
The tournaments at this festival are almost exclusively Texas hold'em events (apart from one $400 big O event and one $600 pot limit Omaha event). However, variation is provided by a mix of bounty and turbo events.
Plus, the festival also has the usual Seniors and Ladies events on February 23 and February 28 respectively.
Five Year Defence
With five years between him and his last victory, defending Main Event champion Faisal Siddiqui has been waiting a long time to defend his title.
With a turnout of 303 players, the 2019 edition of the Main Event $1,700 event fell just a few ten-spots short of the $500,000 guarantee. The Horseshoe Baltimore topped the prize pool up those last few bucks, making for a first-place prize of $113,143.
Siddiqui took that prize home. His opponent during the heads up phase was professional player Joseph Malebranche who won $69,925 for his second-place finish.
Siddiqui is not a pro player but he thoroughly enjoys swimming with the sharks.
"The thing that I find really exciting is that poker is a sport that allows us to play against the professionals," he told the WSOP after his victory. "There is no other sport in the world that is like this. I also play golf. I could never beat Phil Mickelson at golf. But at the final table today, there were multiple pros, and I was able to beat them, which is a great feeling."
2019 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faisal Siddiqui | Annandale, VA | $113,143 |
| 2 | Joseph Malebranche | Taneytown, MD | $69,925 |
| 3 | Ryan Jones | Burlington, NC | $49,810 |
| 4 | Michael Wang | Las Vegas, NV | $36,089 |
| 5 | Shinya Shimada | Maizuru, Japan | $26,605 |
| 6 | Joseph Cashen | - | $19,961 |
| 7 | Mark Redding | Arlington, VA$15,247 | |
| 8 | Ryan Tamanini | Hanover, PA$11,860 | |
| 9 | Christopher Grove | Pasadena, MD$9,399 |
What's Next for the WSOPC?
The WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore overlaps with a pair of WSOPC stops. The first is hosted by Harrah's Cherokee and the second by Graton Resort & Casino.
These events both kick off on February 13 and run until February 24.
After the Horseshoe Baltimore returns to business as usual on March 3, the next stop on the Circuit will be held at the Horseshoe Hammond.
This festival is the last of February, kicking off on the 27th and running until March 10.
You can check out the full schedule for the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore below.
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore Casino Schedule
*Photos courtesy WSOPC
