Two of the WSOP Circuit GOATs have added to their impressive ring totals this week at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, as just a day after Daniel Lowery earned his 21st, Ari Engel added a 21st ring of his own.
With their respective wins, both players close the gap on Maurice Hawkins' sizeable all-time lead.
Lowery sets the table on Tuesday
On Tuesday, both Lowery and Engel were in position to claim the title and $8,607 first prize in Event #7: $400 Big O.
They were among 11 Day 2 returnees from the 96-entry field for the second day of the tournament, but it would be Lowery, who started the day as the short stack, climbing all the way to victory, while Engel finished third.
Lowery’s latest Circuit win was his first since topping 480 entries at Hard Rock Tulsa to win #20 in March in a $300 Seniors Event, his fourth title at that venue.
Tuesday’s ring was his third in non-hold ‘em events, with the other two coming in Pot-Limit Omaha.
Horseshoe Council Bluffs $400 Big O final table results (96 entries):
- Daniel Lowery - $8,607
- Sean Moore - $5,502
- Ari Engel - $3,672
- Baxter Wirth - $2,562
- Dee Wampler - $1,873
- Steven Schulte - $1,437
- Timothy Garles - $1,161
- Kristopher Wilcox - $990
Engel eats on Wednesday
While denied a day before, Engel would get another chance less than 24 hours later in Event #9: $400 No-Limit Hold 'em, and he was fired up for it.
Engel entered the day with the chip lead, holding 367,000. Theresa Morley sat just behind him with 364,000. The duo would end up as the final two players, with Morley actually taking a 4-to-1 chip lead on Engel heads-up.
Engel would then make a tremendous hero call for his tournament life to turn things around, holding only second pair on the turn.
“It was definitely scary, because I thought I had an edge in the heads-up game,” says Engel. “It was tough, but the pot was really big. Ultimately, I thought I was good, so I called, but she had me covered, so if I was wrong, I was out. I was trying to play low variance, but this was not low variance at all, and I wanted to win”
Engel rode that pot to victory, claiming the $6,613 first prize and his first ring since last year at Council Bluffs, when he won the $1,100 no-limit hold ‘em event just hours after arriving in town.
Horseshoe Council Bluffs $400 NLH final table results (68 entries):
- Ari Engel - $6,613
- Theresa Morely - $4,094
- Mark Fink - $2,790
- Jarryd Hawkins - $1,992
- Matthew Alexander - $1,493
- Jesse Keel - $1,178
- Jacob Long - $981
- Daniel Biddle - $866
- Donnie Phan - $811
Is the race back on?
Just over a year ago, the lead atop the all-time WSOP Circuit rings list was tightly contested between Engel, Lowery, and Hawkins, when Hawkins became the first to win #20 in New Orleans in August.
He then followed up with his 21st during the same series to open a bit of a lead, and has since pulled away with five more this year to now sit on 26.
Engel thinks Hawkins’ five-ring lead is still too much for any kind of race to be back on, but says that he’d back Lowery to catch Hawkins if he chose to make a run at it.
“Lowery just shows up at one or two stops a year and always wins a ring or two, but he doesn’t play very much," he explains. "Maurice wins enough that it's tough for me. I’m five behind, so I don’t think we can say the chase is on yet, but maybe if I get a couple more.”
WSOP Circuit all-time ring leaders
- Maurice Hawkins: 26
- Ari Engel/Daniel Lowery: 21
- Mike Setera: 18
- Josh Reichard/Mike Lavin: 17
Additional photos courtesy of 8131 Media
