Daniel Lowery has won his 22nd WSOP Circuit ring, moving into outright second place on the all-time leaderboard, one ahead of Ari Engel and four behind record-holder Maurice Hawkins.
Lowery topped a 449-entry field in the $400 no-limit hold'em 40/40/40 event at Choctaw Durant on Wednesday night, beating Andrew Chubick heads-up for his latest piece of jewelry and the $28,710 first prize.
It's his third Circuit ring of the year, with the previous one coming in September at Horseshoe Council Bluffs in the $400 Big O event. Ring rival Engel finished third in that event but went on to win his 21st the next day in the $400 NLH event.
Lowery's 20th ring came earlier in the year in a $300 Seniors event at Hard Rock Tulsa.
Daniel Lowery celebrates his 22nd WSOP Circuit ring win with friends at Choctaw Durant.WSOPC Choctaw $400 40/40/40 results
- Daniel Lowery: $28,710
- Andrew Chubick: $18,940
- Daniel Biddle: $13,270
- John Valkenaar: $9,460
- Jason Williams: $6,870
- Steven Johnson: $5,090
- Michael Hamblin: $3,840
- Raed Abualfilat: $2,950
- Ayman Alqarqaz: $2,320
Hawkins won his 26th ring at Choctaw in July, after a summer that saw him narrowly miss out on his first WSOP bracelet.
He finished second in the $600 No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha - Deepstack 8-Handed and fourth in the $3,000 No Limit Hold'em - Mid-Stakes Championship for his career-best cash of $432,875.
Maurice Hawkins still has a four-ring lead at the top of the all-time WSOP Circuit leaderboard.WSOP Circuit ring race heats up
Lowery might not play as much as Hawkins or Engel, but his ability to keep winning rings is astonishing. And with just four separating him from the top spot, Hawkins can't afford to take his lead for granted.
Hawkins, though, is confident he'll stay on top.
After winning his 26th ring, he told PokerOrg: After winning his 26th, he told PokerOrg: "I've got the recipe, and I'm spreading it all over America. I figured some things out about my game, about other people's games, and now I'm just applying it."
And he's not planning on stopping anytime soon. Hawkins has already set himself a target of 200 Circuit rings.
WSOP Circuit all-time leaderboard
- Maurice Hawkins - 26
- Daniel Lowery - 22
- Ari Engel - 21
The ring race continues at Choctaw this week, with the $1,100 NLH Mini Main Event on Thursday, before the start of the $1,700 NLH Main Event on Friday. There are two Day 1 flights before Day 2 on Sunday. The winner will be crowned after the final table concludes on Monday.
PokerOrg will be on the floor from the start of the Main Event and you can get all the live updates exclusively on Instant Live.
