'It's all gambling': Big betting car salesman closes WSOPC Tulsa Main

Shuptrine explained that now that his son has gotten older, it’s time to come back out to the felt. 

“He’s turned 13,” Shuptrine said of his son. “He’s got his own mind, and he’s his own self. He told me to go play, so I went and played.” 

Robert Shuptrine is a regular on the Tulsa poker scene.

Rising to the occasion

The return to poker couldn’t have gone much more smoothly for Shuptrine. He started off the Tulsa Circuit getting 14th in the Pot-Limit Omaha Event for a small cash. He then continued on to finish his Day 1b flight 11th overall in chips of the final 55. 

Over the course of his Day 2 run, Shuptrine pulled into the chiplead, thanks to a timely double through William Rowlette at the final table. He would go on to eliminate three of the final table players before play halted with four remaining. 

And for him, it was all coming naturally thanks to a little help from his day job as a wholesale car salesman. 

“It’s gambling!” he explained. “We wholesale about 100 cars a week. Buying cars is gambling. I’m buying cars to take them to another location, so we’re gambling that that car is going to make more money at the next location. It’s all gambling. We always compare everything to gambling. Just in a different form.”

And that gambling paid off as he steamrolled his way through his final three opponents. With big bets, big raises, and big calls, Shuptrine eliminated John Reynolds, Christy Cranford, and Christopher Stewart within the course of 2 hours before the first break even hit. And with that, he was able to quickly secure the win. 

The champ made quick work of the final group on Monday.

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What’s next? More poker.

Shuptrine’s goals for poker are simple. 

“Just make some money,” he said. 

His plans include another poker trip out to Florida next month where he’ll play in another series. 

“I already had it planned, even before this,” Shuptrine said with a smile.