October 22-26
Amount more Kyle Grupp won than his 2023 4th place finish
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1ST
Kyle Grupp
$246,362
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2ND
Joel Cattelane
$164,220
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3RD
Steven Tabb
$114,576
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4TH
Daniel Wagner
$81,282
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5TH
Greg Ostrander
$58,647
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6TH
Tina Panichi
$43,050
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7TH
Cathy Schenone
$32,160
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8TH
Hamid Izadi
$24,457
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9TH
Bryan Swanson
$18,940
It was three years ago that New York poker player Kyle Grupp found himself at his first WSOP Circuit final table in the Main Event at Turning Stone, in Verona, New York. Three years later, he would return and finish as the last man standing in the tournament to win his first ring and a career-high score of $246,362.
“Turning Stone is my home casino; I’m from Buffalo. I used to drive to the $400 every other month when I was just learning how to play tournaments, trying to run it up and everything. A few years after that, I played the Circuit for the second time out here and made my first big final table, first big score. It was fourth place in this event, but was sort of bittersweet because I came in with the chip lead.”
The same, only different
In a curious parallel to that time in 2023, Grupp started with the fourth biggest stack on Monday. From first to fourth then, and from fourth to first this time, a stat that he admitted he didn’t know. But before the day began, Grupp had already called his shot on this tournament in his quest for redemption.
“To get my first ring here and take it down outright like that is really special. I kind of called my shot with this one too, I told my friends. I don’t normally say that about tournaments, but I was on a great run and I was playing well, held when I needed to, got it in good when I needed to.”
It was a relatively quick affair as the field went from seven to one in just around five hours. Despite the brevity, Grupp acknowledged the challenges of the final table.
“My good buddy Dan Wagner was on my left; he’s a good player. There were a few other strong players that put me into some spots and situations; I couldn’t just fling my chips in no matter if I wanted to. Joel (Cattelane) was a real tough match heads-up; he came in with the chip lead. I knew I was going to have to be smart and not overextend myself. Once I got it down to heads-up, I was feeling pretty good.”
A timely title
The win comes at the right time for Grupp as he got candid about his disappointing 2026 tournament results.
“I was having a tough year with my tournaments, actually. I had a few final tables and good runs, but I couldn’t get the final tables to go my way. I spent a month out in Vegas and bricked almost everything, just a few min cashes. I was worried towards the end of the year, thinking, ‘man, this is going to be one of the most shaky tournament years’ when I was playing that primarily for the first time. To finish strong like that, it’s really special.”
A nearly quarter-of-a-million-dollar score pushes Grupp’s career tournament earnings to over $800k lifetime, and he came up with his own answer to the question of what’s more important, money or titles.
“This is going to sound egotistical, but I always felt really strong about my poker game and what I’d be able to do in a game. The money is sweet, and that’s what I’m here for, but the first ring in this specific event in my home casino, it’s really special. I don’t know if I can put a price on that.”
Paradise awaits?
With his new ring, Grupp also receives a package to WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas. While nothing is set in stone as far as his plans are concerned, Grupp looks towards the future with a potential flight to the sunshine.
“I wasn’t really decided on that. Now obviously that package is pretty sweet; I’ve always thought it would be pretty cool to go down to the Bahamas. I wanted to try to win a seat to the $25k. I played a satellite before, and I bubbled. Maybe I’ll try to find somewhere I can do that again.”
There’s no break in sight for Grupp regardless of whether he goes down to play WSOP Paradise. An online Sunday grind lies ahead with another month of tournaments to play before the Bahamas begins. So while the win may have afforded him some well-deserved downtime, Grupp won't be taking it.
“I was pretty burnt out after going pretty hard for a few years, and that’s why this year I have been picking my spots a little bit more. I’m eager, and this is very motivating. I’m ready to push myself and keep going forward.”
