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Eric “Slick Ric” Chang has won the largest WSOP Circuit Main Event in the series’ history, taking down the $1,700 buy-in tournament at TCH Social in Austin, Texas for $433,670. The event drew 2,090 entrants, creating a prize pool of $3,136,350 against a $2 million guarantee.
Reigning WSOP Main Event champion Lucas Jumalon entered the final day as chip leader among 18 remaining players but was eliminated in 14th place for $19,030, unable to replicate his recent $10 million victory in Las Vegas.
The final table saw early drama when Brant Jolly, sitting on less than a third of a big blind, doubled with pocket queens before eventually busting in ninth for $40,100. Kim Stone, a well-known Texas regular, fell in eighth for $51,540 after losing a crucial race.
Simon Britton, Taylor Fortini, and Eric Tang followed in seventh, sixth, and fifth place respectively as the field narrowed. Ryan Brown, once a dominant stack, lost significant chips to Chang’s runner-runner straight and later to Venkat Chivukula before being eliminated in fourth for $156,455.
Chang endured his own setbacks, including a costly flush loss to Anil Jivani during four-handed play, but rebounded strongly. He defeated Chivukula in a key race to send him out in third for $211,440, leveling the chip counts heading into heads-up play against Jivani.
After roughly an hour of back-and-forth play, Chang secured the win with an ace-nine hand outlasting Jivani’s ace-five, earning his second WSOP Circuit ring and capping a record-breaking series at TCH Social.
