An eighth circuit ring winner was crowned at the 2024 World Series of Poker Circuit Playground. After eight intense hours of play, Event #8: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em concluded with Gaetano Di Maria emerging as the last player standing from the 40 who began Day 2.
Di Maria claimed the top prize of $50,000 and secured his first WSOPC ring. “I’m feeling spectacular, like a dream come true… I came in second at Verona in their circuit. I kind of blew it there, so it’s fitting I won it here,” Di Maria remarked after his victory.
WSOPC Event #8: $1,000 NLH Final Table Results
| Place | Player | City | Prize (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaetano Di Maria | London | $50,000 |
| 2 | Dustin Melanson | Toronto | $35,000 |
| 3 | Arash Shahi | Markham | $22,000 |
| 4 | Anthony Bakri | Laval | $14,000 |
| 5 | William Pettersen | Burlington | $11,000 |
| 6 | David Quang | Guelph | $9,150 |
| 7 | James Gall | Ottawa | $7,630 |
| 8 | Gurtej Toor | Oshawa | $6,300 |
| 9 | Tyler Warken | Medicine Hat | $5,000 |
The eighth of 15 circuit events attracted a strong field of 261 entrants, surpassing the $100,000 guarantee and generating a total prize pool of $243,680. Sandy Lam entered Day 2 with the chip lead, but her tournament run was cut short before the three-table redraw. Di Maria and William Pettersen had the next largest starting stacks. Pettersen eventually finished in 5th place, while Di Maria’s run continued.
Di Maria kept his stack healthy heading into Day 2, making it through the three-table redraw. Dustin Melanson was hot on Di Maria’s heels, vying for the chip lead with the second-largest stack, though there was a significant gap between him and Di Maria. Melanson added to his stack with a few key eliminations, helping him stay competitive as the field narrowed to 18 players.
Di Maria, in turn, increased his stack with a series of eliminations, maintaining his chip lead and becoming one of only two players with over a million chips as the field dwindled to 13. As play tightened, Di Maria and Melanson played cautiously, allowing others to make eliminations while collecting ladder-ups with minimal risk.
Despite finding a crucial double-up, Di Maria remained one of the shortest stacks at one point, down to just 200,000 chips. Reflecting on the moment, Di Maria said, “I was down to about 200,000 chips at one point, but I crawled back. Only because I was disciplined enough to fold and wait for premiums.”
Di Maria’s patience paid off, and he steadily chipped back up to a dominant stack with three players remaining. He didn’t have to wait long to find the perfect flop to double up again, leaving Arash Shahi short-stacked. Shahi was eliminated shortly after, allowing Di Maria to build his momentum, ultimately hitting a flush to solidify his chip lead.
In the final hand, Di Maria eliminated Melanson when both players flopped middle pair, but Di Maria’s kicker played. Reflecting on his journey to victory, Di Maria concluded the winner’s interview by giving “Thanks to the poker gods.”