Eric Chang Wins Largest-Ever $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event in Austin

Eric Chang won the largest $1,700 buy-in World Series of Poker Circuit main event ever held, taking down the Texas Card House Austin stop for $433,670, according to Card Player.

The field drew 2,090 entries across three starting flights, generating a $3,166,350 prize pool that blew past the tournament’s $2 million guarantee. A total of 315 players cashed. It marked a roughly 22 percent jump from the venue’s inaugural WSOP Circuit main event in May, when Thomas Brabham won a $368,545 top prize out of 1,709 entries.

Chang, a Texas-based pro and Columbia University graduate, needed multiple comebacks to get there. He was down to a single big blind twice during the tournament and started day two as one of the shortest stacks in the room before rebuilding into a healthy position heading into the 18-player final day.

“I was down to a big blind twice in this tournament,” Chang told PokerOrg’s Mike Patrick. “And we somehow sun-runned our way here. I said from Day 2 that if I doubled, I’m going to win this tournament, and I really felt it. So, it’s a dream come true.”

The win doubled as Chang’s second WSOP Circuit ring and paid more than eight times his previous best live tournament cash, per Card Player’s reporting.

Lucas Jumalon’s 14th-Place Finish

Much of the attention in Austin centered on Lucas Jumalon, who won the 2026 WSOP Main Event and its $10 million first prize roughly six weeks earlier. The 22-year-old from Spokane, Washington, entered the final day as chip leader with 18 players left, his first notable appearance since his August win.

Jumalon’s run ended in 14th place for $19,030. He doubled through a tough spot against Ryan Brown, who called down and then shoved a flopped set of threes, before Jumalon’s stack collapsed with 14 players remaining. He was eliminated when a flopped pair of sixes ran into Taylor Fortini’s turned flush.

Other notable min-cashes and near-misses on the way to the final table included 13-time WSOP Circuit ring winner John Holley, who fell in 15th for $19,030, and veteran pro Aaron Massey, who finished 11th for $31,530. Deeper runs from Dan Stavila, Kitty Kuo, Jon Turner, Terrance Reid and Andrew Moreno also fell short of the final table. Among the nine finalists, only Brant Jolly carried more than $1 million in career tournament earnings entering the day, with the rest sitting on six-figure resumes.