Winner’s Circle: Online Poker Players Build Bankrolls With Some Nice Victories in May
Online poker tournaments in May showcased some large events and big winners. A few familiar names are becoming fixtures in the monthly Winner’s Circle.
That includes Krishna “NinjaGo” Kalidas, who grabbed his second World Series of Poker Circuit Ring. Several others also scored some nice wins as well.
USPoker once again takes a look at winners in states offering legal online poker. PokerStars, partypoker US Network, and WSOP.com all offer monthly events and here’s a look at a few finding the winner’s circle.
Current legal online poker states
In the US, online poker is legally up and running in the following states:
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Michigan
- Nevada
- Delaware
♠♠♠ Winner’s Circle offers a recap and highlights some recent action at the online tables. For players winning big online events, please tag @USPoker on Twitter each month to be featured. ♠♠♠
WSOP.com Circuit ring roundup
The World Series of Poker has finally begun in Las Vegas and many players are trying to build their bankroll before they land in Sin City. Each month WSOP.com offers Online Circuit Series in the combined New Jersey and Nevada markets.
Pennsylvania and Michigan also host a monthly Circuit Series separate from New Jersey/Nevada. Neither of those states has a shared player pool yet, but Michigan recently joined the interstate compact.
Go Ninja Go!
New Jersey online grinder Krishna “NinjaGo” Kalidas sliced and diced the competition as he grabbed ring No. 2. He captured his fourth-largest online cash, winning $14,352. The win came after some recent skill-building, which seems to be paying off.
“I am ready for Vegas,” he told USPoker. “I just started training with Matt Stout and now I’m feeling more confident than ever to take on some live events this summer like the Tournament of Champions.”
Stout offered some accolades for Kalidas’s efforts.
Other WSOP.com winners
The $525 Circuit Main Event was one of the largest events of the series. The tournament saw 524 entries with two-time bracelet winner Eric “circleball” Baldwin coming out on top. He scored a championship ring and $44,802 to add to his bankroll.
In Pennsylvania, “Homie_Sr” scored his second ring in the series. He took down a No Limit Hold’em progressive knockout event for $7,200.
Some other circuit winners included:
- Ian Steinman – Event 2, $16,358 (NJ/NV)
- Drew Oconnel – Event 3, $25,771 (NJ/NV0
- Jeffrey Cole – Event 1, $5,664 (PA)
- Cole Nagel – Event 2, $11,150 (PA)
- Anthony Mcie – Event 3, $12,488 (PA)
- Justin Zeiner – Event 4, $6,258 (PA)
- John Coyle – Event 11, $6,363 (PA)
- Matt Sundberg – Event 1, $6,105 (MI)
- Kristopher Bradshaw – Event 2, $11,150 (MI)
- Leo Taffe – Event 3, $12,150 (MI)
- Jordan Gojcaj – Event 4, $6,359 (MI)
Stephanie Rivkin also scored a win in the WSOP.com Spring Online Championship for $7,098.
Tournament of Champions Million Dollar Freeroll
All WSOP.com Circuit ring winners are eyeing the biggest freeroll of the summer. WSOP.com will award all 2022 bracelet and ring winners, live or online, a ticket for the Tournament of Champions. The $1 million freeroll event is set for July 18 in Las Vegas.
PokerStars Bounty Builder Series
PokerStars ran the Bounty Builder Series in May. In Pennsylvania, Chris “Realcrazy9” knocked out the competition in the hyper-turbo PKO. He took home over $2,500 including bounties.
Nick “cooooooch” Amicucci repped the Keystone State when he bagged event 39 and won $5,654. He streams his action online at his Twitch Channel.
In New Jersey Ben “Brnt2470” blew away the competition in the high roller knockout event. Between bounties and prizes he won over $8,000.
In the Wolverine State, a few players streamed the main event action. Even though he didn’t win, Dan “DrDadPoker” Schill found a bag in day two and brought in a nice score.
Schill later found a victory in the Sunday Special on May 30 for $8,222.
Partypoker US Network heads to Vegas
Available in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, partypoker doesn’t share a combined player pool at this time. Currently each state hosts these partypoker skins:
- Borgata Poker (New Jersey, Pennsylvania)
- BetMGM (Michigan, Pennsylvania)
- Partypoker (New Jersey)
In May, the platform prepared for the BetMGM Poker Championship. The event is planned for the Aria in Las Vegas.
The company is offering players in each state, as well as Ontario in Canada, to win a complete tournament package. Brandon Mueller was one of the first to grab a $6,000 package.
Outside of the satellite series, New Jersey regular Jeremy “Jermz” Sissman scores some nice victories on partypoker. First he won the $7,500 knockout tournament on May 20. He followed it up the next day by shipping the $10,000-guaranteed event. His two days of work netted him $6,973.
USPoker will update big winners each month in the “Winner’s Circle” feature. Please tag us on Twitter at @uspoker with your wins.