Hamid Izadi Wins Third WSOP Circuit Main Event in North Carolina

Hamid Izadi won the WSOP Circuit main event at Harrah’s Cherokee on May 18, 2026, for a career-best score of $332,405. This victory marked Izadi's third WSOP Circuit main event win and his first at his de facto hometown casino, as he hails from Atlanta. Izadi's win came just two weeks after another major result: he took down the Major Series of Poker: The Tour main event at MSPT Festival Wisconsin, worth $219,654.

Izadi's total career earnings climbed to almost $3 million after his win at Harrah’s Cherokee. With this victory, Izadi added 960 POY points to his total, bringing his total for the year to 2,230 points. This places him in 40th overall in the 2026 Card Player Player of the Year race, just ahead of players like Chris Hunichen and defending POY winner Jesse Lonis.

By the close of registration in the WSOP Circuit main event at Harrah’s Cherokee, 1,489 entrants had been whittled down to 161 players. Izadi was the overnight chip leader heading into day 2, and that stack carried him all the way through to the third and final day. Izadi made a hero call with pocket fours, all the way down on a K♠9♥5♣7♣A♠ board against Nathan Dunlop. He then finished off Dunlop when A♦10♠ held off Dunlop’s A♣3♦, eliminating Dunlop in sixth place ($60,575). Izadi’s A♠4♦ found an A♥ on the flop against Thomas Beckstead’s K♠9♣, and that was more than enough to bust Beckstead in fifth place ($81,936).