Scott Stewart Wins WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe Main Event

Scott Stewart made history on Monday by winning the World Series of Poker Circuit Lake Tahoe Main Event, marking his ninth career victory in the Circuit. Stewart defeated a field of 435 entries in the $1,700 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament at Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe. His win earned him the top prize of $125,279, bringing his career earnings to over $6.2 million.

Stewart's victory was particularly meaningful as he had final tabled this same event before, back in 2022. That year, his close friend Jarod Minghini won the event, dedicating his win to his late brother Bobby. This time, Minghini supported Stewart from the rail as he secured the title. Stewart's friend Jarod Minghini finished 43rd in the tournament, while other notable players like Ian Steinman (39th), TK Miles (33rd), and Michael Lech (12th) also made the money.

Stewart's path to victory included a dramatic heads-up battle against Tyler Parker. Parker had taken a significant chip lead into the final battle, but Stewart's strategic play and a bit of luck turned the tables. In a key hand, Parker bet 700,000 into an already sizable pot with the flop showing 6♦6♥5♣. Stewart made the call and the 6♦ turn put trips on the board. Parker fired 1,800,000 and Stewart came along to see the 9♥ river. Parker moved all-in, putting Stewart to the test for his remaining 2,785,000. Stewart went into the tank and took a healthy pull from a nearby bottle of whisky, which had been set there by Minghini. “Let’s see if the whiskey speaks to me one more time,” he said before another swig. Then he put in the call with A♠9♣ for sixes full of nines. Parker showed Q♥7♦ for a bluff and slid below 40 big blinds, while Stewart chipped up to 108 big blinds. Parker fell further behind before finding a double. Then, he got all-in on a 10♥9♠3♥ flop with 10♣7♥ for top pair. Stewart had him in bad shape with 10♠3♠ for two pair. The 3♣ turn improved Stewart to a full house. The 4♣ river officially rendered Parker the runner-up, earning $85,336 for his efforts, a new personal-best payday on the tournament scene.