The World Series of Poker made its return to Toronto for the second edition of the WSOP Circuit festival, building on the success of its inaugural event held in the spring of 2024.
Event Awards Millions of Dollars
The Toronto WSOP Circuit Event ran from April 10 to 22 and saw more than 8,200 entries across 11 Ring Events. This marks a 35.9% increase from the inaugural event last year. In addition, the total prize pool rose to CAD 7.56 million (about $5.46 million), marking a 35.4% increase from the previous year. A total of 11 WSOP rings were awarded during the event.
Pengxiang Ruan, a restaurant worker from Thornhill, Ontario, claimed the top prize of $510,245 in the Main Event of the WSOP Circuit stop in Toronto. He said that he plans to use the money to open his own restaurant.
Michael Kim, executive vice president, Great Canadian Entertainment, said that the record-breaking turnout, intense competition, and compelling stories like Pengxiang Ruan’s are what make the WSOP Circuit a truly exceptional experience. The organization takes pride in being the exclusive host of the WSOP in Toronto and looks forward to building on this remarkable momentum.
The CAD 2,000 Main Event (around $1,444), whose main prize Ruan won, attracted 2,139 entries and generated a record prize pool of CAD 3.74 million (approximately $2.74 million), up from CAD 2.8 million (approximately $2.05 million) last year. A total of 413 players qualified online through GGPoker for the Main Event, marking another increase from 2024. The event is sponsored by Great Canadian Casino Resorts in partnership with GGPoker.
More About the World Series of Poker
Having its roots in the 70s, the WSOP established the World Series of Poker Circuit in 2005. It’s a series of poker tournaments held annually at a variety of casinos around the world as a build-up to the main event, which is held in Paradise, Nevada. The WSOP International Circuit debuted in 2015, expanding its reach with events held across Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa.
Beginning in the 2010–11 season, the WSOP Circuit National Championship was introduced as an exclusive event for qualifiers from various circuit tournaments, with the winner receiving a coveted World Series of Poker bracelet. Similar to the main WSOP, each circuit stop features preliminary events that award championship rings. In March 2018, WSOP.com in New Jersey made history by hosting the first-ever online poker tournament to award a WSOP Circuit ring.
With the successful end of the second WSOP Toronto event, the city has established itself as a key part of the entire circuit for the future to come.