Steve Buell secured the biggest victory of his poker profession on Monday, April 14. The longtime event grinder has dwell outcomes relationship again to 2009, however none as huge as his win within the 2025 World Series of Poker Circuit Grand Victoria Casino $1,700 no-limit maintain’em essential occasion. The Wisconsin native outlasted 637 entries that turned as much as the Elgin, Illinois venue to earn a brand new prime rating of $175,684 and his third WSOPC gold ring.
Buell’s earlier rings got here in a $400 thriller bounty occasion on the Horseshoe Council Bluffs cease final 12 months and a $400 double-stack occasion on the 2018 cease at Potawatomi Casino.
“It’s been so close with a lot of WSOP Circuit mains, MSPT, and other big tournaments. I’ve been getting a lot of sevenths, a lot of fourths, and it just feels great to close one out. A big one no less,” he informed WSOP reporters after popping out on prime.
Before this victory, Buell’s prime rating was the $104,261 he earned for a sixth-place exhibiting in a $10,000 tremendous turbo bounty occasion eventually 12 months’s WSOP. This newest win grew his lifetime haul to greater than $1.7 million.
The sturdy turnout resulted in a prize pool of $965,055, which meant the assure was cleared by greater than $215,000. The prime 92 finishers cashed, with notables like World Poker Tour champion Ravi Raghavan (twenty third), reigning WSOPC Horseshoe Hammond essential occasion winner Evan Bethyo (twenty first), bracelet winner Scott Bohlman (14th), and 2024 WSOPC Horseshoe Hammond essential occasion winner Michael Estes (thirteenth) all making it all the way down to the ultimate few tables.
The last day of this occasion started with six gamers remaining and Steve Wangler within the lead. Buell received an enormous pot of Wangler early to ship him tumbling down the leaderboard. Buell then completed off Wangler (sixth – $29,674) with a queen-high straight.
Ian Greendale quickly adopted (fifth – $40,637) when his A-5 suited misplaced a preflop showdown in opposition to the pocket tens of Matthew Lubawski. Buell then received one other all-in after the deal, along with his A-8 besting the Q-J suited of Jason Flock (4th – $56,753).
Buell then discovered himself in a basic race scenario, with pocket jacks up in opposition to the Okay-Q of Derek Hanauer. The pocket pair remained greatest by the river and Hanauer was despatched packing in third place ($80,803).
With that, Buell took roughly a 4:1 chip lead into heads-up play with Lubawski. The last hand noticed all of the chips get in after an 8
4
3
flop. Lubawski was forward with QQ
for an overpair, whereas Buell held A8. The 4 on the flip modified nothing, however the 8 on the top gave Buell eights full for the win.
Lubawski was awarded $117,241 because the runner-up, by far his largest rating on the circuit. Buell’s victory got here with 840 Card Player Player of the Year factors. He now sits inside the highest 250 within the 2025 standings because of this win.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Steve Buell | $175,684 | 840 |
| 2 | Matthew Lubawski | $117,241 | 700 |
| 3 | Derek Hanauer | $80,803 | 560 |
| 4 | Jason Flock | $56,753 | 420 |
| 5 | Ian Greendale | $40,637 | 350 |
| 6 | Steve Wangler | $29,674 | 280 |
| 7 | Sung Pil Kim | $22,108 | 210 |
| 8 | George Dietz | $16,811 | 140 |
| 9 | Andres German | $13,053 | 70 |
Photo supplied by WSOP.
