Six Ring Winners Crowned at WSOP Circuit Calgary as Deerfoot Series Nears Its Finish

The 2026 World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary has produced a steady run of first-time champions, with six players collecting gold rings across the opening stretch of the series. 

The schedule runs from September 30 to October 12, 2026, and the early and middle portions of the festival delivered a mix of breakthrough victories and repeat success for established Circuit grinders.

Across the events covered here, the winners split a range of prize pools built from fields as small as 167 entries and as large as 477. Several of the champions claimed their first Circuit ring, while one arrived in Calgary already holding hardware from earlier stops.

Event #5, a $600 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em tournament, ran on October 3 with a buy-in structured as $315 plus $200 plus $85. The event attracted 379 entries and generated $195,185 in total prizes, split between $119,385 in regular payouts and $75,800 in bounties.

Pavel Krumer emerged as the champion, earning $24,032 in prize money along with $5,169 in bounties for a combined total of roughly $29,000. 

The victory marked his first Circuit ring, his first live tournament win, and his biggest live cash to date. He defeated Andy Truong heads-up, with Truong banking $16,007 for second place.

Evan Thomas finished third for $11,277, followed by Chris Lahey in fourth for $8,081 and Jeffrey Fischer in fifth for $5,892. Peter Griffin took sixth for $4,372, Romualdo Cusano seventh for $3,303, Lucas Jumalon eighth for $2,541, James Cruickshank ninth for $1,991, and Marco Ferrone rounded out the top ten for $1,591.

The $400 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em event, listed as Event #6, played out across October 4 and 5 with a buy-in of $330 plus $70. A field of 459 entries created a prize pool of $151,470.

Jimmy Mak won the event for $28,974 and picked up his first Circuit ring. He built a substantial chip lead through the final table before closing out the win against Rodney Poirier, who collected $19,288 as runner-up.

Michael Hollingsworth placed third for $13,541 and Vage Pogosyan fourth for $9,676. Carlos Alaniz finished fifth for $7,039, Prince Galaxywalker sixth for $5,215, Blanca Garcia seventh for $3,937, Brenda Robertson eighth for $3,028, Dwayne Reid ninth for $2,375, and Jay Glass tenth for $1,900.

Event #7, a $600 No-Limit Hold'em tournament with a $515 plus $85 buy-in, ran on October 4 and drew 359 entries for a $184,885 prize pool. It produced the largest single payday among this group of champions.

Stephen Klaamas won $37,763, claiming both his first Circuit ring and his first live tournament victory. He had earlier doubled through Michael Khan during the final table, and Khan subsequently exited in third place for $17,577. Klaamas then closed out the heads-up match against Parth Mansukh, who earned $25,154 for second.

Event #8, a $500 No-Limit Hold'em Progressive Knockout tournament, began at 11 a.m. on October 5 with a buy-in of $220 plus $200 plus $80. The event pulled in 477 entries and built a prize pool of $200,340, consisting of $104,940 in prize money and $95,400 in bounties.

Sebastian Crema took the title, earning $16,537 in prize money plus $21,500 in bounties. The win delivered his first Circuit ring, adding to ten previous tournament victories in his career.

Event #9, a $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament played across October 5 and 6 with a $875 plus $125 buy-in, attracted 209 entries and produced a $182,875 prize pool with 32 players reaching the money.

Michael Sullivan won $42,835, the largest payout among the six champions covered here. It was his fourth live tournament win and his first Circuit ring.

Event #11, a $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo with a $875 plus $125 buy-in, started at 4 p.m. on October 6 and reached its conclusion in the early hours of October 7. The tournament drew 167 entries and created a prize pool of $146,125.

DJ Sharma won the event for $35,126, claiming his third Circuit ring and his first at Deerfoot Inn & Casino. His two previous rings were both won in Montreal, and he entered the event with close to $600,000 in lifetime earnings.

The schedule also features a $400 Monster Stack as Event #10, a $2,300 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event as Event #12 running across three starting flights, and later events including a $400 Ladies Event, a $400 PLO Bounty, an $800 H.O.R.S.E. 8-Max, a $500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout, and a $3,500 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller. The series concludes on October 12.