There’s been a lot of stuff happening at the 2025 WSOP Circuit Calgary during the last two days. The poker.pro live reporter Lyle Bateman is on-site covering all the events, and without a doubt, he’s got his work cut out for him. The other day, Kyle Ho claimed his third WSOP Circuit Ring, while Harpreet Gil got his first-ever tournament win as he captured his first ring. What’s more, Taeyoon Kang leads the Monster Stack event going into Day 2.
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Ho Captures Third WSOP Circuit Ring
The two-day event, Event #8: $1,000 NLH, attracted 364 players and had a $318,500 prize pool. Fifty-five players would be in the money, and when Day 1 concluded late on October 7, 50 players bagged their chips for Day 2 (meaning five players had to settle for a $1,982 min-cash).
Day 2 progressed quickly, and soon enough, only 10 players remained. They all took their seats at the final table, locking horns for the $68,673 first-place prize. Tony Ma was the first to bid farewell ($3,957), and with nine players left, Trevor Otterson held the chip lead (albeit the chips were somewhat evenly distributed). Christopher Floyd was one of the shorter stacks, and he’d become the next casualty as he went out in ninth place for $4,954. Not long after that, Michael “Berny” Bernstein (eighth, $6,355) and John Scalise (seventh, $8,349) also hit the rail.
Michael Baldwin was the next one to hit the rail, as he got it in pre-flop with ace-queen against the ace-king of Ho. For his sixth-place finish, Baldwin was awarded $11,225. He was soon joined by Matt Kwong (fifth, $15,438), who wasn’t able to connect any of his two overcards against the pocket fives of Ho. Mere minutes later, Zizhu Zhao busted in fourth place for $21,710. When Richard Berenaum was eliminated in third place for $31,199, poker.pro live reporter Lyle Bateman observed that they’ve gone from five players to heads-up in just a few minutes.
When the one-versus-one showdown commenced, Ho held the chip lead against his opponent, Otterson. Apparently, it wasn’t Ho’s intention to slow down as he made quick work of Otterson. For his runner-up finish, Otterson received $45,799, while Ho was deemed the winner and could cash out for $68,673. Overall, Day 2 took nine hours, but with five players, the tournament would be finished within 30 minutes. This was Ho’s third WSOP Circuit ring; believe it or not, the first one actually came in the same event back in 2023.
2025 WSOP Circuit Calgary – Event #8: $1,000 NLH Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kyle Ho | Canada | $68,673 |
| 2 | Trevor Otterson | Canada | $45,799 |
| 3 | Richard Berenbaum | Canada | $31,199 |
| 4 | Zizhu Zhao | Canada | $21,710 |
| 5 | Matt Kwong | Canada | $15,438 |
| 6 | Michael Baldwin | Canada | $11,225 |
| 7 | John Scalise | Canada | $8,349 |
| 8 | Michael Bernstein | Canada | $6,355 |
| 9 | Christopher Floyd | Canada | $4,954 |
| 10 | Antonio Ma | Canada | $3,957 |
Kang Leads Monster Stack Field
The two starting-day flights of Event #10: $400 Monster Stack NLH have also been played during the past two days. As such, the stage is set for Day 2, which will commence at noon. A whopping 1,203 entries have generated a $377,141 prize pool; the winner will claim a staggering $60,960, which will be quite the return on investment from the relatively shy $400 buy-in.
Day 1a was played on October 7, 11:00. After roughly 20 hours, five percent of the field (which consisted of 487 entries) remained; 25 lucky contestants bagged their chips for Day 2. Places 26-74 all got some money for their efforts, despite not moving on to the final flight. Michael Malm, the 2024 Alberta Poker Index Player of the Year, bagged the biggest from Day 1a with 1,685,000 in chips.
The 1b flight would prove to be the bigger one, seeing as it registered 716 entries. The bubble lasted for roughly 30 minutes before the remaining 108 players were all guaranteed a $743 min-cash. Play didn’t conclude until midway through Level 23, though; that was when the remaining 36 could breathe out, as they’ve secured their Day 2 seat. Kang (who, judging from his profile on The Hendon Mob, seems to be fairly new to the live poker scene) secured a 1,920,000 stack from Day 1b, making him the overall Day 2 chip leader.
All in all, 61 players will return to Day 2, battling it out for the $60,960 first-place payout and a coveted WSOP Circuit Ring.
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Maiden Title for Gill
Last but not least, the $1,000 NLH Turbo was done and dusted on October 7. When late registration closed at the end of Level 11, the final numbers read 164 entries and $143,500 in prizes. Allegedly, the action was moving quite quickly, and faster than you could say maple syrup, the 10-handed final table was set (prior to this, places 11-25 had all been paid). The pace wouldn’t slow down anytime soon, seeing as Miranda Mar (tenth, $) and Kami Chisholm (ninth, $) both busted within 20 minutes. Tony Ma became the next one to go, as he was eliminated in eighth place for $3,575. Presumably, he was still pleased with his feat, seeing as he’s been finishing tenth in three previous events this festival.
Logically, the short-stacked Josh Bennett (seventh, $4,486) was the next one to hit the rail. Minutes later, Jerry Li also bid farewell in sixth place for $5,831. Die Hard Poker League representative Douglas Cornelson had to settle for a fifth-place finish for $7,839; he’d been card dead for a few levels, and even though getting it in with two live cards against Mike Leah, he wasn’t able to convert. Gill then got the better of Colten Yamagishi (fourth, $10,890), which saw Gill take the three-handed chip lead.
Gill was running hot, and eventually, he knocked out Bradley Thompson in third place for $15,616. Gill was now heads-up against Leah with a commanding chip lead. Eventually, Leah doubled with pocket nines against the ace-eight of Gill, evening out the stacks somewhat. Leah struggled to find consistency, though, much of which was because of the aggressive pre-flop play by Gill. Eventually, Gill got the final blow, as his pocket nines held up against the king-x of Leah. Leah got $23,092 for his second-place finish, while Gill claimed the $35,195 first-place payout and his first official live tournament win.
2025 WSOP Circuit Calgary – Event #11: $1,000 NLH Turbo Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harpreet Gill | Canada | $35,195 |
| 2 | Mike Leah | Canada | $23,092 |
| 3 | Bradley Thompson | Canada | $15,616 |
| 4 | Colten Yamagishi | Canada | $10,890 |
| 5 | Doug Cornelson | Canada | $7,839 |
| 6 |  Jerry Li | China | $5,831 |
| 7 | Josh Bennett | Canada | $4,486 |
| 8 | Tony Ma | Canada | $3,575 |
| 9 | Kami Chisholm | Canada | $2,954 |
| 10 | Miranda Mar | Canada | $2,535 |
