Tulsa, Okla. (30 March 2017) – Joshua Evans earned Casino Champion honors at the WSOP Circuit stop at the Hard Rock Tulsa, capping off an impressive week in which he made three final tables and won an event to earn his third career Circuit ring. This was the first ever Circuit stop at the Hard Rock, and Evans becomes the inaugural Casino Champ.

Evans jumped out to an early lead in the points race. The first event he cashed in was Event #3: $365 No-Limit Hold’em (One-Day). Evans finished first, earning his third ring over $20,000. The victory earned him 50 points, and he was tied atop the leaderboard with the winners of the first two events. However, he was technically in third place, based on the tie-breaker (money earned).

That didn’t last long, as he very quickly vaulted ahead of the other competitors. The very next day, Evans was once again at a final table, this time in Event #4: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. For a while, it looked as though he might win back-to-back rings, but he ended up finishing in second place. That performance netted him another 37.5 points, bringing his total up to 87.5. As it turns out that would nearly be enough to win the title of Casino Champion.

Evans wasn’t done, though. Three days later, Evans was once again at a final table. He finished in fourth place in Event #8: $580 No-Limit Hold’em, bringing his point total up to 115.

When the series was over, second place on the leaderboard was Salvatore DiCarlo, who finished with 87.5. Had Evans not cashed a third time, DiCarlo would have edged him out based on the tie-breaker, but by the time DiCarlo earned his last points, Evans already had his 115. Michael Sanders also had a chance to challenge for the title. He cashed in five events, including two final table performances. But he never ran deep enough to overtake Evans, and he ended up with 75 points.

For winning the title of Casino Champion, Evans earns a free seat into the 2017 Global Casino Championship. This invitation-only event will be held at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina in August. There will be 100 players who qualify for free seats – by winning Casino Champion, by winning a Circuit main event, or by finishing in the top 50 on the Circuit leaderboard – and the event carries a minimum prizepool of $1,000,000.

• Event #3: $365 No-Limit Hold’em (One-Day) --- 1^st Place ($20,374) --- 50 points
• Event #4: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout --- 2^nd Place ($9,010) --- 37.5 points
  
• Event #8: $580 No-Limit Hold’em --- 4^th Place ($9,814) --- 27.5 points