Daniel Lowery Reaches 21 WSOP Circuit Rings With Council Bluffs Big O Win
Lowery came from the short stack on Day 2 to win $8,607, moving within five rings of Maurice Hawkins’ record.
Daniel Lowery won his 21st World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring after taking down Event #7, the $400 Big O at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. The victory paid $8,607 and came from a 96-entry field that created a $31,680 prize pool.
Lowery started Day 2 as the short stack among 11 returning players, then climbed through the field and beat Sean Moore heads-up. Moore earned $5,502 for second, while Ari Engel finished third. The tournament paid 15 places.
The result put Lowery on 21 Circuit rings, five behind all-time leader Maurice Hawkins, who has 26. As covered in July, Hawkins set that 26-ring record by winning the Choctaw Mini Main Event.
Poker.org reported that Engel won his own 21st Circuit ring at Council Bluffs the following day, leaving Lowery and Engel level on that total. Lowery’s Big O title was his third Circuit ring in a non-hold’em event, following two Pot-Limit Omaha wins.
It was Lowery’s first Circuit title since a $300 Seniors Event win at Hard Rock Tulsa in March, which delivered his 20th ring. He has now won at least one Circuit ring each year since 2022, and at least two annually since 2023.
Lowery’s recent pace stands out because he generally plays only one or two Circuit stops a year, rather than a full schedule. Earlier in his Circuit career, he said work at his Arkansas sawmill and family responsibilities limited the volume he could play, even as he pursued the top of the ring leaderboard.
His first Circuit ring came in May 2013, when he won a $365 No-Limit Hold’em event in New Orleans for $22,912. More than 12 years later, the Council Bluffs Big O win keeps him within five rings of Hawkins’ record.
