Ari Engel and Daniel Lowery have spent years chasing the same pile of World Series of Poker Circuit jewellery. This week in Iowa, they managed to reach exactly the same milestone less than 24 hours apart.
Lowery won his 21st Circuit ring in the $400 Big O at Horseshoe Council Bluffs on September 22, then Engel answered the following day by winning the $400 No-Limit Hold’em event for ring number 21 of his own. The back-to-back victories leave both men tied for second on the all-time WSOP Circuit list, five behind Maurice Hawkins on 26.
The timing gives the current Council Bluffs Circuit stop a storyline considerably bigger than the modest buy-ins involved. Two of the tour’s most persistent grinders have effectively spent consecutive days passing the baton back and forth while Hawkins watches from the top of the leaderboard.
Lowery Gets There First From the Short Stack
Lowery’s 21st ring came in Event #7, the $400 Big O, where 96 entries created a $31,680 prize pool. He began Day 2 as the shortest of the 11 returning stacks, then worked his way through the field to beat Sean Moore heads-up and collect $8,607.
There was already a hint of what was coming next. Engel reached the same final table and finished third for $3,672, meaning he was sitting only two eliminations away from getting to 21 before Lowery did it in front of him.
Big O also adds a little texture to Lowery’s collection. The Arkansas sawmill owner is not simply accumulating rings by firing endless no-limit hold’em events. This was his third Circuit title outside hold’em, adding to two previous Pot-Limit Omaha victories.
It was Lowery’s first ring since March, when he won a $300 Seniors event at Hard Rock Tulsa for number 20. His first came all the way back in 2013 in New Orleans, so reaching 21 has been a long grind rather than one absurdly hot season.
Engel Answers the Very Next Day
If Engel was irritated about watching Lowery get there first, he did not spend long sulking. He returned for Event #9, another $400 tournament but this time in No-Limit Hold’em, and topped 68 entries for $6,613.
The final heads-up battle was not straightforward. Theresa Morley built roughly a four-to-one chip lead before Engel made the sort of call that can turn a small Circuit event into a very short walk to the car park. Facing a huge decision for his tournament life with second pair on the turn, he decided he was good and called.
He was right. Engel survived, swung the match and eventually completed the comeback to win the ring, restoring the tie with Lowery less than a day after losing it.
For Engel, versatility is hardly new. His Circuit wins have arrived across live and online poker and in formats including hold’em, Omaha and mixed games. He also owns four WSOP bracelets and won the 2016 Aussie Millions Main Event, so the ring chase sits inside a tournament career that extends well beyond regional Circuit stops.
Hawkins Still Has a Five-Ring Cushion
The obvious question is whether any of this puts genuine pressure on Maurice Hawkins. For now, the answer is not much. Hawkins has 26 rings after an extraordinary run of his own and still holds a five-title advantage over both Engel and Lowery.
Five rings is a serious cushion, but the Council Bluffs double matters because the two nearest challengers remain active and capable of winning in different formats. A record chase that looked increasingly one-sided has at least acquired two fresh numbers on the scoreboard.
The wider Circuit calendar gives all three plenty of opportunities. Poker Type has already seen the tour produce the record-breaking Austin Main Event this month, while Council Bluffs is only one stop in a packed domestic and international schedule.
Council Bluffs Still Has Its Main Event to Come
Neither of these victories is the biggest tournament of the Iowa festival. The $1,700 Main Event begins September 25, with the stop continuing through September 28 and 18 rings available across the full schedule.
There is another useful prize attached to every one of them. Council Bluffs ring winners also receive a $5,000 WSOP Paradise package, linking a regional Circuit victory to the year-ending Bahamas festival. Poker Type has been following that route as WSOP Paradise expands its schedule for December.
Lowery and Engel therefore leave their latest wins with more than another piece of gold. They are level again on 21, Hawkins remains the man to catch on 26, and one of poker’s longest-running side competitions has quietly become interesting again.
