Connor Hayward has spent most of his poker life grinding cash games, but it has taken him only a matter of months to make a serious mark on the tournament side. The Kansas City player won the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Council Bluffs Main Event for his first Circuit ring and a career-best $76,797.
Hayward beat 232 entries at Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa, with the field generating a $351,480 prize pool. John Ypma finished runner-up for $50,593, while Matthew Riffel took third for $34,304.
Hayward Turns a Heads-Up Deficit Into His First Ring
The final duel did not begin in Hayward’s favour. Ypma started heads-up with roughly a two-to-one chip advantage, leaving Hayward needing to find a way back rather than simply protecting a lead.
He found it quickly. One of the decisive pots came on a paired board containing three cards of the same suit, where Ypma tried to push Hayward off the hand only to discover that Hayward had made the nut flush.
That pot helped flip the match. In the final hand, Ypma moved all-in with jack-ten suited and Hayward called with king-three offsuit. A three on the turn gave Hayward two pair with the paired board and ended the tournament.
The victory is particularly notable because Hayward is still relatively new to live tournament poker. He has spent around eight years playing cash games professionally in the Kansas City area, but only began putting serious time into tournaments roughly six or seven months ago.
A Career-Best Score After Less Than a Year of Tournament Poker
Hayward had already begun to show signs that the switch could work. He finished third in the RGPS Golden Expedition Joplin Main Event shortly before arriving in Council Bluffs, then converted that form into the biggest tournament result of his career.
His $76,797 first prize more than doubled the live tournament earnings he had accumulated before the event. It also came with the piece of jewellery every regular on the regional circuit is chasing: a first WSOP Circuit ring.
Poker Type has followed the Council Bluffs festival from its opening week, when 18 ring events were scheduled across the Iowa stop. The Main Event was always going to be the headline tournament, but the series had already produced some significant results before Hayward sat down for the final table.
Engel and Lowery Also Leave Council Bluffs With Ring No. 21
The festival became particularly memorable for two of the most prolific players in WSOP Circuit history. Daniel Lowery won his 21st ring in the $400 Big O, only for Ari Engel to reach the same number less than 24 hours later by winning a $400 No-Limit Hold’em event.
That left Engel and Lowery tied for second on the all-time Circuit list behind Maurice Hawkins. Poker Type covered the Engel and Lowery 21-ring double while the Main Event was still to come.
Hayward’s story is the opposite end of the Circuit spectrum. Engel and Lowery have spent years accumulating rings across different games and venues, while Hayward arrived as an experienced cash grinder with almost no tournament résumé and left with his first title.
Every Council Bluffs Ring Winner Is Heading Toward Paradise
The ring is not the only bonus attached to Hayward’s victory. Every champion at the Council Bluffs stop also receives a $5,000 WSOP Paradise package, including entry to the $2,750 WSOP Circuit Championship Mystery Bounty and accommodation at Baha Mar in the Bahamas.
That gives Hayward an immediate route from his first regional Circuit title into one of the biggest festivals on the calendar. December’s Paradise series has continued to expand, including the recently announced $250,000 WSOP Paradise Pro-Am.
The Council Bluffs result therefore does more than add $76,797 and a ring to Hayward’s record. It sends a cash-game professional who was barely playing tournaments a year ago toward another major WSOP stage before the end of 2026.
WSOP Circuit Council Bluffs Main Event Final Table
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor Hayward | $76,797 |
| 2 | John Ypma | $50,593 |
| 3 | Matthew Riffel | $34,304 |
| 4 | Jake Flores | $23,961 |
| 5 | Nick Barksdale | $17,257 |
| 6 | Nicholas Stille | $12,828 |
| 7 | Robert Wilson | $9,852 |
| 8 | Kevin Berhelsen | $7,826 |
| 9 | Ryan Brown | $6,438 |
There is one small discrepancy in the WSOP’s own announcement: its article text gives Hayward’s prize as $76,797, while the final-table list on the same page shows $76,979. The $76,797 figure is also reported by secondary coverage, so Poker Type has used that amount pending any correction from the WSOP.
