‘Mad Men’ & ‘Mom’ Star Beth Hall Wins WSOP Circuit Ring at The Bike

Beth Hall is known for playing characters like Caroline on AMC’s Mad Men and Wendy Harris on CBS’ Mom. But this week, the Los Angeles-based actress played a different role, that of a World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner.

Earlier this week, Hall topped a 166-player field in a $400 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event at the WSOP Circuit The Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles to win $13,885 and her first Circuit ring, while Cory Ryan finished runner-up for $5,585.

While surely the most famous, Hall is just one of a handful of players who have picked up rings at the latest Circuit stop, which got underway on March 4 and is wrapping up this week.

Rhode Island’s Tae Gon Kim topped a field of 338 runners in the $1,700 buy-in Main Event to win his first ring and a career-best $111,075, while other players who picked up Circuit rings at The Bike including longtime LA grinder Shirley Rosario (Event #12: $400 Omaha 8 or Better – $9,775), Pedro Rincon (Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack – $48,955) and Utah all-time money leader Jared Griener (Event #6: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller – $42,555)

Check out this PokerNews review of The Bicycle Casino!

Put a Ring On It

Hall has IMDb credits dating back to 1997, but her first poker cash was a decade later when she finished eighth in a $50 Queen of Hearts event at the 2007 Sweetheart Weekend at Bell Gardens. Hall continued to rack up cashes around Los Angeles before picking up a career-best $24,000 from a 14th-place finish at the 2016 Socal Poker Championships at Bell Gardens.

The recent victory at The Bike gives Hall her second-biggest live cash and first live tournament win and brings her up to $94,454 in live earnings.

On Twitter, the actress and Circuit crusher thanked Faraz Jaka of Jaka Coaching for her recent success on the felt.

just setting up my twttr

— jack (@jack)

WSOPC Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results

  RANK PLAYER HOMETOWN PRIZE
  1 Beth Hall Los Angeles, CA $13,885
  2 Cory Ryan N/A $8,585
  3 Jason Thomas Bakersfield, CA $5,985
  4 Scott Shannon Los Angeles, CA $4,275
  5 John Zentner Las Vegas, NV $3,125
  6 Michael Ung Montclair, CA $2,345
  7 Altynai Fung Hacienda Heights, CA $1,805
  8 William Vanderburgh San Diego, CA $1,430
  9 Ara Abkarian Rancho Cucamonga, CA $1,160

Hall is not the only Hollywood star to land a poker victory this year. Last month, acclaimed actor James Woods took down a Tag-Team mixed game event at the Los Angeles Poker Classic (LAPC) at The Commerce with the help of partner Lynda Tran.

Rosario Wins Second Circuit Ring

Later in the series, Shirley Rosario, an LA poker veteran with $720,324 in live earnings, picked up her second Circuit ring and $9,775 with a victory in $400 Omaha 8 or Better event. The event drew 103 and the mixed game specialist bested Pasadena’s Jesse David, who took home $6,040 for his runner-up finish.

just setting up my twttr

— jack (@jack)

But the biggest winner of the series was Providence’s Tae Gon Kim, who got through 338 players in the Main Event to win the bulk of the $512,070 prize pool.

Bracelet winner Sean Yu was looking for his ninth Circuit ring but bowed out in 7th place for $15,500, while other players who made deep runs included Spain’s Santiago Cortijo (2nd – $68,655), Sweden’s Mats Gavatin (4th – $36,115) and poker legend Phil Laak (38th – $2,485).

Kim had just a single live cash heading into the event from a 214th place finish in the 2021 WSOP $1,500 Closer, but that didn’t stop him from taking down the event for six figures and a first Circuit ring.

WSOP Circuit The Bike Main Event Final Table Results

  RANK PLAYER HOMETOWN PRIZE
  1 Tae Gon Kim Providence, RI $111,075
  2 Santiago Cortijo Spain $68,655
  3 Peter Cross Glendale, CA $49,410
  4 Mats Gavatin Stockholm, Sweden $36,115
  5 Ari Shin Hermosa Beach, CA $26,810
  6 Andy Ghebre N/A $20,220
  7 Sean Yu Los Angeles, CA $15,500
  8 Travis Tachibana Torrance, CA $12,075
  9 Michael Ung Montclair, CA $9,565

Other players who took home decent hauls at The Bike this Circuit stop include Pedro Rincon, who got through 559 players, the biggest field of the stop, to win the $400 Monster Stack for $48,955, as well as Jared Griener, who took down the $2,200 High Roller to add $42,555 to his $2.5 million in earnings.

Next up on the WSOP Circuit schedule is a stop at Turning Stone Resort Casino in New York, which will culminate with the $1,700 buy-in Main Event on March 23.

A full list of WSOP Circuit The Bike winners is available in the table below.

2023 WSOPC The Bike Ring Winners

  EVENT ENTRANTS PRIZE POOL WINNER HOMETOWN PRIZE (IN USD)
  WSOPC Event #1: $250 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack 520 $106,000 Marshall Cooper Santa Clarita, CA $20,145
  WSOPC Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack 559 $221,470 Pedro Rincon N/A $48,955
  WSOPC Event #3: $250 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo 217 $43,400 John Topham N/A $10,180
  WSOPC Event #4: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em 65 $63,375 Edvin Setaghian Glendale, CA $20,665
  WSOPC Event #5: $1,700 Main Event 338 $512,070 Tae Gon Kim Providence, RI $111,075
  WSOPC Event #6: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller 67 $134,000 Jared Griener Huntington Beach, CA $42,555
  WSOPC Event #7: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Mammoth 323 $138,890 John Sul Los Angeles, CA $30,105
  WSOPC Event #8: $300 No-Limit Hold’em 259 $62,160 Dustin Wills Spotsylvania, VA $13,965
  WSOPC Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 166 $54,780 Beth Hall Los Angeles, CA $13,885
  WSOPC Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em 128 $42,240 Alexis Lopez N/A $11,415
  WSOPC Event #12: $400 Omaha 8 or Better 103 $33,990 Shirley Rosario Redondo Beach, CA $9,775
  WSOPC Event #13: $250 No-Limit Hold’em 252 $50,400 Rick Mechammil Tarzana, CA $11,380

Lead image courtesy of WSOP