Darren Rabinowitz turned a wild, multi-location poker day into a historic victory, claiming his fifth WSOP Circuit ring and first Main Event title at WSOPC Planet Hollywood. Outlasting a massive 616-player field, the Las Vegas pro took home $175,430, a $5,000 package to WSOP Paradise, and moved past $4 million in career tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
Adding a quirky twist to the day, Rabinowitz also picked up $3,394 for a 20th-place finish at the Wynn’s Day 2, a tournament he couldn’t attend because he was busy at his Planet Hollywood final table. By simply “blinding out,” he added nearly two extra Circuit Main Event buy-ins without playing a hand—a testament to a truly unconventional day of poker.
Conquering the Toughest Circuit
Rabinowitz noted that Planet Hollywood offered one of the stiffest fields in the country. “It feels great. I’ve played a lot of Circuits; I’ve never final tabled a Circuit Main, so it’s nice to finally final table one and win. It’s definitely the toughest Circuit in the country by a long shot,” he said.
Starting the day in third place behind David DiBernardi and Kayla Clackum, Rabinowitz fought his way to the lead, eventually eliminating Clackum in third place to set up a heads-up battle with DiBernardi. What seemed like a runaway win quickly became a marathon showdown.
Heads-Up Drama
DiBernardi clawed back into the lead several times, forcing nearly three hours of high-stakes back-and-forth action. Rabinowitz credited his opponent for the intense battle. “He played really well. He had really good reads of the situations and trusted his reads and was right most of the time. You can’t take anything away from someone who plays well.”
Rabinowitz’s key moments included hitting a royal flush at a critical point to reclaim the lead, as well as making disciplined traps with the nuts that kept him alive during tense swings. “It was very long, gruelling, and tiring. A lot of small pots… but I just tried to fight as hard as I could for all the small pots, and they added up,” he said.
WSOPC Planet Hollywood Main Event Final Table
- Darren Rabinowitz – $175,430
- David DiBernardi – $116,917
- Kayla Clackum – $81,321
- Katsumoto Sakaguchi – $57,545
- Drake Kemper – $41,439
- Jacob Mendelsohn – $30,378
- Yuanzhi Cao – $22,678
- Victoria Livschitz – $17,245
- Alan Merdita – $13,363
- Stephen Song – $10,556
Rabinowitz’s victory not only solidified his status among the country’s elite Circuit players but also turned an already unforgettable poker day into one of the most memorable performances of his career.
