Lon McEachern Wins First WSOP Circuit Ring

Lon McEachern is primarily known for his work as the voice of the World Series of Poker. Now, he is known by another title – WSOP Circuit Champion. The long-time poker announcer won his first WSOP-C title on Thursday by taking down the Seniors Event at the Thunder Valley Casino series in California.

The victory gives McEachern his first circuit title and third career poker tournament victory. It is also his largest live tournament cash. Now the question is whether this victory will give him some extra street cred to push him into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Lon McEachern Wins First Circuit Title

Many know Lon McEachern as the lead commentator of World Series of Poker broadcasts since the early 2000s. Those that have watched him over the years have noticed a steady progression in his poker knowledge. Part of this is due to his playing in various live poker tournaments worldwide. That knowledge and experience paid off Thursday as McEachern won his first WSOP Circuit title.

McEachern won the opening event at the Thunder Valley Casino WSOP Circuit series in California. The event was a $400 NL Hold’em Seniors event. The tournament drew a field of 181 players to create a prize pool of $59,730. Seniors poker tournaments are generally open to those 50 and older.

McEachern was on the other side of the microphone after winning the event. Ben Erwin, Director of Poker Operations at Thunder Valley, spoke with McEachern after his win. The first words out of McEachern’s mouth was a dig at his long-time partner. He stated, “You know, Norman Chad doesn’t have one of these. That’s all I need to say.”

Speaking on the event, McEachern stated he never was at any serious risk at any point of the tournament. The turning point of the event was a hand where McEachern had A-K against pocket fives of a man he stated was his “nemesis” the entire day. McEachern flopped an ace and flush draw and ultimately caught a flush to take 95% of his opponent’s stack.

The win gave McEachern his first WSOP Circuit title and the top prize of $15,008. His victory was easily the largest live tournament score of his career.

Victory Gave McEachern Three Career Tournament Victories

Many people don’t know that Lon McEachern has been cashing in live poker tournaments since 2013. That decade’s worth of experience ultimately helped him to make his way to his first circuit title.

This was the fourth Circuit final table in McEachern’s career. His first came in 2013 when he finished 4th in a $350 NL Event. Until this week, that score was his largest live cash at $11,598. In 2019, McEachern made a pair of final tables at the WSOP-C Aruba.

The Circuit title is McEachern’s third live poker tournament victory. His previous win was a victory in a $120 NL Event at the 2019 Grand Poker Series in Las Vegas. Most live cashes in his career are in events with buy-ins under $500. While this may not seem the most impressive poker resume, it has helped him gain valuable knowledge and experience that he’s used to improve his poker broadcasting.

Will He Make the Poker Hall of Fame?

As a broadcasting pair, Lon McEachern and Norman Chad made the list of finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame in 2021 and 2022. Both times, they’ve come up short of well-deserving talent. One could argue that McEachern and Chad should be at the top of the list of contributors to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame has inducted multiple contributors in the past, including Mori Eskandani, Jack McClelland, and Henry Orenstein. One thing that has hindered McEachern and Chad’s potential induction is the trimming of annual inductees from two to one. This makes it tougher to induct contributors.

Despite this, some feel that McEachern and Chad’s induction is inevitable. The argument is strengthened now that McEachern has a significant poker title to his resume. The question now is how long they will have to wait.