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Grant Hinkle already has a long list of poker accomplishments: a WSOP Gold Bracelet, over $1.7 million in live tournament earnings, and a WSOP Circuit Main Event title. Today, he added another accolade to that list after winning the $800 Main Event here at the 2025 Oklahoma State Championship of Poker.
The Kansas City native took home $55,249 for his efforts after only deciding to play the event on a whim.
The Oklahoma State Championship of Poker returned to Hard Rock Casino Tulsa for the first time since 2019, and it featured a packed schedule of 21 trophy events, while all eyes were on this prestigious title.
A total of 417 entries were tallied for the event to generate a prize pool of $291,900, with just 32 returning for Sunday’s finale.
Eventually, it was Hinkle who held on the chips after lengthy heads-up match with Terry Harrell and an even longer three-handed battle with Anthony Finley.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant Hinkle | $55,249 |
| 2 | Terry Harrell | $38,167 |
| 3 | Anthony Finley | $27,869 |
| 4 | Rehman Zahid | $20,642 |
| 5 | Sarah Renko | $15,506 |
| 6 | Johnnie Place | $11,820 |
| 7 | John Smith | $9,146 |
| 8 | Eric Salazar | $7,181 |
| 9 | William Berry | $5,726 |
Winner’s Reaction
“I feel relief,” Hinkle admitted shortly after taking down the title, “I had a big chip lead three or four handed and it slipped away.”
“You kind of envision yourself at the end and as soon as you do that, than all of a sudden it starts slipping away and I thought that was happening again,” Hinkle continued, “Just [feel] relief and gratitude that I battled back and was able to take it down.”
While Hinkle previously spent his entire focus on poker, life had other plans as he spends much more time away from the felt in recent years.
“It’s mostly kid activities for me. I’ve got a 15-year-old and an 11-year old, so they take up a lot of my time. Although they’re getting to the ages now that I can play a little bit more because as they get to teenage age, they don’t want to hang out with their parents as much,” Hinkle joked with a proud smile.
In a final table that lasted over six hours, Hinkle emphasized the importance of staying patient and picking his spots.
“It was mostly opponent specific [his aggression and strategy]. If I can get to showdown often I’ve got a good chance of winning, but if I get blown off it, it’s not a good feeling,” Hinkle explained regarding his postflop decisions.
It was a final table filled with massive swings and momentum shifts, but Hinkle’s experience allowed him to ride the waves.
“You just made sure that you’re still playing your best with the stack you have going forward each hand, and that you’re not going to punt after a tough situation. Just playing one hand at a time, even though it’s a frenzy inside [my head].
Hinkle was quick to give a shoutout to his support system for the help throughout the journey.
“[Thanks to] my wife and kids for letting me go down here. I’m looking forward to spending time with them tomorrow. Thanks to my RunGood family, they were cheering me on in the Telegram chat, so shoutout to them and all my friends.”
The Day’s Action
From a starting field of 417 runners, just 32 returned for today’s action with William Scarsdale holding the chip lead, although he would eventually bow out in 17th place.
The eliminations were fast and furious to begin the day, with several notable players hitting the rail early including Brent Gregory, Eric Bunch, John Reynolds, Todd Tucker, and Michael Perrone.
After just two hours, the field had been cut to its final 11 players.
Final Table Action
Following the elimination of Jim Wilson in 10th, the final nine players combined at a single final table with Anthony Finley holding the lead, followed by Hinkle.
William Berry and Eric Salazar were two of the most accomplished players remaining in the field, but they were also the first to hit the rail after entering the final nine with short stacks.
John Smith would then fall in seventh place before the final six players went on dinner break.
Johnnie Place was the next casualty in sixth. After defending the big blind, he would flop middle pair against the top pair of Terry Harrell and got the rest of his short stack into the middle but could not improve.
Almost an hour would pass before Sarah Renko was eliminated in fifth as the last woman standing in an impressive run, and Rehman Zahid would hit the rail in fourth shortly after.
Then began an extended three-handed battle as the chip lead changed on several occasions. It was almost all over in a single hand for a three-way all-in, but Terry Harrell scooped to eliminate Anthony Finley in third as he also doubled through Hinkle.
The heads-up match featured short stacks as cagey play continued for over an hour. Eventually, Hinkle would jam the button with queen-jack suited and Harrell called off his final 12 big blinds with ace-five. Hinkle would turn a flush to seal it, and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief after winning an absolute war of a final table.
