TULSA, Okla. — Robert Shuptrine had largely stepped away from poker in recent years, and his last recorded cash came nearly three years ago. His 13-year-old son told him to go. So he went.
The wholesale car salesman made the most of his return, running down the entire field at the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event at Tulsa Hard Rock to claim the title and $142,758.
"Kids," Shuptrine said when asked why he had been away. "Life. Family. Trying to get things squared away and my head in the right direction. Now I'm back at it."
His son's sign-off was the final push. "He's turned 13," Shuptrine said. "He's got his own mind, and he's his own self. He told me to go play, so I went and played."
The layoff was longer than it might appear on paper. His last recorded cash came nearly three years ago in a $1,500 Badugi bracelet event at the WSOP. And before that, his most recent Tulsa appearance ended in a 44th-place finish at the 2019 WSOPC Main Event at the same Hard Rock property, good for $4,190.
A Clean Run From Day 1
The rust did not show. Shuptrine kicked off the Tulsa series with a 14th-place cash in the Pot-Limit Omaha event, then closed out his Day 1b flight 11th in chips among the final 55 survivors.
He grabbed the chip lead during his Day 2 run, with a key double through William Rowlette at the final table helping fuel the surge. He went on to eliminate three of the remaining finalists before play halted with four players left.
Lessons From the Car Lot
Shuptrine did not hesitate when asked where his big-bet style comes from.
"It's gambling!" he said. "We wholesale about 100 cars a week. Buying cars is gambling. I'm buying cars to take them to another location, so we're gambling that that car is going to make more money at the next location. It's all gambling. We always compare everything to gambling. Just in a different form."
That philosophy played out at the final table. Armed with big bets, big raises, and big calls, Shuptrine eliminated John Reynolds, Christy Cranford, and Christopher Stewart in roughly two hours, closing out the title before the session's first break even arrived.
Already Has the Next Trip Booked
When asked about what comes next, Shuptrine kept it simple.
"Just make some money," he said.
He has a poker trip to Florida lined up for next month, with plans to play in another series. The travel was already on the books long before Tulsa.
"I already had it planned, even before this," he said with a smile.
