Glaser’s Triumph: Learn how Glaser secured his third WSOP bracelet of the summer and the pivotal hands that led to his victory.
Gold Rush for Others: Discover how Rast, Mateos, and Linde also claimed prestigious gold at this year’s WSOP and the events in which they competed.
Key Strategies: Gain insights into the strategies that proved effective for the winners during their respective tournaments.
Player Spotlights: Get to know more about the backgrounds and playing styles of Glaser, Rast, Mateos, and Linde.
Upcoming Events: Stay updated on the future events in the WSOP and what to watch for in the coming weeks.
The all-time bracelet leaderboard has seen quite a few shakeups at this Year’s World Series of Poker with Benny Glaser taking the spotlight at the Horseshoe and Paris casinos in Las Vegas. He now has a trifecta of bracelets this summer alone and has a chance at even more with plenty of action remaining.
Some other major names have added to their impressive tournament records as well, including Adiran Mateos, Brian Rast, and Dylan Linde. Here is a look at some of the action over the last week.
Benny Glaser Grabs Third Bracelet of the Summer
This year’s WSOP has turned into the Benny Glaser Show. The English poker pro captured his third bracelet on Friday in the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball for $208,552. Glaser has made it a special WSOP so far as the series moves just past the halfway point.
“It feels outrageous, honestly” he said after the latest win. “Three in one series. That’s so many in one series and it’s not even over yet. It’s unreal.”’
Now with eight career bracelets, Glaser sits alone on the all-time list just behind Johnny Moss with nine and Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, and Johnny Chan, all with 10. Behind Glaser are several players with seven bracelets including Billy Baxter, Daniel Negeanu, John Hennigan, Nick Schulman, Men Nguyen, Scott Seiver, and Brian Rast (more on him below).
I won my 8th WSOP bracelet!!! 😃 And my 3rd this series! Which is honestly absurd 😄 This one was also genuinely an INCREDIBLY tough battle. I'm so happy it was all worth it. And thanks to everyone for the outpouring of love and nice messages! ♥️😊 Next up: the $50k PPC! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nJnJ4cZpQJ
Glaser is on a tear and has won five bracelets since 2021. He also won two in 2016 after winning his first in 2015. He looks to move even higher in the coming years, perhaps challenging for the top spot at some point. Phil Hellmuth leads the all-time bracelet race with 17 followed by Phil Ivey with 11.
After the win, Glaser sat in third in the WSOP player of the year race, just behind Scott Bohlman and Jao Felipe Martins Vieira. He remains a force in the game and a player to watch in the last few weeks of the series.
Image Credit: PokerGo
Brian Rast, Adrian Mateos Mine for Gold
Two more big names added to their sizable bracelet collections. Poker Hall of Famer Brian Rast came out on top in the $10,000 Razz Championship for $306,644. The poker pro originally from Poway, California, now has $28.3 million in live tournament winnings.
Rast was thrilled with the win and offered some compliments for Andrew Yeh, who finished runner-up for $204,423.
“Just immense gratitude,” he said after the win. “I feel like no one ever deserves to win a tournament because it’s so crazy what has to happen to win. I was very short at least twice, if not three times. I really liked my mindset on this one. I was just telling myself, even before the final table, just focus on your play.
“If you bust at this point, no matter what happens, you have a great life, you’re doing well, playing good poker. And that’s all I can control. I was very happy how I played, and just these ups and downs, emotionally. That was the longest heads-up battle that I’ve ever had. Andrew made it really tough.”
Spain’s Adrian Mateos also found the winner’s circle over the last week to bring his career bracelet total to five. The 30-year-old has been a force in the poker world over the last few years and took down a $3,200 High Roller event at WSOP Online for $253,080.
Several online events with larger buy-ins featured a live final table and that was the case with this tournament.
Mateos now has more than $54 million in live tournament winnings and has been the model of consistency in the last few years. That led to earning the 2024 Card Player player of the year after racking up some huge scores all year long.
Poker Players Championship Gets Underway
The $50,000 Poker Players Championship is one of the biggest events for pros at the WSOP each year and kicked off Tuesday. The event features several poker variants and some of the best names in the game competing for big dollars. Last year, Daniel Negreanu came out on top for $1.2 million and his first bracelet since 2011.
Negreanu not only cashed in for himself but also poker fans who staked him throughout the summer. He was pleased to finally achieve bracelet No. 7, but also to share some of the wealth with backers and those who showed up to cheer him on.
“The people that watch the vlog or buy pieces of me on PokerStake, they sort of live and die with the same things that I have,” he told PokerGO. “For me, it’s nice to be able to share that joy not just with those people that bought a little piece, but also those that watch and those that stayed all this time to see it all happen in the end.”
On his latest vlog, Negreanu looked at how things were going for himself and others through the fourth week of the series. Monday was an off day for the Canadian poker pro and he also offered some insight on his preparation for the PPC.
A Look at Other Recent Winners
A few other winners stand out from the last week. Longtime poker pro and strategy book author Dylan Linde came out on top in the $50,000 Pot Limit Omaha event for his third bracelet for $2.1 million.
Originally from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Linde picked up an online bracelet last year and his first piece of WSOP hardware in 2021. This marked the biggest cash of his career and came after a heads-up battle against his friend Stepehen Chidwick, who finished runner-up for $1.4 million.
“What a dream last night was,” he noted on Twitter. “To be fortunate enough to not only win such a tough tournament but also share it with one of my best friends is so special. My heart is full with all the kind words from friends and the poker community as well. Thank you all.”
Image Credit: Poker Go
In the $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha, Germany’s Dennis Weiss came out on top for his second career bracelet and $2.3 million. This was the first seven-figure win of his career.
The $10,000 HORSE Championship saw Kristopher Tong race to victory, collecting $452,689 and his first bracelet. Originally from Michigan and now living in Dallas, Texas, Tong dealt with some personal issues over the last year and finding a win helped put some of that behind him.
“I’m super blessed in life,” Tong said afterward. “But I had kind of a family tragedy like eight, nine months ago, and honestly it kind of messed me up for a little while. I’ve grown so much, learned so much, really special people have come into my life more from that situation and it’s just crazy.”
The $1,000 Seniors Championship offers plenty of bang for the buck each year, bringing in big fields that make for a nice payout. That continued this year with Brett Lim taking the top spot for his first bracelet and $653,839. He was happy to see a roller coast of a poker tournament come to an end with a victory.
“You always dream or aspire that something like this is going to happen, but 48 hours ago this was the furthest thing from my mind,” Lim said. “I barely min-cashed. I was happy with some money jumps, and up until 20 minutes ago I thought I had lost the heads-up match. A lot of things were going pretty grim, and then two key hands just came by – boom, boom, boom. I didn’t think I was going to win, to tell you the truth, but luck finds you in strange ways, and it found me this time.”
Looking Ahead
Some big events are in the works in the coming week and here are a few tournaments that stand out on the schedule.