20 WSOP Bracelets Awarded at 2019 World Series of Poker

Las Vegas, Nevada is brimming with poker players from all over the globe thanks to the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) being in full swing. Every WSOP is a special time, this edition more so because it is the 50th time the annual WSOP has opened its welcoming arms to the poker community.

The 2019 WSOP saw the first events shuffle up and deal on May 29 and 20 champions have been crowed so far, each receiving a huge payout and a coveted gold WSOP bracelet.

It was Nicholas Haynes, a dealer at Aria Las Vegas, who was the first champion of the 50th edition of the WSOP. Haynes bulldozed his way through a field of 686 fellow casino employees to get his hands on his first bracelet and a cash prize weighing in at $62,345

Brian Green secured the first open event title when he came out on top of a 204-strong crowd in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty. Green won a WSOP ring in May 2013 when he won a WSOP Circuit event in New Orleans. Now Green has another piece of poker jewelry and a bank balance that has $345,669 more in it that a few weeks ago.

Largest Live Poker Tournament of All Time

Event #3 was the BIG 50, a $500 buy-in no limit Hold’em event that set a new world record for the largest-ever live poker tournament. A staggering 28,371 entries were processed, meaning the prize pool was $13,509,435. This gargantuan sum was shared among the top 4,258 finishers, but it was Femi Fashakin who scooped the lion’s share of the prize pool, namely $1,147,449 and, of course, a WSOP bracelet. Fashakin’s previously largest cash was for $11,250 so this was almost 10 times that figure!

The only other player to win a seven-figure prize to date is Ben Heath, a British professional poker player who triumphed in the star studded $50,000 High Roller Event, winning his first WSOP bracelet and a cool $1,484,085. Heath found himself surrounded by American stars at the final table, including Elio Fox, Chance Kornuth, Nick Petrangelo, Sam Soverel and his heads-up opponent Andrew Lichtenberger. Heath kept his cool and composure to get his hands on his largest prize yet and to take his lifetime live tournament winnings to more than $4.5 million.

It looks like 2019 is going to be the year of the professional poker players as several stellar names have found themselves in the winners circle through the first 20 completed events.

Bracelet Number Three For “BigRiskky”

Scott Clements, known in online poker circles as “BigRiskky”, emerged victorious in the $1,500 Dealers Choice event, a tournament where 22 different poker variants were played. Clements defeated fellow American Tim McDermott heads-up for the title, $144,957 and Clements’ third WSOP bracelet, which came 12 years after winning bracelet number two.

Daniel Strelitz first cashed at the WSOP back in 2012 and has since racked up more than 30 in-the-money finishes, but never managed to secure that elusive bracelet. Strelitz, a native of Torrance, California, finally got the proverbial money off his back with a victory in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event. Shannon Shorr was Strelitz’s final opponent, Strelitz made short work of him to bank $442,385 and the title of champion.

Followers of high stakes online cash game will no doubt know the name Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron. Regarded as one of the best poker players to have never won a bracelet, Baron rid himself of that unwanted title by overcoming 1,831-opponents in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event. The $407,739 Baron won for this victory is only his fifth-largest score of his career, but it is a result that will mean the most to him as he finally got his hands on a WSOP title.

Finally, Eli Elezra locked up his fourth WSOP bracelet by taking down the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event. Seven Card Stud may not be played as far and wide as it once was, but Elezra is a Stud master and used his vast experience to top a final table that was the home to the likes of Scott Seiver, David Singer, Rep Porter and runner-up Anthony Zinno.

2019 WSOP Champions (as of Jun. 11)

Event	Champion	Prize
$500 Casino Employees Event	Nicholas Haynes	$62,345
$10,000 NL Hlold’em Super Turbo Bounty	Brian Green	$345,669
Big 50	Femi Fashakin	$1,147,449
$1500 Omaha Hi-Lo	Derek McMaster	$228,228
$50,000 NL Hold’em High Roller	Ben Heath	$1,484,085
$2,500 Limit Mixed Triple Draw	Dan Zack	$160,447
$400 Online NL Hold’em	Yong Keun Kwon	$165,263
$10,000 Short Deck NL Hold’em	Alex Epstein	$296,227
$600 NL Hold’em Deepstack	Jeremy Pekarek	$398,281
$1,500 Dealers Choice	Scott Clements	$144,957
$5,000 NL Hold’em	Daniel Strlitz	$442,385
$1,000 NL Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty	Daniel Park	$226,243
$1,500 NL 2-7 Lowball Draw	Yuval Bronstein	$96,278
$1,500 H.O.R.S.E.	Murilo Souza	$207,003
$10,000 NL Hold’em Heads Up Championship	Sean Swingruber	$186,356
$1,500 NL Hold’em 6-Handed	Isaac Baron	$407,739
$1,500 NL Hold’em Shootout	Brett Apter	$238,824
$10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship	Frankie O’Dell	$443,641
$1,500 Seven Card Stud	Eli Elezra	$93,766
$600 NL Hold’em Online PL Omaha 6-Handed	Josh Pollock	$139,470

Stay tuned to US Poker Sites throughout the 2019 WSOP as we bring you all the news, results and gossip from fabulous Las Vegas.

Matthew Pitt

If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.

View Articles