Some of the Best Poker Players in the World Without a WSOP Bracelet

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Aug 26, 2018 6 min read Last updated Jun 01, 2022

A World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Every poker player wants at least one, but it’s certainly not easy. While there seems to be more given out each year, 78 in 2018 in Las Vegas and another 10 planned for this fall at the WSOP Europe, navigating through huge fields and against some of the best players in the world is quite a challenge - and it’s still a huge accomplishment.

This summer, a couple of players who were known well in the poker community but still lacking a bracelet added that bullet point to their resumés. Galen Hall had more than $4.25 million in live tournament winnings, but was still looking for his first bracelet. That finally came when he won the $888 Crazy Eights for some new gold and an $888,888 top prize.

“It was an overwhelming sense of relief and satisfaction,” he says. “I’ve had so many close calls. It was like getting this huge monkey off my back."

Jean-Robert Bellande is known to many poker fans for his regular appearances in big cash games and even an appearance on “Survivor.” With two runner-up finishes and a third-place, Bellande finally broke through this summer winning the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em - 6 Handed event for $616,302 and his first bracelet.

Who are some of those great players still remaining who excel on the felt? PokerNews takes a look at some of the best players still look for that first bracelet.

Dan Smith

Sitting eighth in the all-time money list, Smith has more than $25 million in live tournament winnings, but that WSOP bracelet remains elusive. Since 2012, Smith has six third-place finishes, one runner-up, one six-place, one seventh, and two ninth-place finishes. And those have been huge performances.

In 2016, he finished runner-up in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $3.1 million, and third in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for $487,361. This summer, he took third in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $521,782, and third in the $1 million Big One for One Drop for $4 million.

Smith has wins at the WPT, EPT, Aria High Rollers, and numerous other events. The WSOP prize has been so close, and while it would certainly be nice, he prefers to look at his resume of success.

“I don’t think it would change very much, actually,” he says. “I have tons of other accolades and have been a top no-limit player for many years now. What would be different if I happened to get lucky in a WSOP event?”

Steve O'Dwyer

Also among the top all-time money winners (11th), O’Dwyer has big wins all over the world including at the EPT, PCA, APPT, and numerous other tours. O’Dwyer even has a WSOP Circuit ring, but appears to prefer playing abroad. At the WSOP, he has more than $500,000 in winnings, but hasn’t had a cash since 2015.

That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been scoring. O’Dwyer has seven six-figure scores this year, including taking down the €50,000 No Limit Hold'em EPT Monte Carlo event in April for $818,468.

Jason Koon

With an impressive $1.8 million in WSOP winnings, Koon is 15th on the all-time money list with $22 million. He’s had some close finishes this summer including seventh place in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller for $372,894, and fifth place in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for $295,606. Certainly a bracelet can’t be ruled out of his future. This year alone, he already has wins at the PCA and Triton Poker Series for $4 million.

Isaac Haxton

A WSOP regular since 2009, Haxton has $2.9 million in WSOP winnings with numerous close calls including a third-place finish in this summer’s $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $595,812, and a fourth place in the $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller for $518,882. Haxton came closest to a title in 2009, finishing runner-up in the $40,000 40th Annual WSOP No-Limit Holdem for $1.2 million. With $19 million in tournament winnings, Haxton is no stranger to big scores.

Sam Trickett

Trickett has more than $11 million in WSOP winnings, but the majority of that came after finishing runner-up in the $1 million Big One for One Drop in 2012 for $10.1 million. He also had a runner-up finish in a $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event in 2010 for $505,725. Trickett spends much of his time traveling the world with big finishes at the Aussie Millions, partypoker events, Partouche Poker Tour, WPT, and numerous other events.

Stephen Chidwick

It’s been a huge year for Chidwick, with three wins in Aria High Rollers and three seven-figure scores at events in Macau and Barcelona. In February, he also notched two wins at the U.S. Poker Open and his career winnings now total almost $18 million.

Chidwick is also no stranger to WSOP success with $2.2 million in winnings. While he doesn’t have a bracelet yet, he has several final tables including a sixth-place finish this summer in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller for $484,551. His closest finish came in 2015 in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, where he finished runner-up for $180,529.

Maurice Hawkins

With 11 WSOP Circuit cashes, Hawkins is one of the best players on that series. Now he just needs a bracelet to add to that. He has $2.1 million in WSOP earnings and just added that 11th ring in May at Harrah’s New Orleans. He had some deep runs at the WSOP in Vegas in 2017 – finishing sixth in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK for $213,591, and ninth in the $2,620 MARATHON for $54,356, but has yet to add the wrist gold to his collection of rings.

Patrik Antonius

Closing in on $1 million in WSOP winnings, Antonius has a long poker resumé dating back to 2003 and almost $12 million in lifetime tournament cashes. In 2007, he came closest to a bracelet – finishing third in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $311,394 and has a few more final table appearances.

It’s been a good year so far for Antonius who has a win, a runner-up, and a third-place finish at events in Barcelona and Macau for almost $4 million. And while it doesn’t compare with those totals, he also notched a 814th-place cash in the WSOP Main Event for $18,340.

Shawn Buchanan

With $2.7 million in WSOP earnings, Buchanan seems like another player poised to snag a bracelet. He’s been close – with 11 finishes of ninth place or higher. That includes three runner-up finishes in: the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event in 2010 for $812,941; the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship in 2011 for $376,458; and the €10,400 Split-Format No-Limit Hold'em at the WSOP Europe also in 2011 for €207,624. With almost $7 million tournament winnings, can that bracelet be far away?

Maria Ho

This poker host, commentator, and skilled card player has $1.6 million in WSOP winnings and had a runner-up finish in 2001 in a $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $540,020. She also has a fourth place and three sixth-place finishes. In a career that includes several big finishes, a bracelet would be nice as well but Ho keeps busy with plenty of TV appearances and PokerGO duties.

Ari Engel

While he has nine WSOP Circuit rings and $892,000 in WSOP winnings, Engel is still searching for that first bracelet.

He now has almost $6 million in live tournament winnings, and has four wins since December. No doubt he’s looking for more.

Top Poker Players without WSOP Bracelet - Stats

Certainly, there could be many more names on this list, but these are just a few who have found success at the WSOP or on other circuits but still looking for that bracelet win.

_{Live poker statistics and poker's all-time money list rankings courtesy of The Hendon Mob.}

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions. He is also the host of the True Gambling Stories podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn Radio, Spotify, Stitcher, PokerNews.com, HoldemRadio.com, and TrueGamblingStories.com.

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• Tags World Series of Poker WSOP WSOP Circuit Poker Players Las Vegas Dan Smith Galen Hall Isaac Haxton Jason Koon Jean Robert Bellande Ari Engel Maria Ho Maurice Hawkins Patrik Antonius Sam Trickett Stephen O'Dwyer Steve O'Dwyer
• Related Tournaments World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker Circuit
• Related Players Maria HoIsaac HaxtonPatrik AntoniusGalen HallSam TrickettDan Smith