Seat 1: Matthew Ashton (2,996,000)
Very few players who've made a bigger impression at the 2013 World Series of Poker than Liverpool's Matthew Ashton. The single 25-year-old Brit hasn't won a bracelet yet, but today marks his fourth final table of the summer!
Ashton actually made the final table of the 2011 WSOP $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship where he finished sixth for $101,813. It was a nice score, but one easily written off as luck. Fast forward to May of this year when he won the €5,000 8 Game Event at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo for $57,171 and then followed that up by taking third in the 2013 WSOP Event #5 $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo a few weeks later. Suddenly Ashton, who took home $86,437 for the latter score, wasn't looking like a one-hit wonder.
One week later, Ashton was back at a final table when he ultimately finished runner-up to Mike "The Mouth" Matusow in Event #13 $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo for $164,700. One week after that, Ashton was back at it when he finished seventh in Event #23 $2,500 Seven Card Stud for $18,266.
Ashton begins this final table second in chips, and whether or not he's able to capture his first bracelet, his accomplishments this summer are truly remarkable.
For more on Ashton, check out PokerNews' player profile on the Brit.