Some of the Best Poker Players Who Haven't Won a WSOP Bracelet

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Editor & Live Reporter U.S.
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Best Players wo Bracelet

While winning a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet is one of the greatest accomplishments a poker player can achieve, many of the greatest and most successful players in the game have yet to put one on their wrists.

PokerNews has had a decent track record with highlighting players without bracelets who have gone on to win them. Jason Koon won a maiden bracelet in 2021 after making the "Best Without a Bracelet" list that year, while Dan Smith and Alex Foxen both found bracelets in 2022 to be removed from that year's list. The likes of Isaac Haxton, Chris Brewer and Shannon Shorr also scratched their names off of the list after picking up bracelets in 2023.

Note: This list primarily looks at poker tournament players or who are regular names in the tournament circuit. This excludes the likes of Tom Dwan and popular high-stakes cash game players like Garrett Adelstein and Andy Stacks.

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Bin Weng

Bin Weng

Bin Weng is on the heater of a lifetime as perhaps the biggest breakout player of 2023. The Pennsylvanian started off the year by taking down the Borgata Return for a career-bets $1 million before surpassing that a few months later with a victory in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship for $1.1 million.

Weng was close to making poker history by winning consecutive WPT events but ended up in 4th place for $143,000.

Just a few days into the WSOP and Weng, who also won a Circuit ring earlier this year in the WSOPC Las Vegas Main Event, made a deep run in the Event #2: $25,000 High Roller (6-Handed) and is well on his way to winning a first bracelet.

Bin Weng's Top Five WSOP Cashes

DateEventPlacePrize
February 2023WSOPC Las Vegas $1,700 Main Event1st$227,344
October 2021WSOP $50,000 NLH High Roller6th$202,236
October 2021WSOP $5,000 NLH 6 Handed5th$113,775
May 2023WSOP $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed12th$62,763
October 2021$25,000 NLH Heads-Up Championship5th$36,820

Gianluca Speranza

Gianluca Speranza

Gianluca Speranza has been within inches of earning a WSOP bracelet on multiple occasions, making him an easy addition to this list. In 2011, the Italian finished second in Event #2: €1,090 No-Limit Hold'em at WSOPE for €91,262. In 2017, he won more than seven times that, €689,246, when he finished runner up in the WSOPE Main Event, falling to Marti de Torres.

The runner-up finish in the WSOPE Main was Speranza's best live cash until he took down a €25,000 High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo in 2022 for €853,000. We will see if Speranza can continue his run-good this summer in Las Vegas and if it will earn him a bracelet.

Gianluca Speranza Top Five WSOP Cashes

DateEventPlacePrize
November 4, 2017Event #11: €10,350 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event (WSOPE)2nd€689,246
October 8, 2011Event #2: €1,090 No-Limit Hold'em (WSOPE)2nd€91,262
July 5, 2010Event #57: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship197th$48,847
October 24, 2018Event #8: €25,500 Super Highroller Series 25K (WSOPE)20th€38,365
June 23, 2019$1,000 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack (Event #55)7th$29,886

Seth Davies

Seth Davies

With $20.8 million in tournament earnings, Seth Davies is one of the biggest crushers on the high-roller circuit. Despite his various poker accolades, including a victory in the 2016 WPT Canadian Spring Championship for $203,992 and a WPT title, Davies has yet to pick up a bracelet.

Davies, who is occasionally confused for one-time bracelet winner Stephen Chidwick, came close to winning a maiden bracelet in November 2021 when he finished fourth in the $250,000 Super High Roller for $930,791. Depending on his WSOP schedule, this could be the year he wins a bracelet.

DateEventPlacePrize
November 2021WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller4th$930,791
July 2019WSOP $50,000 High Roller8th$167,420
July 2022WSOP $50,000 High Roller11th$100,000
August 2020WSOP $25,000 NLH Players Championship43rd$70,150
July 2011WSOP $10,000 Main Event123rd$54,851

Maria Ho

Maria Ho

Iconic poker commentator and Women in Poker Hall of Famer Maria Ho is still after a first bracelet despite racking up 71 WSOP cashes (seven more from when PokerNews put out this list in 2021) and $1.8 million in WSOP earnings.

Ho was denied a bracelet at the 2011 WSOP in Event #4: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em, where she finished second for $540,020. More recently, Ho finished sixth in the 2017 WSOPE Main Event to earn €174,365, another close call for the California pro and commentator.

Ho had a number of deep runs at the 2022 World Series, including a fifth-place finish in Event #67: $7,000 NLH Super Turbo Bounty for $131,655. 2023 could be the year Ho adds a bracelet to her impressive poker resume.

Maria Ho Top Five WSOP Cashes

DateEventPlacePrize
June 2, 2011Event #4: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em2nd$540,020
July 6, 2007Event #55: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship38th$237,865
November 4, 2017Event #11: €10,350 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT (WSOPE)6th€174,365
June 3, 2019Event #11: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em5th$91,211
June 24, 2016Event #42: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout4th$87,487

Roland Israelashvili

Roland Israelashvili

With a record 419 WSOP cashes to his name, Roland Israelashvili sits far in front on the all-time list, ahead of Arkadiy Tsinis (237 WSOP cashes) and Ari Engel (218 cashes), the latter of whom was on this list until he won his first bracelet in 2019.

Despite having all of those cashes and an impressive eight Circuit rings, Israelashvili has yet to get a golden bracelet under his belt. The New Yorker, who is originally from the Republic of Georgia, had his closest call in Event #58: The Little One for One Drop - $1,111 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2013 WSOP, where he finished third for $295,433. The previous year, Israelashvili had finished fifth in Event #45: $50,000 Poker Players Championship for his biggest WSOP score of $317,882.

Roland Israelashvili Top Five WSOP Cashes

DateEventPlacePrize
June 24, 2012Event #45: $50,000 Poker Players Championship5th$317,882
July 3, 2013Event #58: The Little One for One Drop - $1,111 No-Limit Hold'em3rd$295,433
July 7, 2012Event #61: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship25th$294,601
March 12, 2010Event #10: $5,150 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event (WSOP Circuit)1st$264,715
July 7, 2005Event #42: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship37th$235,390

Niklas Astedt

Niklas Astedt

Niklas Astedt is one of the best online tournament grinders ever to touch a computer mouse, sitting atop the PocketFives all-time leaderboard with $25.5 million in earnings. "Lena900" has also had success in the live realm, accumulating just under $1.5 million in lifetime earnings.

The Swedish pro played a heavy schedule at the 2021 WSOP and had a number of deep runs, including a 7th-place finish in Event #64: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em; Pot-Limit Omaha for $70,367, and the next day finishing 19th in Event #66: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $20,097.

The online grinder was denied a bracelet the previous year in a GGPoker.com $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event, in which he finished second for $156,905. Whether it's earned online or in a live arena, a bracelet could certainly be in Astedt's future.

Niklas Astedt

Niklas Astedt Top Five WSOP Cashes

DateEventPlacePrize
July 6, 2020GGPoker.com Event #39: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em2nd$156,905
November 2, 2021Event #64: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em; Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed)7th$70,367
June 19, 2019Event #45: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller26th$43,270
July 9, 2016Event #68: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship182nd$42,285
November 3, 2021Event #66: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship19th$20,097

Josh Reichard

Josh Reichard

With a resume that includes 14 Circuit rings and a spot in the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Hall of Fame, Josh Reichard has secured his place as one of the greatest mid-stakes tournament grinders of all time.

Earlier this year, Reichard won a 14th ring and $253,073 in the WSOP Grand Victoria Main Event to tie Maurice Hawkins at the top of the all-time ring list (before Hawkins went on to win a 15th ring a month later).

Reichard has also had results at the summer series, including a 9th-place finish in the 2019 $1,500 Millionaire Maker for $122,375. It would hardly be a surprise for Reichard to win another piece of WSOP hardware in the form of a bracelet.

Josh Reichard's Top Five WSOP Cashes

DateEventPlacePrize
April 2023WSOP Chicago $1,700 NLH Main Event1st$253,073
August 2017WSOPC Cherokee $10,000 Global Casino Championship3rd$130,498
June 2019WSOP $1,500 Millionaire Maker9th$122,375
March 2017WSOPC Iowa $365 NLH1st$39,731
October 2018WSOPC Hammon $400 NLH Monster Stack1st$38,392

Top Poker Players Without a WSOP Bracelet Breakdown

NameCountryCareer EarningsCareer WinsAll-Time Money RankWSOP EarningsWSOP Cashes
Seth DaviesUnited States$20,807,537837th$1,584,39939
Bin WengUnited States$4,730,37211351st$618,17816
Gianluca SperanzaItaly$4,663,22210354th$1,695,86344
Maria HoUnited States$4,500,5599372nd$1,959,55480
Roland IsraelashviliUnited States$4,268,52825407th$3,598,335419
Josh ReichardUnited States$2,484,86621842nd$1,390,496128
Niklas AstedtSweden$2,095,69051,051st$397,87721
       

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

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Editor & Live Reporter U.S.

Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.

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