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

June 01, 2023

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.

With the 2023 WSOP a few days underway, here's a look at some of the best players who have yet to add a World Series bracelet to their long lists of accolades.

_{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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Isaac Haxton

Isaac Haxton is widely regarded as one of the best poker tournament players of all time, having racked up $35.8 million in live earnings across his career. Despite the millions in tournament cashes, including $3 million at the WSOP alone, Haxton has yet to win a bracelet.

Haxton came closest to doing so at the 2009 WSOP when he finished runner-up in Event #2: $40,000 40th Annual No-Limit Holdem to take home $1.2 million. Eight years later, Haxton finished third in the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship at the 2017 World Series to pocket $595,812.

Haxton is back at the 2023 WSOP after taking the last few years off due to COVID-19 concerns, and he is as hot as ever as he's already won an incredible five tournaments in the past six months. If he can extend his hot streak through the summer, he could certainly pick up a bracelet this year.

Isaac Haxton Top Five WSOP Cashes

Shannon Shorr

Shannon Shorr is no stranger to success at the WSOP. The Alabama all-time money leader finished second in Event #7: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2008 WSOP for $349,141, and finished third in Event #57: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed Championship for $455,362 four years later.

More recently, Shorr had another close call in Event #11: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2019 WSOP, where he finished second for $273,416 after falling to Daniel Strelitz. After so many deep runs and close calls at the World Series, it would be hard to argue that Shorr isn't due for a bracelet.

Shorr performed strongly in 2022, taking down Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the US Poker Open for $213,900 in March and later finishing second in $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the PGT Venetian High Roller Series for $64,400.

In 2023, Shorr took down a $10,000 event at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown for $260,600.

Shannon Shorr Top Five WSOP Cashes

Chris Brewer

A new addition to this list is Chris Brewer, a regular on the high stakes circuit who has accumulated $9.8 million in lifetime earnings since his first live cash in 2015. Brewer's biggest WSOP cash came in 2021 year when he finished fifth in Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed for $211,235.

Brewer has had success outside of the World Series as well, including a victory in $10,000 WPT High Roller at the 2021 WPT Online Series and a first-place finish in Event #9: €10,000 No Limit Hold'em at 2022 EPT Prague for €155,830. In 2023, Brewer took down a €50,000 High Roller at EPT Paris for a career-best $1 million.

Given his success on other tours and performance in the 2021 Poker Player's Championship, it seems only a matter of time before Brewer adds a first-place finish at the WSOP to his poker resume.

Chris Brewer Top Five WSOP Cashes

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Top Poker Players Without a WSOP Bracelet Breakdown

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

Editor & Live Reporter U.S.

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