Some of the Best Poker Players Who Haven't Won a WSOP 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.
Free to Play Slots in the US
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
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 | WSOPC Las Vegas $1,700 Main Event | 1st | $227,344 |
| October 2021 | WSOP $50,000 NLH High Roller | 6th | $202,236 |
| October 2021 | WSOP $5,000 NLH 6 Handed | 5th | $113,775 |
| May 2023 | WSOP $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed | 12th | $62,763 |
| October 2021 | $25,000 NLH Heads-Up Championship | 5th | $36,820 |
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
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2017 | Event #11: €10,350 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event (WSOPE) | 2nd | €689,246 |
| October 8, 2011 | Event #2: €1,090 No-Limit Hold'em (WSOPE) | 2nd | €91,262 |
| July 5, 2010 | Event #57: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship | 197th | $48,847 |
| October 24, 2018 | Event #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
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.
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2021 | WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller | 4th | $930,791 |
| July 2019 | WSOP $50,000 High Roller | 8th | $167,420 |
| July 2022 | WSOP $50,000 High Roller | 11th | $100,000 |
| August 2020 | WSOP $25,000 NLH Players Championship | 43rd | $70,150 |
| July 2011 | WSOP $10,000 Main Event | 123rd | $54,851 |
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
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2, 2011 | Event #4: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em | 2nd | $540,020 |
| July 6, 2007 | Event #55: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship | 38th | $237,865 |
| November 4, 2017 | Event #11: €10,350 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT (WSOPE) | 6th | €174,365 |
| June 3, 2019 | Event #11: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 5th | $91,211 |
| June 24, 2016 | Event #42: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout | 4th | $87,487 |
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
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 24, 2012 | Event #45: $50,000 Poker Players Championship | 5th | $317,882 |
| July 3, 2013 | Event #58: The Little One for One Drop - $1,111 No-Limit Hold'em | 3rd | $295,433 |
| July 7, 2012 | Event #61: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship | 25th | $294,601 |
| March 12, 2010 | Event #10: $5,150 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event (WSOP Circuit) | 1st | $264,715 |
| July 7, 2005 | Event #42: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship | 37th | $235,390 |
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
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 6, 2020 | GGPoker.com Event #39: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 2nd | $156,905 |
| November 2, 2021 | Event #64: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em; Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed) | 7th | $70,367 |
| June 19, 2019 | Event #45: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller | 26th | $43,270 |
| July 9, 2016 | Event #68: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - World Championship | 182nd | $42,285 |
| November 3, 2021 | Event #66: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 19th | $20,097 |
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
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2023 | WSOP Chicago $1,700 NLH Main Event | 1st | $253,073 |
| August 2017 | WSOPC Cherokee $10,000 Global Casino Championship | 3rd | $130,498 |
| June 2019 | WSOP $1,500 Millionaire Maker | 9th | $122,375 |
| March 2017 | WSOPC Iowa $365 NLH | 1st | $39,731 |
| October 2018 | WSOPC Hammon $400 NLH Monster Stack | 1st | $38,392 |
Top Poker Players Without a WSOP Bracelet Breakdown
| Name | Country | Career Earnings | Career Wins | All-Time Money Rank | WSOP Earnings | WSOP Cashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seth Davies | United States | $20,807,537 | 8 | 37th | $1,584,399 | 39 |
| Bin Weng | United States | $4,730,372 | 11 | 351st | $618,178 | 16 |
| Gianluca Speranza | Italy | $4,663,222 | 10 | 354th | $1,695,863 | 44 |
| Maria Ho | United States | $4,500,559 | 9 | 372nd | $1,959,554 | 80 |
| Roland Israelashvili | United States | $4,268,528 | 25 | 407th | $3,598,335 | 419 |
| Josh Reichard | United States | $2,484,866 | 21 | 842nd | $1,390,496 | 128 |
| Niklas Astedt | Sweden | $2,095,690 | 5 | 1,051st | $397,877 | 21 |
Live poker statistics and poker's all-time money list rankings courtesy of The Hendon Mob.
