A Word With the Defending Champ

Defending champ Aaron Cummings overcame a 574-entry field last year to claim his first and only WSOP bracelet and has been living a "normal" life between the series.

Cummings, who owns a tire shop in Montana and only plays poker recreationally, said "work and family" have been his focus since his victory last year.

Cummings arrived back to Vegas for the first time since his win just a couple weeks ago, but has no big aspirations to defend his title and doesn’t consider himself a specialist in any one game.

"I just like to play mixed or stud games," Cummings explained. "Something different... it's more entertaining."

Cummings currently sits with an above-average stack of 75,000 — putting him in good shape to make another deep run.