Thursday, June 18, 2015 3:39 AM Local Time
Benny Glaser Wins Event #33 - $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
BENNY GLASER SEIZES TRIPLE-DRAW 2-7 CHAMPIONSHIP
After Running Bad in 2014, Glaser Returns and Wins a WSOP Gold Bracelet
Runner-Up Brock Parker Denied a Fourth WSOP Victory
MEET THE LATEST WSOP GOLD BRACELET CHAMPION
Name: Benny Glaser
Birthplace: Southampton, UK
Age: 26
Current Residence: Southampton, UK
Marital Status: Single
Children: None
Profession: Writer/media Relations/Poker Player
Number of WSOP Cashes: 2
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 1
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories: 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: None
Total WSOP Earnings: $142,205
Personal Facts: This was Glaser’s second time to cash at the WSOP
[Note: All statistics above include the results of this tournament]
Benny Glaser experienced a horrible run at the World Series of Poker last year, the first time he’d come and played in the annual Las Vegas classic.
He entered several events and didn’t cash – not even once.
Unfazed by the disappointment, this year is quite a bit better now, as Glaser has accomplished what less than .1 percent of all poker players who enter events manage to do, by winning a coveted WSOP gold bracelet. Even more satisfying, Glaser won an event loaded with talent and proved that he belongs in the discussion of serious contenders, especially in lowball-related games.
“This is one of my very best games. I play it all the time, mostly online,” Glaser said moments after his victory. “So, I wasn’t surprised to win the bracelet in this event. In fact, I thought this one gave me the best chance.”
Glaser, from Southampton, UK prevailed in the $1,500 buy-in Deuce-to-Seven Triple-Draw Lowball event, which drew 388 players. The prize pool amounted to $523,800, with Glaser taking $136,215 from the pot for first place. He also collected his first WSOP gold bracelet.
“It means a lot to win it,” Glaser said when asked about what this victory means. “The prestige and the accomplishment of this – it’s surreal.”
Glaser overcame several disadvantages, particularly at the final table. Most impressive, he overcame a 4 to 1 chip disadvantage held by three-time gold bracelet winner Brock Parker. When the duel began, it appears Parker would swat away his final challenger with ease. But a blistering run of cards ruined Parker’s hopes, and gave the British poker player and part-time writer what was admittedly a victory that was just as much a relief as a joy.
“I ran really good at the end,” Glaser said. “I got a lot of cards and it seemed (Brock Parker) missed his draws. I ran good at just the right time.”
Even though he was modest in his assessment of his own play, the record clearly shows Glaser to be far more knowledgeable about the game that he lets on. Glaser writes regularly for a website called “High Stakes Data.”
Meanwhile, runner up Brock Parker missed the chance to join a special category alongside some of his widely-respected peers who have garnered additional titles at this year’s series. Among those who are multi-gold bracelet winners adding to their jewelry collection have been Robert Mizrachi, Max Pescatori, John Gale, Phil Hellmuth, Tuan Le, Keith Lehr, Daniel Alaei, Brian Hastings, Phil Galfond, and Jeff Madsen. However, Parker will have to win another event to join this crew. His payout amounted to $84,132.
This marked Glaser’s second time to cash, both this year. He finished 289th in the Millionaire Maker tourney.
There were two former gold bracelet winners among the final eight players – Brock Parker and Andrew Brown. Following Glaser’s finish in the top spot, the descending order of results was as follows:
Second Place: Brock Parker, from Silver Spring, MD came up short in his bid for a fourth gold bracelet. He now has 40 career cashes and more than $2.2 million in earnings at the series, with the $84,132 consolation prize added to his figures.
Third Place: Noah Bronstein, a 28-year-old poker pro from Bellevue, WA came in third place. He took third in an event last year and cashed for the 22nd time at the WSOP. Bronstein’s share of the prize money came to $54,092.
Fourth Place: Sergey Rybachenko, from Moscow, Russia finished in 4th place. He now has 18 cashes and 5 final table appearances on his resume.
Fifth Place: Andrew Brown, a 33-year-old poker pro from New York City, ended up as the 5th-place finisher. He won a gold bracelet in 2008 and now has 8 WSOP cashes.
Sixth Place: Jon Turner, a 33-year-old poker pro originally from Myrtle Beach, SC and now residing in Henderson, NV came in 6th. This was the 36th career in-the-money finish for Turner, who came in 5th in the $10K Deuce-to-Seven Championship played days earlier. Turner now has in excess of $900,000 in WSOP earnings, but is still yearning for his first gold bracelet victory.
Seventh Place: Toby Mulloy cashed for the first time ever in a WSOP event by finishing in 7th place. He’s the manager of an Acura (car) dealership in Belmont, MA. Mulloy began playing poker online. He’s married and says he has a child on the way.
Eighth Place: Steve Billirakis, the 29-year-old poker player from Chicago was hoping to win what would have been a third gold bracelet. However, the player who was once the youngest WSOP of all time (at 21) couldn’t gather chips once he reached the final table. This marked the 26th occasion that Billirakis has cashed at the series, which moves him up to about $1.8 million in career earnings.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS:
Aside from the final table finishers, other notable gold bracelet winning players who cashed included – Phillip Hui (10th), Dutch Boyd (11th), Tommy Hang (18th), Greg Raymer (21st), Brain Rast (23rd), Michael Mizrachi (28th), Randy Ohel (31st), Brian Yoon (38th), Vanessa Selbst (39th), David “Bakes” Baker (41st), and Allen Cunningham (42nd).
FUN FACTS:
There were 376 males and 12 females who entered this event (3.1 percent).
The average age of participants was 38.7 years.
EVENT DIRECT LINKS:
For this event’s results, visit:
http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/results.asp?grid=1136&tid=14233
For Benny Glaser’s official player profile page, visit:
http://www.wsop.com/players/playerprofile.asp?playerID=188969
For the Live Reporting Log for this event, please visit:
http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/updates.asp?grid=1136&tid=14233
For photos from this event, please visit:
http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/photos.asp?grid=1136&tid=14233
For official winner photo, please visit:
http://www.wsop.com/pdfs/reports/14233-winner-photo.jpg
For the live stream archive of this event, please visit:
http://www.wsop.com/videos/?vcat=33
(Note: Will appear 48 hours after event concludes)