57TH ANNUAL WORLD SERIES OF POKER

News

THE MARYLAND MERSONARY: GREG MERSON WINS WSOP EVENT #57

Merson Collects Whopping $1,136,197 and First WSOP Gold Bracelet in $10K Six-Max.
Jul 06 2012 02:08 PM EST
THE MARYLAND MERSONARY: GREG MERSON WINS WSOP EVENT #57
Gregory Merson Wins $10,000 Buy-In No-Limit Hold’em (Event #57)

Captures First WSOP Gold Bracelet and $1,136,197 Top Prize

Las Vegas, NV (July 6, 2012) – It may simply be known as “Event #57,” but the No-Limit Hold’em tournament that ended after just one hand today was bigger and richer than every single WSOP Main Event Championship held up through 1999.
 
The $10,000 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em tournament attracted 474 entrants – nothing out of the ordinary in the modern poker era.  However, the latest champion earned a whopping $1,136,197 in prize money – which is the third-largest prize of this year’s WSOP.

The winner was Gregory Merson.
 
He is a 24-year-old poker pro from Laurel, MD.
 
Merson not only received the game’s most coveted prize – the gold bracelet, but the satisfaction that he beat one of the toughest fields in recent memory in doing so.  This was his first WSOP victory. 
 
Merson defeated an incredibly stacked field in this short-handed event.  Since being introduced in 2009, the Six-Handed format continues to draw some of the most star-studded fields of the summer, and this Championship event was no exception.
 
Merson had to last three long days and nights and then come back and play one final hand on a fourth day to close out his tough final adversary. 
 
The runner up was Keith Lehr, a.k.a. "Lehr Jet" of Bossier City, Louisiana who won a nice consolation prize of $701,757.
 
The more comprehensive official report of this tournament, with much more news and official data, will be posted soon to WSOP.com.
 
__________________

 
-- by Nolan Dalla

© 2026 Bracelet IP Limited. WSOP is a registered trademark used under license by Bracelet IP Limited.
Unauthorized use is prohibited.

If you've ever watched the World Series of Poker and thought that could be me, you're not alone. Since 1970, the WSOP has been the place where that dream lives. Most people know the summer series in Las Vegas, where the $10,000 Main Event turns ordinary players into legends. But the WSOP calendar has grown well beyond that. WSOP Europe and WSOP Paradise now bring bracelet competition to international destinations, and dozens of Circuit events run year-round for players who want serious competition closer to home. Whether you're grinding a Circuit stop or taking your shot at the Main Event, the hardware means something. Winning a gold bracelet or Circuit ring is more than just a trophy. It's a permanent record that you are a champion. For players in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, WSOP Online has become something worth paying attention to. It's the only platform in the US where you can win a poker tournament for official WSOP gold bracelets without leaving home! The WSOP also offers deposit limits and self-exclusion tools because the best poker rooms have always known that keeping poker players healthy keeps the game healthy. From your first Circuit event to a final table in Las Vegas, WSOP is still where you go to prove something.