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2012
Playtika - Jason Alexander

2012 WSOP Main Event Winner


$8,527,982
Greg Merson (USA)

It's official. Greg Merson is the 2012 world poker champion.

The 24-year-old professional poker player from Laurel, Maryland celebrated his ultimate moment of triumph at 6 am early on a Wednesday morning, following an all-night marathon playing session that nearly broke the all-time duration record.

Merson's victory took place at the Penn and Teller Theatre, upon a stage accustomed to acts of magic. But Merson was the poker player with the proverbial magic wand, turning what had started out as a dream into a world championship victory. What began last summer at the Rio Las Vegas, with 6,598 entrants, ranking as the fifth largest live poker tournament in history, concluded on Halloween morning, October 31st.

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2012 Bracelet Winners


Event #1
Chiab "Chip" Saechao
Won: $70,859
Event #1: Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em
Chiab "Chip" Saechao, from Visalia, CA, won the Casino Employees Championship, He collected $70,859 in prize money.
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Event #2
Brent Hanks
Won: $517,725
Event #2: No-Limit Hold'em
Brent Hanks, a 29-year-old pro from Las Vegas, won the first $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament of 2012, winning a hopping $517,725.
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Event #3
Leif Force
Won: $207,708
Event #3: Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em / Pot-Limit Omaha (512 player max)
The guy with the coolest name in poker -- Leif Force -- collectied an indubitably appetizing $207,708 in prize money.
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Event #4
Cory Zeidman
Won: $201,559
Event #4: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8 or Better
Cory Zeidman, a New York Sports Marketer, is victorious in Champion-Stacked Stud/Eight Event, winning $201,559
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Event #5
Nick Jivkov
Won: $189,818
Event #5: Pot-Limit Hold'em
Nick Jivkov, a 34-year-old semi-pro poker player and business owner from Des Plaines, IL, walked away with a bracelet after winning the ring in 2010.
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Event #6
Aubin Cazals
Won: $480,564
Event #6: No-Limit Hold'em Mixed Max
Cazals, a 21-year-old online poker pro currently residing on the island-nation of Malta, collected the handsome sum of $480,564 in prize money.
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Event #7
Andy Bloch
Won: $126,363
Event #7: Seven Card Stud
Bloch finally won his first World Series of Gold bracelet, following 18 years of hammering away in the world's most prestigious tournaments.
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Event #8
Herbert Tapscott
Won: $264,400
Event #8: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
The 71-year-old financier from Hartselle, Alabama, collected $264,400 - one of the largest Omaha High-Low Split prizes in poker history.
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Event #9
Ashkan Razavi
Won: $781,398
Event #9: No-Limit Hold'em Re-entry
Ashkan Razavi, a 30-year-old professional poker player from Maple Ridge, BC (Canada), won his first WSOP gold bracelet at the Rio in Las Vegas.
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Event #10
John Monnette
Won: $190,826
Event #10: Seven Card Stud
John Monnette, a 30-year-old professional poker player from Palmdale, CA, won his second WSOP gold bracelet Tuesday night, making victory look far too easy.
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Event #11
Vincent van der Fluit
Won: $265,211
Event #11: Pot-Limit Omaha
With the victory, 24-year-old Van Der Fluit became only the fourth Dutch-born World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner.
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Event #12
Brian Hastings
Won: $371,498
Event #12: Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em (512 player max)
Brian Hastings, a 23-year-old professional poker player from Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, won his first WSOP gold bracelet tonight at the Rio in Las Vegas.
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Event #13
David Arsht
Won: $211,921
Event #13: Limit Hold'em
David "Doc" Arsht, a 66-year-old physician from the Philadelphia area, stunned the poker world late Thursday night by winning his first WSOP gold bracelet.
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Event #14
Brandon Schaefer
Won: $311,174
Event #14: No-Limit Hold'em Shootout (2,000 player max)
Brandon Schaefer, a 31-year-old former professional poker player from Seattle, WA, won his first WSOP gold bracelet at the Rio in Las Vegas.
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Event #15
Adam Friedman
Won: $269,037
Event #15: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Friedman enjoyed the thrill of jubilation of winning his first WSOP gold bracelet victory and the title of 2012 Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split World Champion.
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Event #16
Matt Matros
Won: $454,835
Event #16: No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed
At the rate Matt Matros is winning gold bracelets these days, he may very well become the all-time World Series of Poker victory leader by year 2022.
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Event #17
Andy Frankenberger
Won: $445,899
Event #17: Pot-Limit Hold'em
Frankenberger is the latest World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner - make that two-time winner. Frankenberger collected the hefty sum of $455,899 in prize money.
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Event #18
Phil Hellmuth
Won: $182,793
Event #18: Seven Card Razz
This conquest marked Hellmuth's record-smashing 12th WSOP gold bracelet, the most by any player in history. He collected $182,793 in prize money
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Event #19
Clifford Goldkind
Won: $559,514
Event #19: No-Limit Hold'em
Cliff Goldkind, a 24-year-old student from Potomac, Maryland, and a former Israel soldier, won No-Limit Hold'em event, held at the Rio in Las Vegas.
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Event #20
Benjamin Scholl
Won: $206,760
Event #20: No-Limit Hold'em
Benjamin Scholl, a 26-year-old financial analyst from Trappe, Pennsylvania won the most recent World Series of Poker event, held at the Rio in Las Vegas.
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Event #21
Michael Gathy
Won: $440,829
Event #21: No-Limit Hold'em
Gathy, from Brussels, Belgium, won his first WSOP gold bracelet in the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament (Event #21), collecting $440,829 in the process.
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Event #22
Randy Ohel
Won: $145,247
Event #22: 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)
Randy Ohel, a 26-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, won his first WSOP gold bracelet tonight at the Rio in Las Vegas.
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Event #23
Simon Charette
Won: $567,624
Event #23: No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed
A Fairy Tale Ending: Simon Charette, a professional poker player from Toronto, Canada, wins $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed Event
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Event #24
Joe Cassidy
Won: $294,777
Event #24: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Cassidy, a professional poker player from Las Vegas, wins a gold bracelet against players like Scott Nguyen and Phil Ivey.
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Event #25
Brian Meinders
Won: $116,118
Event #25: Limit Hold'em Shootout
Brian Meinder from Jackson, New Jersey, wins his first gold bracelet, following two previous deep runs in previous WSOP events.
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Event #26
Austin Scott
Won: $361,797
Event #26: Pot-Limit Omaha
Good news: Gabe Scott just won a World Series of Poker gold bracelet. He also collected $361,797 in prize money
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Event #27
Ylon Schwartz
Won: $267,081
Event #27: H.O.R.S.E.
The former chess master and professional poker player originally from New York City won his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet today.
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Event #28
Timothy Adams
Won: $392,476
Event #28: No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed
The 26-year-old professional poker player from Burlington, Ontario (Canada) took three days to end up as last player sitting at the final table.
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Event #29
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman
Won: $603,713
Event #29: Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman won the 2012 Seniors World Championship. The well-known Card Player magazine attorney and writer collected $603,713 in prize money.
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Event #30
Larry Wright
Won: $101,975
Event #30: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit)
Larry Wright, part-time poker player and retired businessman from McQueeney, TX who started coming to the WSOP in the 1970s, triumphed today.
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Event #31
Carter Phillips
Won: $664,130
Event #31: No-Limit Hold'em
This gold bracelet victory marks the second of Phillips' young career. The 23-year-old poker pro from Charlotte, North Carolina won his first bracelet in 2010.
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Event #32
David Bakes Baker
Won: $451,779
Event #32: H.O.R.S.E.
Baker collected $451,779 in prize money for first place, which places him close to $1.5 million in career earnings. He also collected gold bracelet number two.
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Event #33
Max Steinberg
Won: $440,238
Event #33: No-Limit Hold'em
Steinberg is a 23-year-old professional poker player, who learned much of his craft from playing online. He specializes in short-handed and heads-up play.
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Event #34
Naoya Kihara
Won: $512,029
Event #34: Pot-Limit Omaha / Six Handed
Naoya Kihara made history tonight by becoming the first WSOP gold bracelet winner from the Japan in the 43-year history of the international tournament series.
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Event #35
Chris Tryba
Won: $210,107
Event #35: Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)
The always talkative and occasionally bombastic touring pro earned his biggest career victory to date on Wednesday night, topping the $2,500 Mixed Hold'em event.
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Event #36
Craig McCorkell
Won: $368,593
Event #36: No-Limit Hold'em Shootout (2,000 player max)
Craig McCorkell, a professional poker player residing in West Sussex, U.K., won his first gold bracelet and $368,593 in prize.
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Event #37
David ODB Baker
Won: $271,312
Event #37: Eight Game Mix
The professional poker player from Katy, Texas had already proven himself to be one of tournament poker's most steady performers in recent years.
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Event #38
Dung Gomer Nguyen
Won: $607,200
Event #38: No-Limit Hold'em
Born in Vietnam, grew up in New Orleans, Dung "Gomer" Nguyen won his first major tournament victory tonight at the World Series of Poker, in Las Vegas.
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Event #39
Jan-Peter Jachtmann
Won: $661,000
Event #39: Pot-Limit Omaha
Jachtmann is a 44-year-old professional poker player and publisher from Hamburg, Germany. He operates the largest German-language poker publication in the world.
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Event #40
Ronnie Bardah
Won: $182,088
Event #40: Limit Hold'em Six Handed
Bardah is a 29-year-old poker pro from Brockton, Massachusetts. After some time off in Thailand, the part-time kickboxer returned to his profession with a fury.
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Event #41
Greg Ostrander
Won: $742,072
Event #41: No-Limit Hold'em
It was a cop turned-poker pro from Webster, NY who ultimately enjoyed his finest poker moment on the ESPN Main Stage, winning hist first gold bracelet.
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Event #42
Oleksii Kovalchuk
Won: $228,014
Event #42: Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8 or Better
Oleksii Kovalchuk became the first Ukrainian poker player in history to win two gold bracelets, after he took the top prize tonight in the Mixed-Split event.
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Event #43
Henry Lu
Won: $654,380
Event #43: No-Limit Hold'em
Tournament newcomer Henry Lu, 22, added his name to this year's extraordinary list of gold bracelet champions after winning his first WSOP title tonight.
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Event #44
Rocco Palumbo
Won: $464,464
Event #44: No-Limit Hold'em
Palumbo, a 23-year-old professional poker player from the city of Genoa, became only the sixth Italian person in history to win a WSOP gold bracelet.
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Event #45
Michael Mizrachi
Won: $1,451,527
Event #45: The Poker Players Championship
Michael "the Grinder" Mizrachi wins his third gold bracelet with a hopping prize over 1.4 million dollars.
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Event #46
Joey Weissman
Won: $694,609
Event #46: No-Limit Hold'em
The 24-year-old poker pro originally from Syosset, NY won the $2,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament, classified as Event #46. This is his first gold bracelet.
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Event #47
Steven Loube
Won: $267,345
Event #47: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
The 34-year-old attorney from Atlanta, Georgia was awarded $267,345 for his vacation in Las Vegas.
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Event #48
Kenny Hsiung
Won: $165,205
Event #48: Limit Hold'em
The 29-year-old poker player and college student, now residing in Henderson, NV, won the $3,000 buy-in Limit Hold'em tournament.
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Event #49
Greg Hobson
Won: $256,691
Event #49: Ante Only No-Limit Hold'em
The 33-year-old professional poker player pocketed $256,691 in prize money, along with his first WSOP gold bracelet. This is Hobson's fourth time to cash at the WSOP.
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Event #50
Pete Vilandos
Won: $952,694
Event #50: No-Limit Hold'em
Panayote "Peter the Greek" Vilandos, a 72-year-old Greek-born retiree, now living in Houston, won this third career WSOP gold bracelet.
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Event #51
Yen Dang
Won: $170,587
Event #51: Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Yen Dang, from Denver, CO is the new 2012 Ladies World Poker Champion. The 29-year-old Vietnamese-born professional poker player won first gold bracelet.
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Event #52
Vanessa Selbst
Won: $244,259
Event #52: 10-Game Mix / Six Handed
The Yale University Law School graduate and poker superstar from New York City defeated a tournament lineup of 421 players, winning her second gold bracelet.
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Event #53
Jim Willerson
Won: $737,248
Event #53: No-Limit Hold'em
Neil James "Jim" Willerson, 36-year-old attorney from San Antonio, Texas, won the most recent championship-level event at the 2012 World Series of Poker.
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Event #54
Will Jaffe
Won: $500,075
Event #54: No-Limit Hold'em
Jaffe is a 25-year-old professional poker player from Bridgehampton, NY - located in Long Island. He has been playing full time for about four years.
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Event #55
Antonio Esfandiari
Won: $18,346,673
Event #55: The Big One for One Drop - No-Limit Hold'em
Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari -- yes, a former magician - won the richest prize in poker history. He collected a bank-account busting $18,346,673.
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Event #56
Tomas Junek
Won: $661,022
Event #56: No-Limit Hold'em
The latest WSOP champ is a 23-year-old Czech poker player from a town called Vysoke Myto - which, one might guess, just crowned its first WSOP champion.
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Event #57
Greg Merson
Won: $1,136,197
Event #57: No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed
The winner was Gregory Merson. He is a 24-year-old poker pro from Laurel, MD.
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Event #58
Viacheslav Zhukov
Won: $330,277
Event #58: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Viacheslav Zhukov, from Stary Oskol, Russia, is a 23-year-old professional poker player, and graduated from Moscow Mining University in geology.
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Event #59
Dominik Nitsche
Won: $654,797
Event #59: No-Limit Hold'em
Dominik Nitsche, a 21-year-old professional poker player from Minden, Germany, won this tournament. This is his first gold bracelet.
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Event #60
Nick Schulman
Won: $294,321
Event #60: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit)
New York poker pro Nick Schulman laid claim to one of the last remaining bracelets of the 2012 World Series of Poker with his win Saturday evening.
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