The "Chainsaw" had the Horseshoe Event Center buzzing yesterday at the World Series of Poker.
Allen Kessler made a deep run in the $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball event, searching for the elusive first gold bracelet of his career. He settled for ninth place, falling just short of the finish line, but earning $11,849 for his run.
With over $4 million in live cashes according to Hendon Mob and 222 cashes at World Series of Poker events, is Kessler one of the best players to not have a gold bracelet? Our own Tiffany Michelle asked him that very question.
"There are too many really, really super players like that," said Kessler. "I'm in in the next, second tier."
Kessler recognized that he's not the only great player to not have a bracelet, even showing respect to other players who are in that category as well.
Maybe a bittersweet day
Playing less than 100 meters away from Kessler was Jans Arends in the $100k High Roller No Limit Hold'em event.
Kessler and Arends notably got involved in a Twitter tiff, where Kessler questions Arends' ability on the felt after busting him out of a tournament.
The high-stakes online crusher got it done on the live felt yesterday, winning his second bracelet and over $2.5 million. Arends couldn't help getting one more Kessler needle in.
"Anyone seen Kessler? He didn't make the winner's pic," tweeted the Dutchman.
Finally getting the hardware
This series has already seen one of the best players on the "never to have won a bracelet" list get that annoying monkey off of their back.
We witnessed Isaac "Ike" Haxton seal the deal in the $25k High Roller No-Limit Hold'em Eight-Handed to earn $1,698,215 and his first gold bracelet earlier this series.
No one doubts Haxton's dominance on the felt, so the length of time it took him to win a bracelet establishes how difficult it can be to do so, even if you're one of the best in the world.
We know one group that's absolutely rooting for Kessler. Team No Gamble No Future, headed by Jeff Platt and Brett Hanks, drafted Kessler in the $25k Fantasy draft, hoping this would be the year of the Chainsaw.
So, as Kessler has much WSOP experience, we're sure it's only a matter of time until the cards fall his way and he hoists a bracelet of his own.
No matter what tier you put him in.
