In our preview of the WSOP $50K Poker Players Championship final table last night, we called Benny Glaser “unquestionably one of, if not the most talented mixed game player in the world right now.”
There is now literally no question whatsoever.
Glaser completed the greatest triumph of his storied career by winning the greatest mixed game poker tournament in the world. The PPC win comes with his ninth WSOP bracelet, $1,343,764, and the prestigious Chip Reese Memorial trophy.
Glaser is well known for being one of the coolest, most focused and composed players at any given poker table. That all went out the window when the final card hit the river on Thursday.
The Brit displayed a flood of emotion unlike anything ever seen from him at a poker table. He fell to his knees, put his hands on his head, and joyously wept in the arms of his friends on the rail.
“It was just like ‘I don’t need to compose myself anymore.’ The previous all-in when he doubled, obviously, there’s a lot of emotions and a lot of adrenaline, but it’s like ‘okay, he won, next hand. I’ve just got to recenter myself again.’ The river card came, and I didn’t need to do that anymore. It was over, and I could just let everything out. It was incredible.”
The moment the Chip Reese trophy was his
The final hand came in Omaha 8 or Better, and was a microcosm of a dominant heads-up performance versus runner-up Josh Arieh. Glaser clawed back from a slight deficit to start their duel, but an unstoppable combination of Glaser’s skill and some fortune from the deck led to him claiming the trophy.
The duo had virtually the same four-card hand, with Glaser holding 
to Arieh’s 
.
A split was likely, but Arieh made fours and threes on the 
flop. Glaser would need a queen to take the lead, and without fail, the 
fell on the turn, giving him the better two pair.
The 
on the river sealed the victory, and the prize that he had cherished so deeply (and for the first time ever, a miniature version for the champion to keep) was his.
“I remember seeing it again this year on Day 1, and I think I probably look at it every year that I play this event because it’s just such a special trophy. It’s such a special event, such a unique trophy.”
Glaser now adds his name to the list of some of the greatest in all of poker, etched on the prize named after a player who many say is the greatest of all time, its inaugural champion, Chip Reese. Glaser elaborated on just what that means to him.
“It’s so much. Still, when you say that, emotions are coming up again. It means so, so much. I don’t necessarily like using the word ‘deserve’, but it just makes me feel so proud, so grateful. Just the ultimate achievement in my career, and it feels amazing. So much emotion, yeah.”
WSOP Top 10 all-time bracelet leaders:
- Phil Hellmuth – 17
- Phil Ivey – 11
- Johnny Chan – 10
- Erik Seidel - 10
- Doyle Brunson – 10
- Johnny Moss – 9
- Benny Glaser – 9
Three years until the Hall of Fame
Glaser earns the one he’s always wanted at 37 years of age, three years shy of Hall of Fame eligibility, but with a resume the likes of which he had even before winning the PPC, he’ll now be a shoo-in for induction when the time comes.
Glaser, though, can’t think about that yet. There’s still plenty more to do, even with the biggest win of his career now checked off the list.
“It sort of feels like it would be kind of a crowning moment in my career in a way, which would feel amazing. I guess it’s hard to describe how it potentially would be without it happening, so hopefully I will see when I get there, and I’ll continue to do my best until then.”
$50,000 Poker Players Championship final table results:
- Benny Glaser (UK) - $1,343,764
- Josh Arieh (USA) - $895,837
- Phil Ivey (USA) - $600,698
- Maxx Coleman (USA) - $417,607
- Paul Volpe (USA) - $301,405
- Kristopher Tong (USA) - $226,172
- Jason Mercier (USA) - $176,732
