2023 WSOP Week Four: Brian Rast Triumphs in the Players Championship for Third Time

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Yet another week of the World Series is behind us, and this one was perhaps the most significant thus far. The last week saw the conclusion of the prestigious $50k Players Championship, one of the biggest WSOP tournaments besides the Main Event.

The tournament attracted a total of 99 players, and the participation list included many poker legends like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu.

However, when it was all said and done, it was Brian Rast walking away the winner and making WSOP history, becoming only the second player to win this prestigious tournament three times.

With this win, Rast also joined the exclusive club of six WSOP bracelet winners, coming yet another step closer to the Poker Hall of Fame. He is one of the nominees for this year's induction, and his nomination came before the historic third win in the 2023 Players Championship.

Another Massive NLHE Field

WSOP tournaments this year have been posting some impressive numbers, and that trend isn't going away. Last week we saw another $500 tournament attracting 5,342 entries, producing a massive prize pool of over $2.2. million.

This meant that the eventual winner in Event #46 walked away with $262,526, and that honor went to one Jay Lockett.

If you're not familiar with the name, don't worry. Lockett is hardly a superstar in the poker world. In fact, before his bracelet win, he only had one recorded live cash from 2021, and it was for just $1,900.

Even the winner himself stated in the interview after the tournament that “this wasn't supposed to happen.”

But it did happen, and the World Series of Poker demonstrated once again its magical power to make poker dreams come true against all odds.

Millionaire Maker Becomes the Largest $1,500 Event in History

The 2023 WSOP managed to break yet another official record, and it is no surprise that this happened in the popular Millionaire Maker event. The $1,500 tournament guarantees the winner will take home at least $1,000,000, which attracts players of all shapes and sizes.

The recording-breaking summer continues in Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker with over 9,000 entries and roughly 5 hours left to register.

Not only a record for the event, which started in 2013 but a record for the largest $1,500 buy-in event in poker history! pic.twitter.com/Z3Nzj4JRiB

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 24, 2023

This year, however, the tournament exceeded all expectations, as the final tally came to 10,416 entries, which was enough to make it the largest $1,500 poker tournament in the history of the game.

There is still plenty of play left in this one, and it will take a little while before we have the winner. That said, what we can say with certainty is that there will be not one but two WSOP-made millionaires by the time the last hand is dealt.

A Bracelet & a Ring in the $10k PLO Championship

World Series of Poker events award bracelets, while rings are usually reserved for Circuit events. However, one special ring found its way to the 2023 WSOP.

The $10,000 PLO Championship attracted another massive field of 731 players and generated an impressive prize pool of $6.8 million.

The lion's share of that prize pool went to Ap Louis “Lou” Garza, who pocketed $1.3 million for being the last player standing, alongside his very first WSOP bracelet.

It was a big day for Garza, no doubt, but he made it a special one for his significant other, too. Right after the final cards hit the felt, and as his friends were celebrating, he produced an engagement ring and proposed to his girlfriend.

♠️❤️ Week 4 Highlights ♣️♦️ pic.twitter.com/VL0h5vWA9e

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 26, 2023

One Week to the Main Event

The biggest of all WSOP tournaments is now just one week away. The first Day 1 of the 2023 Main Event will take place on Monday, June 3, and the poker world is eager to see if the trend of breaking records will continue.

As things stand right now, we wouldn't bet against this year's Main breaking the 2006 record and becoming the biggest one in history. Las Vegas has been buzzing with poker action, and players keep on pouring into the city.

The Player of the Year chase continues as well. Of the big names, Shaun Deeb is looking pretty good, currently occupying the third spot on the leaderboard, but he is in good company, with the likes of Josh Arieh, Christopher Brewer, and Chad Eveslage all within a couple of hundred points.