Players That Win First WSOP 2022 Bracelets

Jake Schindler, Raj Vohra, Michael Moncek, Benjamin Diebold, and Leo Soma Win First WSOP Bracelets; 2022 WSOP So Far

Another five players were minted on the live felt during the 53rd Annual World Series of Poker, all of which were first-time series champions. The gold-seekers were Benjamin Diebold, Raj Vohra, Michael Moncek, Leo Soma, and top player Jake Schindler. Norbert Szecsi of Hungary won the third bracelet of his career on the internet platform WSOP.com, while Manig Loeser of Germany won his second. The series launched on May 31 at the new Ballys and Paris Las Vegas Casino. The attendance has been steadily growing since the series kicked off, as have prize pools. Many more bracelets will be won in games that run through July 20. Read on for the festival’s most recent highlights. 

Benjamin Diebold Wins Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship for $299,488.

The Dealers Choice bracelet event is the most expensive of the bracelet events. Many consider the 6-Handed Championship the gold standard for choosing the world’s top poker player. To win, participants must complete the tournament’s 20-game variant. Adam Friedman has dominated the tournament for the previous three years, a feat that will be tough to replicate. This year, though, marked the end of his reign, with him busting before the money round. Benjamin Diebold won the coveted title for his first gold bracelet and first six-figure payment of US$ 299,488.

Diebold began cashing at the series in 2018, with just 8 rewards prior to this massive triumph. Last year, he achieved his first series final table, finishing seventh in the No Limit 2-7 Lowball Championship. To achieve this victory, Diebold had to get past a stacked final table that included single bracelet winners Randy Ohel and Naoya Kihara, 5x bracelet champion Brian Rast, and 2x bracelet winner Mike Gorodinsky. Diebold maintained the lead throughout and forced Gorodinsky out of the race. Despite Gorodinsky’s defeat, it was yet another outstanding result for him. Last year, he finished in eighth place after running deep. Kihara, who finished fifth in his second series final table, also put forth a strong performance.

Here are the final table results:

Jake Schindler Wins High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed for $1,328,068

The gold had been a long process for American player Jake Schindler, one of the industry’s top stars with a career full of seven-figure winnings and deep runs in the high roller arena. Schindler won the Super High Roller Series Europe in Cyprus last month for a personal record score of US$ 3,200,000. He brought that winning spirit into the World Series of Poker, where he has been seeking gold since 2011. Schindler’s effort for his first championship fell short earlier in the $25K High Roller tournament when he finished second to Chad Eveslage. He promptly returned to the felt, and this time he won the US$ 50K High Roller NLH 8-Handed, finally capturing that coveted first bracelet. In addition to the gold, he received an extra seven figures to his portfolio. He shipped US$ 1,328,068, his greatest series payout, to bring his total WSOP earnings to more than US$ 3.3 million.

To win, Schindler had to defeat fellow great players Dario Sammartino, David Peters, and Brekstyn Schutten, who were all on their second final table. Punnat Punsri of Thailand returned to the series for the second year in a row. Punsri had a fantastic showing earlier this year at the Venetian, winning two High Roller tournaments. He competed with the big guns in the continuing series and came close to winning gold. He finished in third place, earning a career-high payment of $593,481.

Here are the final table results:

Raj Vohra Wins No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack for $335,886

The No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack was one of the less expensive bracelet tournaments, costing only US$ 600 to join. Opening day saw a crowded audience of 5,715 contenders for a large prize fund of US$ 2,914,650 over two days. There was an even larger number of players looking for their first gold among the vast list of accomplished players that joined the frenzied chase. The money started flowing from 858th position; among the bracelet holders who made the top 100 were Yuri Dzivielevski, Men Nguyen, Robert McMillan, Femi Fashakin, and Ankush Mandavia, whose 20th-place finish assured a first-time champion.

Qing Liu, the player with the largest stack at the final table, was in a position to win it all. Liu then used his massive stack to dominate many players, including Bhodan Styvinskyi (10th), Stanislav Snitsar (8th), Junxiu Zhang (6th), and Hung Tran (5th). Vohra, the eventual winner, started third from the bottom and quickly gathered momentum after banking a massive double-up. He then defeated Ralph Marquez (7th) and Nicole Limo Greene (4th). At heads-up, Liu was over 2:1 up, but Vohra worked hard to catch up, leading to the last hand. With an ace on the turn, Vohra’s AK beat Liu’s pocket eights. 

Vohra earned a personal best of $335,286 for his 23rd WSOP career cash, bringing his total series earnings to almost $745K. Liu, the runner-up, also earned a career-high six-figure sum of US$ 207,192. This was his 20th cash and second series final table appearance. 

Here are the final table results:

Leo Soma Wins 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em for $456,889

Leo Soma made France very proud by winning the 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em bracelet. In this series, he was the first player from his country to achieve so. This milestone success included numerous milestones, according to Soma’s tracked results. It was his first live WSOP cash, first live career win, and first, live six-figure payday. He went from earning less than US$ 15K to earning over US$ 460K. Soma defeated four of his six opponents at the final table, beginning with four-time bracelet winner and Main Event champion Joe Cada. On the flop, Cada’s pocket Kings were outdrawn by Soma’s Ace-King.

Here are the final table results:

Michael Moncek Wins Limit Hold’em for $145,856

Michael Moncek outlasted the 522-entry Limit Hold’em field to win his first bracelet and a personal best series prize of US$ 145,856 on only his third WSOP payday. Moncek had three circuit rings prior to his victory. At the final table, he was surrounded by players with comparable or superior credentials, including the highly decorated Joe Mckeehen, who had three bracelets, three rings, and more than US$ 11 million in WSOP profits. McKeehen finished fifth. After bracelet winner Yueqi Zhu finished third, the battle for gold was between Ben Ross and Moncek. Both players tugged at the chip lead many times before Moncek busted Ross’s pocket Jacks with a flush to end the game.

Here are the final table results:

Norbert Szecsi Wins NLH High Roller Freezeout for $288,850

Every year, the WSOP gives additional bracelets on the internet platform, WSOP.com. The first was the No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Freezeout, which attracted 218 players who paid the $5,300 buy-in. This resulted in a magnificent US$ 1,090,000 prize pool, with the top 35 getting a portion of it. Half of the table had adorned bracelet winners by the time the final eight was determined. Phil Galfond, a three-time champion, ended sixth, while Greg Merson, Tony Dunst, and Norbert Szecsi were all contending for their third bracelet. Szecsi eventually won the gold and the top award of US$ 288,850.

Here are the final table results:

Manig Loeser Wins No-Limit Hold’em Big 500 for $127,153

Manig Loeser of Germany blew through the No-Limit Hold’em BIG 500 field of 1,213 to win his second bracelet and a cool payday of US$ 127,153. With this victory, Loeser has nearly reached the US$ 2 million barrier in WSOP earnings, but that total pales in contrast to his past achievements. When he won the 2017 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro Main Event, he won almost US$ 2.1 million. Loeser has earned about US$ 11.4 million in tournament earnings to date.

Here are the final table results: