Biggest Breakout Players of the WSOP

(Photo: Highstakesdb.com)

Every year at the World Series of Poker dreams some players exceed even their wildest dreams when they enjoy such success and coverage their poker profile is raised so high it remains so even after the dust has settled and the final cards have been dealt. Here are a few players who will certainly feel that the 2016 WSOP is just the beginning of what is certain to be an exciting phase of their poker careers.

Benny Glaser

Benny won back to back bracelets in this year’s WSOP, which always grabs the poker media's attention. On June 16th he secured the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better and three days later he binked the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better championship. This netted him over $650,000 in combined prize money and blasted his poker fame into the stratosphere. It also gave him the unofficial title of World Number 1 in Omaha Hi-Low Split!

Earlier in his career Benny had won many smaller tournaments in Europe, but usually at the lower buy-ins. Hopefully he can use his poker fame and increased media profile to secure a sponsorship and play in the larger events more regularly than he could before.

Since the WSOP Benny has cashed twice in the ESPT Series in Spain, again in Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, finishing 19th out of 95 and min-cashing. I do think, however, that it is only a matter of time before we see Benny Glaser securing another major success.

(Photo: WSOP.com)

Cate Hall

Cate has increased her media profile during the WSOP due to her setting up a podcast with Dan O’Brien which ran for the duration of the WSOP and also finding her way into the news throughout the tournament. Cate is as well-known for her outspoken views on issues such as sexism in poker and is not afraid to openly give her views on many issues.

Cate had solid if unspectacular results at the WSOP, cashing six times with her best finish coming in 62nd in the $5000 No Limit 6-handed event #35. She feuded with a large poker media website (not us) over an editorial piece and continues to be a controversial albeit interesting figure in poker. One poker forum user called her “the most annoying poker player in poker history”, but I bet they listened in when Cate gives her opinion on poker and social issues. I hope she sticks around.

(Photo: Seminolehardrockpokeropen.com)

Griffin Benger

Griffin Benger’s WSOP story is not quite fully written yet but it’s been quite a story so far. Already a poker millionaire and a former World Champion at the video game Counter Strike, Benger was reasonably famous already. He has over $2.4 million in live cashes and was the number 1 ranked played on Pocketfives for online poker tournaments in 2012. He won an EPT High Roller Event in 2013.

Odd perhaps that it will take a really high finish in the November 9 to fully cement Benger’s name as one of the top poker tournament professionals in the game despite such a strong Poker CV.

Benger starts the WSOP final table seventh out of nine players with $26,175,000 in chips (the chip leader Cliff Josephy has $74,600,000). One double up would see him leap to third, so he is not out of the tournament yet by any means. He certainly has the pedigree and the ability to go much further than his current position of seventh.

Jack Salter

British poker player Jack Salter started his online poker career whilst studying at university where he says he lost “quite a bit” playing $3 Sit ‘n’ Go’s. He got better though, posting consistent results for many years on the professional circuit, his most notable success coming in the EPT where he finished in the runners-up spot for $1,058,369 in 2014 and later that year he was 2nd again in the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em WSOP APAC Main Event, netting a cool $448,717 to add to his bankroll.

Salter’s big moment came in this summer's WSOP when he finished an impressive fourth in the high-profile $111,111 No Limit Hold’em High Roller for One Drop event, winning $1,536,666. Salter now stands at 5th on the All-time Money List for England, which contains poker stars such as Sam Trickett, the late great Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Jake Cody and Roland De Wolfe. Hopefully he will now receive the recognition he deserves.

Jerry Wong

Jerry has been a professional poker player since 2008, winning over $3 million playing online. He transitioned to the live poker arena and somewhat treading water before his first big breakthrough in the 2013 $10,000 No Limit Hold’em PCA Main Event, winning $725,000.

He has 19 WSOP cashes and in the past has won a WCOOP bracelet. Wong once suffered a 66 v AA one-outer bad beat to finish 11th in the WCOOP Main Event, so perhaps it is written in the stars that he will finally get some recognition as a top poker player after years of doing very well. As play begins in November, Wong starts eighth out of nine players in chips with a stack worth $10,175,000. He will need a quick double-up if he is to get much further, but he certainly has the skills.

We must also give a special mention Jason “No Mercy” Mercier, who lit up the WSOP in 2016 with big prop bets, a double bracelet win and his engagement to girlfriend Natasha Barbour. We wish the players listed above well as they use their WSOP fame to hopefully put themselves in a similar league to Jason and the other household names of poker.