Mercier Is Not The Only Pro On A Bracelet Streak

(Photo: Highstakesdb.com)

Jason Mercier is on fire after bringing home his second World Series of Poker gold bracelet in 2016, but he’s not the only one. A limit specialist breathes down his neck flying under everyone’s radar because of all the talk surrounding bracelet prop bets. He didn’t make any prop bets prior to the 47th annual WSOP, nor does he plan to play every major event from now on in order to win the Triple Crown, yet he’s still on the verge of rewriting poker history.

Like Mercier, he won two gold bracelets this month and with a little bit of luck, he may very well become just the sixth player ever to take down three bracelets in one summer. Who’s HE, you wonder? Let’s find out!

Meet Ian Johns, The Other Two-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner In 2016

Ian Johns is a limit specialist who gave up playing big-bet poker games long time ago upon realizing that the pros playing those games were way ahead of him. So he made the best possible decision, choosing NOT to play No Limit and concentrating solely on the limit games. In fact, he doesn’t play many tournaments either, grinding almost daily the $80 - $160 limit cash games in Las Vegas. But when he decides to register for a tourney, he usually leaves his mark and walks away with a hefty profit. That’s what happened ten years ago when Johns won his first WSOP bracelet in a $3,000 Limit Holdem event and that’s what has happened in this year’s WSOP so far.

The Limit specialist first tried out Event #8: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. and was very close to bein blinded out after Day 1. He came back from the dead though, tripled up in Stud, and built his stack from 2000 chips to 50,000 in just one hour. With 12 remaining, Johns made another run from the shortest of stacks to one of the biggest around. And bear in mind, he faced a very tough opposition at the final table including five-time bracelet winner Scotty Nguyen, Brazilian bracelet winner Andre Akkari, and 2014 Shorthanded No Limit Holdem winner Justin Bonomo. In the end, the limit specialist beat them all and got his hands on his second gold bracelet of his career.

Fast forward two weeks later, Johns won yet another title, this time way more prestigious - Event #28: $10,000 Limit Holdem Championship. He brags about being an expert at this game, and after playing it for more than 12 years we're inclined to let him keep talkin.

Why would he possibly like the Limit version rather than the adrenaline rush No Limit Holdem, you ask? He told WSOP.com:

WSOP Player Of The Year Race: Jason Mercier Tops Them All

In spite of having two gold bracelets so far, Ian Johns is just third in the WSOP Player of the Year standings. Second is $565 Pot Limit Omaha winner Ryan LaPlante. LaPlante has eight WSOP cashes so far for a total of $213,966. Johns has $518,327 in 2016 WSOP earnings.

Jason Mercier tops them all with over 1,000 points - the only player to hit the four-digit mark. He doesn’t have that many cashes, only four, but he did win two Championship events: the 2-7 Drawball No Limit and H.O.R.S.E., not to mention his second place finish in the Razz Championship. Putting aside his many high-roller prop bets, Mercier has earned $868,576 and remember, the WSOP is far from being over.

The five-time bracelet winner will have many more opportunities to chase history in the days to come while Ian Johns will most likely continue to focus more on the cash games and much less on the WSOP events.

Can Johns make an unlikely run and go for three gold bracelets? Will Mercier win the $1.8 million prop bet with Vanessa Selbst? What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.