WSOP Results Year by Year – Legendary Poker Champs

The World Series of Poker is held annually at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. When it comes to professional poker, this is the year’s main event. The competition attracts the game’s heavy hitters, including legends like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, who compete every year in the hope of adding a coveted WSOP championship bracelet to their wardrobes.

A World Series of Poker bracelet is nothing to sneeze at. Created by Minneapolis-based Jostens, the bracelets are nothing less than miniature works of art. When the dust clears and the WSOP results are announced, the Main Event winner will receive a bracelet made from 427 grams of yellow and white gold, 365 white diamonds (a total of 25.5 carats), and 194 rubies (3.8 carats). That’s some pretty flashy bling. Each bracelet is worth at least $500,000.

But that’s not the main thing. The main thing is the bragging rights.

Oh, and the multi-million dollar prize. That’s nice too.

Launched in 1970 as a promotional gimmick by a casino owner, the WSOP now enjoys an undisputed place as the greatest of all poker series. It attracts the best players, celebrity poker fans, and a devoted television audience numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Television coverage has made celebrities of winning poker players, boosting their careers beyond card-playing. The tournament has helped make poker big business.

Here is a quick overview of poker’s main event, including lists of winners since 2003. We identify the top players and tell you just what it will cost you to get a chair at a WSOP table. We’ve got a lot to cover, so ante up and let’s get started.

A Brief History of the World Series of Poker

Poker’s biggest tournament was founded by legendary Las Vegas casino owner Benny Binion. In 1970, Binion brought six players to his world-famous Horseshoe Casino to identify the greatest poker player on the planet.

Although the first world champion was determined by vote, the champion has been the winner of a winner-takes-all no-limit hold ’em tournament since 1972. By the mid-80s, the annual tournament was attracting more than 2,000 hopeful players. The numbers started growing quickly after 2006 when American Jamie Gold took home $12 million along with his World Series of Poker bracelet.

After 51 years of growth for the WSOP, poker now has a widely recognized legitimate championship, a multiple-round contest that pits the world’s best players against each other.

A crucial turning point came in 2003. That’s the year aptly named amateur Chris Moneymaker cleaned out successive tables of professionals and walked away with the bracelet and a $2.5 million prize.
After 2003, the WSOP was more than a chance to watch the game’s best professionals play against each other. It was a chance for amateurs and fans to ante up in qualification rounds and get a shot at the prize.

This was a turning point for the tournament and for poker.

World Series of Poker Goes International

WSOP Europe was launched in 2007 as the first WSOP tournament event outside the US. Before WSOPE, all of WSOP’s main tournaments – the ones that award bracelets – were exclusively in Sin City. Players from 19 countries have now won WSOPE bracelets.

WSOP Africa events were held in 2010, 2012, and 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. WSOP Asia Pacific championships were held in 2013 and 2014 in Melbourne, Australia.

World Series of Poker has announced various plans for international competitions over the years. It appears now that WSOPA and WSOP APAC events will continue as part of the WSOP Circuit, with winners qualifying for eventual advancement to the finals in Las Vegas. WSOP Europe is the only WSOP bracelet tournament outside the United States.

The World Series of Poker Circuit

Launched in 2005, the WSOP Circuit is a series of poker tournaments held every year in American casinos, culminating in the WSOP Circuit Championship. While the Las Vegas-based World Series of Poker Main Event tournament is based on no-limit Texas hold ’em, contestants in circuit matches can play several different kinds of poker.

The WSOP International Circuit was launched in 2015. Winners from America’s WSOP Circuit and the WSOP International Circuit compete in the WSOP Global Casino Championship. The 2019 championship was held August 6-8 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers have gone online in the most recent versions of the WSOP 2020 schedule.

WSOP Winners Year by Year

The World Series of Poker is a series of 74 events, each featuring different poker formats and buy-ins. It is the most prestigious tournament in the game, and everyone’s taste in poker is taken into account. Each event follows the tournament format, and all players start with equal chip counts.
The winner is the last person who has chips left. Winners receive not just prize money, but the WSOP bracelet as well. The Main Event is usually televised, but since it is to be played online in 2020, it’s not clear how or whether ESPN will broadcast it.

WSOP 2019 Results

Let’s take a look at the results and payouts of the 2019 WSOP Main Event final.

• Hossein Ensan (Germany): $10 million
• Dario Sammartino (Italy): $6 million
• Alex Livingstone (Canada): $4 million
• Garry Gates (US): $3 million
• Kevin Maahs (US): $2.2 million
• Zhen Cai (US): $1.85 million
• Nick Marchington (Great Britain): $1.525 million
• Timothy Su (US): $1.25 million
• Milos Skrbic (Serbia): $1 million

WSOP 2018 Results

The results and payouts for 2018 WSOP Main Event final.

• John Cynn (US): $8.8 million
• Tony Miles (US): $5 million
• Michael Dyer (US): $3.75 million
• Nicolas Manion (US): $2.825 million
• Joe Cada (US): $2.15 million
• Aram Zobian (US): $1.8 million
• Alexander Lynskey (Australia): $1.5 million
• Artem Metalidi (Ukraine): $1.25 million
• Antoine Labat (France): $1 million

WSOP Europe 2018

The WSOPE was hosted at the King Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. The winner of the Main Event was Jack Sinclair of Great Britain, who won €1.1 million. The 2018 WSOPE hosted 10 bracelet events.

WSOP 2017 Results

Here is the list of 2017 WSOP Main Events results:

• Scott Blumstein (US): $8.15 million
• Daniel Otto (US): $4.7 million
• Benjamin Pollak (France): $3.5 million
• John Hesp (Great Britain): $2.6 million
• Antoine Saout (France): $2 million
• Bryan Piccioli (US): $1.675 million
• Damian Salas (Argentina): $1.425 million
• Jack Sinclair (Great Britain): $1.2 million
• Ben Lamb (US): $1 million

WSOP Europe 2017

The WSOPE was held in the Czech Republic for the first time. The Main Event in 2017 was won by Marti Roca de Torres, an economics teacher from Spain, and he took home €1,115,207 euros in cash. A total of 11 bracelet events were played in the series.

WSOP 2016 Results

The 2016 WSOP Main Event results and payouts for the final table were:

• Qui Nguyen (US): $8,005,310
• Gordon Vayo (US): $4,661,228
• Cliff Josephy (US): $3,453,035
• Michael Ruane (US): $2,567,003
• Vojtech Ruzicka (Czech Republic): $1,935,288
• Kenny Hallaert (Belgium): $1,464,258
• Griffin Benger (Canada): $1,250,190
• Jerry Wong (US): $1,100,076
• Fernando Pons (Spain): $1 million

WSOP 2015 Results

Here are the WSOP results for 2015:

• Joseph McKeehen (US): $7,683,346
• Joshua Beckley (US): $4,470,000
• Neil Blumenfield (US): $3,398,298
• Max Steinberg (US): $2,615,361
• Zvi Stern (Israel): $1,911,423
• Thomas Cannuli (US): $1,426,283
• Pierre Neuville (Belgium): $1,203,293
• Federico Butteroni (Italy): $1,097,056
• Patrick Chan (US): $1,001,020

WSOP Europe 2015

WSOP Europe was held at Spielbank Casino in Berlin, Germany, and the winner of the Main Event was Kevin MacPhee from the US, who took home $883,000. There were 10 bracelet events during the series.

WSOP 2014 Results

Here is the list of 2014 WSOP Main Event results:

• Martin Jacobson (Sweden): $10 million
• Felix Stephensen (Norway): $5,147,911
• Jorryt van Hoof (Netherlands): $3,807,753
• William Tonking (US): $2,849,763
• William Pappaconstantinou (US): $2,143,794
• Andoni Larrabe (Spain): $1,622,471
• Daniel Sindelar (US): $1,236,084
• Bruno Politano (Brazil): $947,172
• Mark Newhouse (US): $730,725

WSOP Asia-Pacific 2014

The World Series of Poker Asia Pacific came back after skipping one year and was held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. The series hosted 10 bracelet events and the winner of the Main Event was Scott Davies of the United States who took home AUD$850,000.

2014 was the last year WSOP Asia Pacific was held.

WSOP 2013 Results

2013 WSOP Main Event results are:

• Ryan Riess (US): $8,361,570
• Jay Farber (US): $5,174,357
• Amir Lehavot (Israel): $3,727,823
• Sylvain Loosli (France): $2,792,533
• Justin Cuong Van Tran (US): $2,106,893
• Marc Etienne McLaughlin (Canada): $1,601,024
• Michiel Brummelhuis (Netherlands): $1,225,356
• David Benefield (US): $944,650
• Mark Newhouse (US): $733,224

WSOP Europe 2013

The 2013 World Series of Poker Europe was hosted at Enghien-Les-Bains, France, and held a total of eight bracelet events. The Main Event tournament was won by teenager Adrian Mateos of Spain, who took home €1 million.

WSOP Asia Pacific 2013

The first-ever Asia Pacific event was held in 2013 at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. It featured five bracelet events and the Main Event was won by poker star Daniel Negreanu, who won just over AUD$1 million.

WSOP 2012 Results

Here is the list of 2012 WSOP Main Event results:

• Gregory Merson (US): $8,531,853
• Jesse Sylvia (US): $5,295,149
• Jacob Balsiger (US): $3,799,073
• Russell Thomas (US): $2,851,537
• Jeremy Ausmus (US): $2,155,313
• Andras Koroknai (Hungary): $1,640,902
• Michael Esposito (US): $1,258,040
• Robert Salaburu (US): $971,360
• Steve Gee (US): $754,798

WSOP Europe 2012

The 2012 WSOPE was held in Cannes and featured 7 bracelet events. The Main Event was won by Phil Hellmuth, who took home over £1 million and his 13th bracelet. The victory made Hellmuth the first player to win both the WSOP Main Event and the WSOP Europe Main Event.

WSOP 2011 Results

The 2011 WSOP Main Event results and payouts are:

• Pius Heinz (Germany): $8,715,368
• Martin Staszko (Czech Republic): $5,433,086
• Ben Lamb (US): $4,021,138
• Matt Giannetti (US): $3,012,700
• Phil Collins (US): $2,269,599
• Eoghan O’Dea (Ireland): $1,720,831
• Badih Bounahra (US): $1,314,097
• Anton Makiievskyi (Ukraine): $1,010,015
• Sam Holden (Great Britain): $782,115

WSOP Europe 2011

The 2011 WSOPE was moved to Cannes and featured seven bracelet events. The tournament was held at the Majestic Barriere Cannes and Le Croisette Casino, and the Main Event was won by Elio Fox of the United States, who took home €1.4 million.

WSOP 2010 Results

The results and payout for 2010 WSOP Main Event final table were:

• Jonathan Duhamel (Canada): $8,944,310
• John Racener (US): $5,545,955
• Joseph Cheong (US): $4,130,049
• Filippo Candio (Italy): $3,092,545
• Michael Mizrachi (US): $2,332,992
• John Dolan (US): $1,772,959
• Jason Senti (US): $1,356,720
• Matthew Jarvis (Canada): $1,045,743
• Soi Nguyen (US): $811,823

WSOP Europe 2010

The WSOPE played out in London and the Main Event was won by James Bord of Great Britain, who took home the prize money of £830,401.

WSOP 2009 Results

Here is the list of 2009 WSOP Main Event results:

• Joe Cada (US): $8,546,435
• Darvin Moon (US): $5,182,601
• Antoine Saout (Italy): $3,479,670
• Eric Buchman (US): $2,502,890
• Jeff Shulman (US): $1,953,452
• Steven Begleiter (US): $1,587,160
• Phil Ivey (US): $1,404,014
• Kevin Schaffel (US): $1,300,231
• James Akenhead (Great Britain): $1,263,602

WSOP Europe 2009

Then 2009 WSOPE was held in London and had four bracelet events. The Main Event was won by Barry Shulman, who won the title in an upset by defeating the world-renowned Daniel Negreanu.

WSOP 2008 Results

Here is the list of 2008 WSOP Main Event results:

• Peter Eastgate (Denmark): $9,152,416
• Ivan Demidov (Russia): $5,809,595
• Dennis Phillips (US): $4,517,773
• Ylon Schwartz (US): $3,794,974
• Scott Montgomery (Canada): $3,096,768
• Darus Suharto (Canada): $2,418,562
• David Rheem (US): $1,772,650
• Kelly Kim (US): $1,288,217
• Craig Marquis (US): $900,670

WSOP Europe 2008

WSOP Europe was hosted again in London with four bracelet events. The Main Event was won by John Juanda, who took home £868,800. The match earned a record as the longest final table in WSOP history: 19 hours and 10 minutes.

WSOP 2007 Results

The results and payouts of the 2007 WSOP Main Event final table:

• Jerry Yang (US): $8.25 million
• Tuan Lam (Canada): $4,840,981
• Raymond Rahme (S. Africa): $3,048,025
• Alexander Kravchenko (Russia): $1,852,721
• Jonathon Kalmar (Great Britain): $1,255,069
• Hevad Khan (US): $956,243
• William Childs Jr (US): $705,229
• Lee Watkinson (US): $585,699
• Phillip Hilm (Denmark): $525,934

WSOP Europe 2007

The first-ever WSOP Europe was held in London. It was the first time WSOP bracelets were awarded outside of the United States. Just three tournaments were held in the first WSOPE, and the Main Event was won by teenager Annette Obrestad of Norway, who took home a cool £1 million.

WSOP 2006 Results

Here is the list of 2006 WSOP Main Event results:

• Jamie Gold (US): $12 million
• Paul Wasicka (US): $6,102,499
• Mike Binger (US): $4,123,310
• Allen Cunningham (US): $3,628,513
• Rhett Butler (US): $3,216,182
• Richard Lee (US): $2,803,851
• Douglas Kim (US): $2,391,520
• Erik Friberg (Sweden): $1,979,189
• Dan Nassif (US): $1,566,858

WSOP 2005 Results

Here is the list of 2005 WSOP Main Event results:

• Joe Hachem (Australia): $7.5 million
• Steven Dannenmann (US): $4.25 million
• John Barch (US): $2.5 million
• Aaron Kanter (US): $2 million
• Andy Black (Ireland): $1.75 million
• Scott Lazar (US): $1.5 million
• Daniel Bergsdorf (Sweden): $1.3 million
• Brad Kondracki (US): $1.15 million
• Mike Matusow (US): $1 million

WSOP 2004 Results

The results and payouts of the 2004 WSOP Main Event final table:

• Greg Raymer (US): $5 million
• David Williams (US): $3.5 million
• Josh Arieh (US): $2.5 million
• Dan Harrington (US): $1.5 million
• Glenn Hughes (US): $1.1 million
• Al Krux (US): $800,000
• Matt Dean (US): $675,000
• Mattias Andersson (Sweden): $575,000
• Michael McClain (US): $470,400

2003 WSOP Results

The results and payouts of the 2003 Main Event final table:

• Chris Moneymaker (US): $2.5 million
• Sam Farha (US): $1.3 million
• Dan Harrington (US): $650,000
• Jason Lester (US): $440,000
• Tomer Benvenisti (US): $320,000
• Amir Vahedi (Iran): $250,000
• Young Pak (US): $200,000
• David Grey (US): $160,000
• David Singer (US): $120,000

Top 10 Winners of the WSOP Bracelet

World Series of Poker bracelets are awarded to poker players who win at a tournament each year. Since the tournament features different categories, it is possible for one person to win multiple bracelets at the same WSOP.

Here are the top 10 poker stars who have won the most WSOP bracelets:

• Phil Hellmuth: 15 bracelets
• Phil Ivey: 10 bracelets
• Johnny Chan: 10 bracelets
• Doyle Brunson: 10 bracelets
• Johnny Moss: 10 bracelets
• Erik Seidel: 8 bracelets
• Men Nguyen: 7 bracelets
• Billy Baxter: 7 bracelets
• Daniel Negreanu: 6 bracelets
• Chris Ferguson: 6 bracelets

Buy-in for the World Series of Poker

The World of Series of Poker is not a single event; it is a series of tournaments, and they all have their own buy-ins. If you want to enter the Main Event, which is the highlight of the series, you will need to have a buy-in of $10,000. This amount is intended to make sure that the game is played by only the most serious players and helps ensure that there is a high quality of gameplay.

An alternative is to perform well in qualifying poker tournaments that have buy-ins as low as $400. It is also possible to qualify via online satellite tournaments, which have very low buy-ins.

One idea for spending some of your Main Event winnings: Pay the buy-in for the Big One for One Drop poker tournament: $1 million.

Cashing Out

Maybe the best thing about this annual world championship is that anyone can play and anyone can win. All you need is proof that you’re at least 21 years old and sufficient cash to buy into the game. This is one of the reasons the series is so exciting. The final table may become a duel between a total amateur and a seasoned professional poker player. Anything can happen and it often does.

The easiest way to gain entry to the WSOP is through satellite qualifying tournaments. If you can get yourself qualified by winning one of the categories, you’ll have a chance to win the $500,000 WSOP Main Event bracelet and all that goes with it.