While poker fans from around the world bid the 2017 WSOP farewell several days ago, excitement about Scott Blumstein’s $8.15-million-worth Main Event triumph is still beaming. This was the New Jersey-based online grinder’s first Series cash and he scooped it in an awe-inspiring way, after dominating the official final table from beginning until the very end.
Blumstein was indisputably the biggest winner this year. However, there were a number of other players who left the world’s largest summer poker festival with seven-figure sums added to their bankrolls. In fact, there were 19 of them.
The WSOP is completely not done for the year, as it will go to Rozvadov, the Czech Republic this fall for its European leg. But while waiting for the WSOP Europe, which is making a comeback after a two-year hiatus, maybe it will be a good idea to look at the biggest winners at the summer Series.
Who Earned the Most?
As mentioned above, Blumstein was the biggest winner this summer with his $8.15-million Main Event first-place prize. This year’s payout for the champion represented an increase from the $8,005,310 Qui Nguyen scooped for winning the world’s most prestigious No-Limit Hold’em event in 2016.
Blumstein’s runner-up – Daniel Ott – was the player to rank second in terms of WSOP earnings won this summer. He collected $4.7 million for his second-place finish in the Main Event, in addition to two other cashes scooped this summer. The player’s 2017 WSOP earnings thus totaled $4,703,656.
Doug Polk, this year’s $111,111 High Roller for ONE DROP winner, ranked third in terms of winnings. The player earned $3,686,865 from the aforementioned high roller tournament and scooped another $375 payout from the $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em.
Benjamin Pollak raked in $3.5 million this summer, thus becoming the fourth most profitable player during the 2017 edition of the Series. Pollak finished 3rd in the WSOP Main Event.
UK’s John Hesp rounded out top 5 of the biggest 2017 earners with a total of $2.6 million. The player was among the brightest characters at the WSOP final table and there probably was a tinge of disappointment in everyone following the action, when he was eliminated in 4th place.
Multiple Gold Bracelet Winners
There were two players to win more than one gold bracelet this summer – David Bach and Nipun Java. Bach topped the fields of the $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed for $119,399 and the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $383,208. He had one gold bracelet prior to that. The player scooped his WSOP jewelry piece number one in 2009, when he took down the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $1,276,806.
As for Java, he captured the gold in the $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em, playing alongside Aditya Sushant. The player also won the $1,000 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold’em Championship for $273,688.
Most Cashes
Last but not least, the players who made the most in-the-money finishes during the 2017 Series also deserve to be paid a bit more attention.
Chris Ferguson and John Racener were the players to cash in the most events this summer, collecting 17 payouts each. While Ferguson, a former WSOP Main Event Champion and five-time gold bracelet winner, was unable to extend his trophies collection, Racener topped the field of the $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship for his first ever WSOP title.
