ShareBrian Rast has become only the second player to take down the prestigious Poker Players Championship title three times, his victory last night worth $1,324,747 and adding a sixth WSOP gold bracelet to his already impressive poker resume...
Rast was among 99 entries to the elite $50k buy-in event, # 43 on the 2023 WSOP schedule and considered one of, if not the most important tournaments of the year.
Often described as the Main Event of Mixed game poker, fifteen players were set to share in the $4,727,250 prizepool, but two-time PPC winner Dan “Jungleman” Cates wouldn’t be among them, despite his “Terminator” themed appearance...
The money bubble burst on day three when Nacho Barbero, otherwise having a stellar year at the tables, fell to Shakerchi in a hand of PLO after calling a 4-bet shove from the English highstakes amateur...
Nacho Barbero: A♦ K♠Q♦ 10♣
Talal Shakerchi: 10♠9♣ 8♣ 4♦
Flop: 8♦ 5♦ 7♣
Turn: 9♥
River: 4♣
With $84k plus change sewn up, the next order of play was to make the final table, but for WSOP legends John Monette and Phil Hellmuth that was a step too far, falling in 15th and 14th respectively. Hellmuth’s curious fold against Ivey made the headlines...
Ivey, like Barbero and others before him, bust to Shakerchi, jamming his 20BB stack with pocket treys but losing a race for his tournament life...
Phil Ivey: 3♠3♥
Talal Shakerchi: A♣ J♣
Flop: A♥ 6♠5♣
Turn: 7♣
River: 6♣
Shakerchi was the chip leader of the remaining five who returned for a 5th day of play, which started with the English businessman playing snakes and ladders on the leaderboard.
Eventually players started to crack, with Tong losing a race against Rast’s big slick to exit in 5th, followed by Rast ousting Obst in an Omaha Hi-Lo double whammy. When Ashton also fell to Rast, it was heads-up for the title.
Heavily outchipped, it didn’t take long for Shakerchi to capitulate, Rast’s skill and rungood a tough combination to resist...
Final results
| 1 | Brian Rast | $1,324,747 |
| 2 | Talal Shakerchi | $818,756 |
| 3 | Matthew Ashton | $573,679 |
| 4 | James Obst | $411,824 |
| 5 | Kristopher Tong | $303,071 |
| 6 | Phil Ivey | $228,793 |
| 7 | Ray Dehkharghani | $177,294 |
With that, Rast had joined Michael Mizrachi as a three-time PPC winner and told reporters afterwards what it meant to him: “I mean, the most emotional maybe was after I won my first PPC, which was like my first major tournament I ever won.”
He added: “Maybe a little more emotional after this one than the second one. I don't know, this one just, you know, it just, it just meant a lot, like I'd say, in like 16, 17 and 18, I was playing everything all the time.”
With Rast one of 10 people short-listed for the 2023 Poker Hall of Fame induction, his victory couldn’t have come at a better time. He will be up against Josh Arieh, Jeremy Ausmus, Ted Forrest, Kathy Liebert, Mike Matusow, Lon McEachren & Norman Chad, Matt Savage, Isai Scheinberg, and Bill Smith for the coveted honour.
