Allen Kessler has advanced to the final 11 of the WSOP #23:$10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship and is poised to win his first WSOP gold bracelet after a long professional career. He will return to the field on Sunday to face top players such as Michael Mizrachi.
Allen Kessler, known for his pursuit of the lowest possible prize money, may be just hours away from winning his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet after all these years.
Back in April, "Chainsaw" predicted that he would end his bad luck this summer and win a coveted gold bracelet.
Kessler first won money at the WSOP in 2001, finishing 16th in a 1TP 4T 1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo tie event with a 1TP 4T 5,710 prize, which was won by Poker Hall of Famer Scotty Nguyen. Since then, he has become a regular at the WSOP, consistently accumulating winnings. But on Sunday, he may have a chance to break through and become the last player to survive these tournaments.
Kessler faces formidable challenges
Kessler, who unofficially holds 122 gold bracelet wins, is one of the final 11 players in the #23:$10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship. He will return to the tournament at 1:00 PM Pacific Time with 582,000 chips, placing him eighth. Reigning world champion Michael Mizrachi is chasing his ninth gold bracelet and leads with 1,429,000 chips.
This will be no easy feat for "Chainsaw." He has many top players ahead of him, including Mizrachi, Chris Brewer (1,301,000), and Jeremy Ausmus (702,000). Furthermore, Dan Sepiol (187,000) and Brad Ruben (132,000) are also behind him, giving him a chance as long as he has the chips.
If Kessler continues to win bracelets and the $301,970 first-place prize, his reputation as a "lowest prize hunter" may come to an end on Sunday. However, he has recently proven his ability to close the door outside of bracelet events. The veteran player won a $1,100 HORSE event in his own Chainsaw Hybrid Poker Series (CMSOP) in May, his fifth WSOP Circuit gold ring, and won a RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) event in March.
In addition, he has finished in the top three five times in various tournaments over the past three months. But now, entering the third day of the $10k Stud event, two questions remain to be answered: Can he reach the final table of a bracelet event for the first time since 2023? And can he win his first WSOP bracelet since participating in the WSOP in 2001?
If the answer to both questions is yes, he will be just a few thousand dollars away from the $5 million career live tournament winnings recorded in The Hendon Mob's database. More importantly, he will prove his doubters wrong.
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