World Series of Poker: Top Pros Strike It Big in First-Week Events

The 53rd annual World Series of Poker kicked off this past week, and some big names have cashed in already.

Within the first three events, two people both claimed their fourth gold bracelet.

On Thursday, David Peters breezed through the final table to win the $100,000 High Roller Bounty. The final table lasted only about an hour. Peters also needed less than 10 minutes to eliminate Chance Kornuth in head-to-head play and win his fourth bracelet and third in as many years.

It feels great, especially the first event of the series, first event being away from the Rio, it s such a prestigious tournament, so many great players, Peters said, according to WSOP.com. Getting number four is big. There are not too many people who have four. It s a very, very nice start to the series.

With the nearly $1.2 million cash prize for winning, Peters now breaks into the top five of all-time poker earnings with $40.2 million. Not bad for someone who picked up the game on his own 18 years ago.

Among those in the field of 46 Peters outlasted was poker legend and 10-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey. After not playing in any events last year, Ivey finished seventh and won $133.127.

On Friday, Scott Seiver joined Peters in the four-time winner club. He beat out 751 other players in the $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em.

The Columbus, Ohio, native took home a $320,059 check, along with the bracelet. He now sits 24th in all-time career earnings, according to the Hendon Mob, with winnings of $24.7 million.

Among Seiver’s other WSOP wins is a $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em from back in 2008.

I ve wanted another no-limit bracelet for a long time, he said, according to WSOP.com. “The fields are so tough, everyone is so good at hold em, and they are so large, so while I never thought I was due, it was something I really wanted for a while.

Casino workers kicked off this year’s WSOP with a $500 No-Limit Hold’em that attracted 832 participants.

Poker dealer Katie Kopp was the first one eliminated this year. However, she re-entered and made her way to the final table. There, she overcame being the short stack to win her first bracelet and $65,168.

I want to buy a house, and this will really help me get there, Kopp told WSOP.com.

This year’s is historic, as it’s the first one played on the Las Vegas Strip. The events are being held at Paris Las Vegas and Bally’s, which Caesars Entertainment owns and plans to rebrand as a Horseshoe casino.

World Series events are scheduled through late July, with 89 live-dealer tournaments and 13 online events. The first online tournament starts Sunday. The final live-dealer event, the first Tournament of Champions, is scheduled to start on July 18.

The centerpiece is the Main Event, a no-limit hold’em championship tournament that costs $10,000 to enter. Flights for this year’s Main Event begin on July 3, with the Final Table expected to be seated on July 15. attracted 6,650 players from across the globe.