2023 WSOP Week 4 Roundup: Asian Players Represent

Written by Jennifer Newell

Last updated on September 15th, 2023

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The 2023 World Series of Poker already completed four weeks of its summer series in Las Vegas. It started with a bang named Chad Eveslage, who won two bracelets within a few days. As more tournaments ran to completion, players from the poker boom like Nick Schulman, Isaac Haxton, Josh Arieh, David Baker, Shaun Deeb, and John Monnette claimed WSOP gold as well. To recap, check out the Week 1 recap, Week 2 recap, and Week 3 recap. As we look at Week 4, we start with Event 33 and see the results of each of the live WSOP bracelet events that ran to completion.

Event 33: Wong Wins

Jerry Wong has been a longtime fixture in poker tournaments and became more notable after his 2016 WSOP Main Event final table. He has titles and a WSOP Circuit ring, but he wasn’t able to close out a WSOP bracelet event until this one. While he appeared confident throughout his Razz Championship final table, he noted that he was speechless after the long-awaited win. Wong told his heads-up opponent that it was going to be tough to beat him (Wong). “I wasn’t trying to insult him or anything,” Wong said after the tournament. “I was just trying to gain an edge and get this monkey off my back.” https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1669923477204393984?s=20    

Event 34: Troha Triumphs

Sean Troha knows his Pot Limit Omaha. He won this $1,500 buy-in event for his second career WSOP gold bracelet, his first having come in the $10K PLO Championship just last year. “I guess I’m as confident as I’ve been,” Troha told PokerNews. “There are still better players out there, but I’ve done a little bit of work, and I guess I’m just trying to do my best.” His best was good enough.  

Event 35: Klodnicki Claims Gold

To continue with last week’s theme of poker boom players showing their continued relevance in poker, Chris Klodnicki won his second NLHE bracelet. This one was the $10K NLHE Secret Bounty tournament, and it was no easy feat to blast past names like Jeremy Ausmus and Angel Guillen, as he also went from the shortest stack at the final table to the winner. Klodnicki notes that he has grown fond of bounty tournaments, mostly focusing online. But he was glad to get this bracelet in a live event. “It was nice to get back to live poker,” he told PokerNews. “I’ve always felt comfortable in live poker. I’ve worked on my fundamentals a little bit more by playing online.” https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1669936119163805697?s=20    

Event 36: Suzuki Dominates Nine Games

AT just 22 years old, poker player Ryutaro Suzuki traveled from Japan to play in the 2023 World Series of Poker, and he showed what he is made of. He took down the Nine-Game Mix event for his first bracelet. Complete with a rail of fellow countrymen and members of the Japanese poker media, Suzuki won amongst friends. “The Japanese poker community is really growing up,” he said. “There were a few bracelet holders, especially in mixed games. So, it’s really so special for me and the poker community.”  

Event 37: Li Represents China

Chinese poker players have been making a statement about their love of the game this year, as they came out in solid numbers and proceeded to final table and win bracelet events. This NLHE event bracelet went to Yuan Li of China. A clearly emotional Li celebrated with friends on the rail and let himself feel all of the poker achievement. https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1670333379886342144?s=20    

Event 38: Glaser Glows in Triple Draw

Benny Glaser is no stranger to poker tournament cash or even bracelets. He is an accomplished mixed game player and won the $10K Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship by defeating an elite field of opponents. This win is the fifth bracelet for Glaser, who has shown himself to be a prolific player and well-respected opponent, no matter the stakes. And he was ready for this win. “I felt good coming into heads-up today,” he said. “I was pretty confident in my game there.”  

Event 39: Dunaway Runs Away with Win

The Monster Stack tournament is a fan favorite each year, and this was no different. More than 8K entries pushed the prize pool past $11.1M. And while former WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada was the most recognized person at the final table, Braxton Dunaway represented Texas and took it down. “I want to say that all the people who were at the final table were really nice,” Dunaway told PokerNews, “good opponents, good players. I got extremely lucky a few times, but you have to to win one of these things. It was just my turn. It’s just awesome.”  

Event 40: Big Win for Brewer

Chris Brewer plays poker mostly at the highest stakes, competing in tournaments with buy-ins larger than most people can fathom. And he is so often at the bad end of big draws, flips, and assorted bad beats. Despite hard work on his game through the years, he was missing something like a WSOP gold bracelet to show for it. Brewer misses it no more. He won the $250K Super High Roller, his first bracelet, and a moment on a big stage. It was where he expressed his appreciation and showed the emotion that had been building up. “I’m sorry,” he told his interviewer on camera while wiping away tears. “I’ve had some really tough ones. It just feels good.” https://twitter.com/PokerGO/status/1670675231219003393?s=20 https://twitter.com/PokerGO/status/1670677923802800130?s=20    

Event 41: Abrams Aces Omaha

Big O is five-card PLO hi-lo 8-or-better. Affectionately known as Big O, it brings a special group of Omaha experience to the tables, which explains the presence of people like Owais Ahmed and Victor Ramdin at the final table. But it was longtime player Robert Williamson III who went heads-up against young pro Scott Abrams, and the latter won. “This is a really complex game,” he told PokerNews, “with so many draws and so many cards. It’s one of the most complex forms of poker that I play, which I think is good for me.”  

Event 42: Xu Shakes Up NLHE

The $800 NLHE Deepstack event was a massive tournament, with its $3,773 entries and $2.6M prize pool. And in the end, Qiang Xu won it. After the victory, he noted, “It’s a dream coming true. My goal in coming from China was to win a bracelet, and now, I’ve got it!”  

Event 45: Rast Takes Third

The Poker Players Championship and its $50K buy-in was the high roller option for years at the World Series of Poker until the demand grew for more high-stakes action. Even so, the PPC has become a staple for many poker pros, a tournament that they want to win for its prestige and place in poker history. This year, a familiar name took the title. Brian Rast did it...for the third time. It was his sixth overall bracelet and his third in the PPC. While Rast claimed that his first PPC victory was the most emotional for him, he was clearly elated with this one. He explained, "Maybe as I've gotten a little bit older, I've kind of learned, like you really have to enjoy it when things work out because it doesn't happen all the time." https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1672089622011326467?s=20  

Event 44: Zhang Takes Another for China

Chinese poker players have been out in force at this year’s WSOP, and Yang Zhang is one of them. He is no stranger to the World Series, but he was out of the game for years due to the pandemic. His comeback is one for the books, though, because he won this No Limit Hold’em Event for nearly $718K. His response to the interviewer’s question about what it means to him was simple. Zhang said, “I think it’s a milestone of my poker life. It’s kind of a great achievement for me.”  

Event 45: Leffingwell Does Well

The Mixed Omaha tournament featured a mix of PLO-8, O-8, and 5-Card PLO-8, the latter also known as Big O. The unique event for Omaha lovers came down a tough final table that included the formidable Shaun Deeb. But it was William Leffingwell representing Houston who won it in the end. “I love these people, and I love Houston,” he said about his rail that cheered him to victory. “We’ve been through a lot these last couple of years, and poker down there is the best in the world.” https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1671977312768892930?s=20  

Event 46: Lockett Locks It Up

Quite a lot of people lined up to play this $500 buy-in NLHE freezeout event. And out of the 5,342 players, it was Jay Lockett who won it for $262K. With a great amount of emotion and gratitude, he called himself dead money at the table. “This is amazing,” he said. “You have to run so hot.”    

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