Poker pro Brian Rast joined the exclusive Six Timers Club when he won a sixth-career World Series of Poker bracelet with a victory in the 2023 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Rast’s victory marked a third time that the American took down the prestigious mixed games championship at the WSOP.
Rast loves to walk on the wild side. He once won a prop bet in 2016 for riding a bicycle from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in 47 hours. He banked $600,000 for that dangerous, yet epic cycling adventure from Sin City to the City of Angels.
At the poker table, Rast is one of 20 players who won at least six bracelets at the World Series of Poker. Half of his bracelet victories occurred in the $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship, which many pros feel is the real gauge of excellence in the poker world even though the $10,000 buy-in Main Event Championship garners more media and mainstream attention. In the case of Rast, he’s shipped the elite tournament three times in the last 13 years.
At WSOP.com new players get $50 Free Play just for signing up. Unlock the first $25 in freeplay, then unlock the next $25 in freeplay by making your first deposit. Start reaping the benefits of joining the No. 1 real money poker site in the world.
Rast Wins First Two Bracelets in 2011
At the 2011 WSOP, Rast hit pay dirt twice. He won his first WSOP bracelet with a victory in $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em. Rast also denied Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler a shot at his first bracelet. He defeated Chainsaw in an epic heads-up bout to win $227K and his first bracelet. Later that summer, Rast stepped into the winner’s circle a second time. He outlasted 128 runners to win the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for a $1.7 million score. Rast also defeated Phil Hellmuth heads up to win the title, much to the dismay of the Poker Brat who was denied another bracelet.
It took five more years before Rast won a third bracelet. He was the last player standing in the 2016 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship, when he bested a field of 91 runners and won nearly $1.3 million. Rast defeated Justin Bonomo heads-up for his third bracelet and outlasted a final table that also included two-time $50K PPC champion Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi. The Grinder would win the event three times, but Rast prevented him from snagging a third title in 2016.
At the 2018 WSOP, Rast shipped the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship. He defeated Mike Wattel in a heads-up joust to secure his fourth bracelet. He also outlasted a final table that included Doyle Brunson, which marked the last time that Texas Dolly reached a WSOP final table.
At the 2021 WSOP, Rast won $3,000 NL (6-Handed) for a score worth $474,102. He outlasted 997 entries and locked up a fifth bracelet.
Rast Banks a Third $50K PPC
The 2023 WSOP Event No. 43 $50,000 Poker Players Championship attracted 99 runners, many of whom are arguably the top mixed-game specialists in the world. Only the top 13 places earned a piece of the $4.7 million prize pool. Among those familiar faces who went deep and cashed in Event No. 43 included Phil Ivey, Josh Arieh, Phil Hellmuth, and John Monette.
Ivey made headlines that week as one of the early chip leaders in the event. He eventually hit the road in sixth place and missed out on a chance to win bracelet number 11. Ivey is stuck on ten bracelets with Johnny Chan and Brunson, and he’s still chasing Hellmuth’s 16 bracelet victories.
British businessman and high stakes player Talal Shakerchi found himself heads up against Rast for a chance to win his first bracelet. Shakerchi was unable to rally from behind to defeat Rast. He settled on a runner-up finish, which paid out $818,756.
Rast was the last player standing in the $50K PPC for a third time since 2011. He secured a sixth bracelet and banked $1.3 million for a week of work.
Rast now has won $25.2 million in tournament earnings, according to Hendon Mob. He has six scores worth at least $1 million.
Two weeks ago, Shaun Deeb won his sixth bracelet. Last week, Jeremy Ausmus won an online bracelet event, which marked his sixth career win. Rast joined Ausmus and Deeb as the latest American pros to gain entry into the exclusive and elite WSOP Six Timer Club.
At WSOP.com new players get $50 Free Play just for signing up. Unlock the first $25 in freeplay, then unlock the next $25 in freeplay by making your first deposit. Start reaping the benefits of joining the No. 1 real money poker site in the world.
