The first time Benny Glaser performed the World Series of Poker’s $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship, it was 2016. He was recent off of successful his second and third profession bracelets, after sweeping that 12 months’s Omaha eight-or-better bracelet occasions.
“I do remember that experience,” Glaser recalled. “This felt like I was really stepping up into the big leagues. I still remember someone at my table
asking me if I would have played it that year had I not won two bracelets, and my my honest answer was no.”
The $50,000 buy-in represented a stable proportion of his winnings in that summer time of 2016, and Glaser in the end didn’t money. He’d go on to succeed in the PPC ultimate desk twice in subsequent years, ending fifth in 2018, and fourth in 2022. Winning the PPC turned the definitive profession purpose past all others for Glaser, who steered, “…one PPC title, even if it was just that one bracelet, would be more satisfying and meaningful to me than winning three different ones, as wild as that might sound,” following his historic three-bracelet summer time of 2025.
He didn’t should commerce something in on the 2026 WSOP. Glaser gained the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, his ninth profession bracelet, and a $1,343,764 first-place prize. He did so in opposition to a ultimate desk that featured 11-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey, seven-time bracelet-winner Josh Arieh, and six-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier, amongst a predictably stacked lineup.
When the ultimate card of the match landed, Glaser fell to his knees because the emotion rolled over him.
“It’s a literal dream,” Glaser advised WSOP’s Jeff Platt. “It’s the greatest moment in my career, by far. I’ve wanted this for so many years. I’ve come close twice, and I cannot put it into words. I’m so happy. It’s amazing.”
Ascending In Poker’s Record Books
With this win, Glaser’s 9 profession WSOP bracelets put him in a tie with Johnny Moss for sixth-most all time. That’s only one win behind Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, and Johnny Chan, two behind Ivey, and greater than midway to Phil Hellmuth’s file 17 WSOP victories.
Glaser is the second-youngest participant to succeed in 9 WSOP bracelets. Ivey gained his ninth at WSOP Asia-Pacific in 2013, when he was 36 years, 2 months, and 9 days previous. Glaser’s PPC win comes at 37 years, 18 days. That’s a greater tempo than Hellmuth, who gained his ninth bracelet on the 2003 WSOP, at 38 years, 10 months, and at some point.
“It’s been a lot of time, a lot of work, and I’m gonna keep trying to build on it, obviously,” mentioned Glaser. “But it really is kind of an insane status, frankly. It does occasionally feel a little bit absurd when people ask me how many bracelets I have. I’m not gonna lie, it’s wild.”
Glaser’s title would be the thirteenth totally different participant’s etched on the Chip Reese trophy, becoming a member of four-time PPC winner Michael Mizrachi, three-time champion Brian Rast, two-time winner Daniel Cates, Daniel Negreanu, and Reese himself, amongst different combined sport standouts.
Five Days To Victory
Five days earlier than this historic win, Glaser obtained off to a magical begin within the 2026 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship. With 87 whole day 1 entries within the PPC, Glaser ended the night time second in chips, amongst 66 survivors. The subject swelled to 108 entries by the shut of registration on day 2, and among the many 39 gamers who survived and superior to day 3, Glaser was as soon as once more in second place in a single day.
After two days as second, greatest Glaser ended day 3 because the chip chief, with simply 15 gamers left within the hunt. And after taking part in previous the official ultimate desk of seven late on day 4, and shedding Mercier in seventh place ($176,732), Glaser as soon as once more bagged the chip lead.
The ultimate 5 gamers standing between Glaser and his coveted Poker Players Championship title offered a major problem. There was Ivey, one of many few gamers Glaser’s nonetheless chasing within the all-time bracelet race. Ivey had designs on a twelfth profession bracelet of his personal, in addition to what could be a primary Poker Players Championship win for him.
There was additionally Arieh, a seven-time bracelet winner who’s knocked on the door to the Poker Hall of Fame on a number of events. Three-time bracelet winner Paul Volpe, double winner Maxx Coleman, and 2025 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. champion Kristopher Tong rounded out the ultimate desk.
First To 10 Million Chips
Glaser constructed upon his chip lead, turned the primary participant to breach 10 million chips, after which rapidly eclipsed 15 million chips. That surge crested with Glaser’s elimination of Tong in sixth place ($226,172). In no-limit maintain’em, Glaser’s Ok♥Q♥ gained a coin flip in opposition to Tong’s pocket sevens, courtesy of two queens on the flop.
Coleman picked up the second elimination of the ultimate desk. In Omaha eight-or-better, Volpe’s previous few chips went in with A♣Q♦4♦3♦ in opposition to Coleman’s A♠Ok♦J♦3♠. Volpe flopped high pair, however Coleman turned and rivered two pair, kings and jacks. With no low potential, Coleman scooped up Volpe’s chips, and knocked the Philadelphian out in fifth place ($301,405).
Despite that pot, Coleman’s head would quickly be on the chopping block. In pot-limit Omaha, Arieh flopped a set of nines and Coleman turned journey fours with an ace kicker, a disastrous consequence for Coleman. Coleman referred to as all in on the river, Arieh tabled his full home, and Coleman exited the ultimate desk in fourth place ($417,607).
Josh Arieh Sets the Perfect Trap
Four gamers stay within the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. @JoshuaArieh flops a set, Maxx Coleman turns journeys, and the river delivers a brutal ending with $1,343,764 awaiting the winner. pic.twitter.com/rrHBgvYXAc
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 26, 2026
That left Glaser, Arieh, and Ivey to battle it out for what could be a serious milestone for whomever gained.
Arieh constructed up his stack and snatched the chip lead from Glaser in a sequence of pots in opposition to Ivey. The final hand of that sequence, in deuce-to-seven triple draw, noticed Arieh make a ten-eight low. He patted on the final draw, in opposition to Ivey’s draw at an eight-five low, and Ivey made a pair of fours. The 11-time bracelet winner noticed his match run finish in third place ($600,698). It matched Ivey’s greatest consequence within the $50,000 combined sport occasion; he completed third to Reese in 2006.
All Glaser To The End
Arieh led 19.3 million to 13 million at first of heads-up play. But from the primary hand of their match, Glaser caught hearth as soon as extra. He pulled even with Arieh, obtained as much as a 2:1 benefit, and from that time on it felt as if Glaser might hardly lose a pot.
Glaser whittled Arieh all the way in which down to only a few huge bets. Arieh managed to seek out one double-up, in seven card stud, when each gamers had been dealt a deuce as their up card and improbably every had pocket pairs beneath. Neither improved upon their beginning palms, and Arieh’s jacks had been adequate to beat Glaser’s sevens.
The match ended on certainly one of Glaser’s specialties, Omaha eight-or-better. The chips went in preflop, with Arieh’s A♠7♠4♦3♠ in opposition to Glaser’s A♥Q♦7♦4♣. The Ok♣4♠3♥ flop gave Arieh two pair, and each gamers an an identical ace-seven low draw. The Q♠ flip gave Glaser a superior two pair, however Arieh added a spade flush draw. Any three or spade would give Arieh the excessive finish of the pot, and both participant might get quartered with a qualifying low card.
The J♦ river sealed the win for Glaser who, after shaking palms with Arieh, let the second wash over him as tears welled up in his eyes.
The Spoils
Along with the trophy, the bracelet, and the second-biggest money of his profession, Glaser earned 1,020 factors within the Card Player Player of the Year race. With 2,644 factors in whole, that’s good for forty ninth place within the yearlong race offered by CoinPoker.
Glaser, who narrowly missed out on WSOP Player of the Year honors, pushed himself into that dialog once more together with his fourth ultimate desk of the 12 months, and first win. Finally, the $50,000 buy-in stage certified Glaser for PokerGO Tour factors. The 500 factors that Glaser earned from his PPC win, together with a number of earlier outcomes, put him in sixteenth place total on the PGT season-long leaderboard.
Glaser’s win places him at $12,718,378 in whole recorded earnings for his profession.
The Culmination Of More Than A Decade Of Commitment
A decade after taking part in his first WSOP Poker Players Championship, Glaser has change into probably the most completed combined sport gamers of all time. At simply 37 years previous, each subsequent bracelet win from right here on out will push him previous legends of the sport.
“I would say I’ve come a long way, both in terms of ability and emotion and resilience,” Glaser mentioned of his evolution as a participant over the past 10 years. “It’s something I’ve worked very hard to do on both sides of the game, both the psychological side, to be able to be showing up here every day and battling, and also the more technical side.”
In revisiting his quote concerning the PPC being price three bracelet wins, Glaser thought-about his earlier quote. After a short chuckle, and a second of thought, he reaffirmed simply how essential this win was to him.
“I think past me was probably correct,” mentioned Glaser. “I would trade so much for this bracelet. Three bracelets for this, I think, would probably be a fair trade. This is very special.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Benny Glaser | $1,343,764 | 1020 | 500 |
| 2 | Josh Arieh | $895,837 | 850 | 358 |
| 3 | Phil Ivey | $600,698 | 680 | 240 |
| 4 | Maxx Coleman | $417,607 | 510 | 167 |
| 5 | Paul Volpe | $301,405 | 425 | 121 |
| 6 | Kristopher Tong | $226,172 | 340 | 90 |
| 7 | Jason Mercier | $176,732 | 255 | 71 |
Photo Credits: WSOP / Alicia Skillman, Monique Marestein
