Brian Rast Wins His Third $50,000 Poker Players Championship

In a dazzling display of domination to capture his third World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship title, Brian Rast made a compelling argument for his inclusion among the legends of poker. Excitingly for the player, this win coincides with his selection as a finalist for the Poker Hall of Fame induction.

Born in November 1981 in Colorado, the United States, Rast is not new to producing electric displays. He won the PPC in 2011 and 2016, joining Michael Mizrachi as the only other three-time event winner. The win marks his sixth career WSOP bracelet triumph.

In October 2021, Rast won his fifth WSOP bracelet, rekindling his dream of becoming a part of the Poker Hall of Fame. Founded in 1979 by Horseshoe Casino, a leading casino and resort, the Poker Hall of Fame lists professional players of this card game in the United States and worldwide. It preserves the legacies of the world’s most dominant poker players, serving as a tourist attraction for this regulated casino operator.

Rast began Day 5 in fourth place among the remaining five players, dropping to last after the first hour of play. However, he stormed into the chip lead in the Razz round after three massive cards and never looked back. Rast had roughly half the chips in play when the first break arrived. He would proceed to eliminate the final four players before clinching a four-to-one victory.

Before and after Day 5 of the PPC (Poker Players Championship), most of the talk surrounded the Poker Hall of Fame. But Rast was explicitly focused on the objective, which was defeating the four other elite players, including 2013 PPC champion Matt Ashton.

Below is a list of the final table and their payouts:

1. Brian Rast - $1.32 million
2. Tatal Shakerchi - $818k
3. Matt Ashton - $573k
4. James Obst - $411k
5. Kristopher Tong - $303k
6. Phil Ivey - $228k
7. Ray Dehkharghani - $177k

Commenting on his possible inclusion into the Poker Hall of Fame, Rast said:

“My job is to come to the poker table, play when I want to and compete, and we’ll let the people in the Poker Hall of Fame make that decision. I think what I’ve done speaks for itself, so I’ll just keep going and doing my thing. I’m gonna play poker the rest of my life. I love this game. There were a few years ago, when I thought maybe I was gonna be a trader and do that more. But I actually don’t like that lifestyle very much."