Only Eight Players Have Achieved This Feat; Is This Poker's Most Exclusive Club?
Winning a WSOP gold bracelet is potentially the biggest accomplishment for a poker player, and winning two is a momentous occasion.
Since its introduction in 2007, several players have managed to obtain a WSOP gold bracelet outside of Las Vegas and much fewer have done the double having won a bracelet in both Vegas and at the WSOP Europe.
However, there is one more step for poker players to aim to achieve. That is to win a WSOP bracelet in Las Vegas and at the WSOP Europe in the same year. Here we take a look at the eight players to have achieved this feat to date.
2008
In 2008 Jesper Hougaard won his first WSOP gold bracelet in Event #36: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em[/URL] and followed that up two months later with a bracelet at the second-ever WSOP Europe held at the Empire Casino in Leicester Square, London.
| Name | WSOP Event | Payout | WSOP Europe Event | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesper Hougaard | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | $610,304 | ￡1,500 No Limit Hold'em | ￡144,218 |
2009
The very next year, J.P. Kelly joined Hougaard in winning bracelets in both Vegas and Europe in the same year. Kelly was the first player to win his two bracelets in different disciplines.
Since then Kelly has made several deep runs in the WSOP Main Event, finishing 26th for $302,005 in 2011.
| Name | WSOP Event | Payout | WSOP Europe Event | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.P. Kelly | $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em | $194,434 | ￡1,000 No Limit Hold'em | ￡136,803 |
2012
Whether it is Phil Hellmuth's record of 15 WSOP bracelets or Antonio Esfandiari's record Big One for One Drop win, it seems like no list in poker is complete without the Poker Brat or the Magician.
Hellmuth's bracelet in the $2,500 Seven-Card Razz also happened to be his first in a non-hold'em event, and he also became the first player to win a bracelet in Vegas and also take down the WSOP Europe Main Event.
| Name | WSOP Event | Payout | WSOP Europe Event | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Esfandiari | $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop | $18,346,673 | €1,100 No Limit Hold'em | €126,207 |
| Phil Hellmuth | $2,500 Seven-Card Razz | $182,793 | €10,450 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | €1,022,376 |
2015
Just like Hellmuth, Kevin MacPhee won his second bracelet of the year in the WSOP Europe Main Event at the Spielbank Casino in Berlin. And just like Esfandiari, Jonathan Duhamel won his first of the year in a One Drop High Roller, albeit in the slightly smaller one; just the $111,111 High Roller(!)
| Name | WSOP Event | Payout | WSOP Europe Event | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin MacPhee | $5,000 Turbo No Limit Hold'em | $490,900 | €10,450 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | €883,000 |
| Jonathan Duhamel | $111,111 High Roller for One Drop | $3,989,985 | €25,600 No Limit Hold'em High Roller | €554,395 |
2018
Of the eight players to have achieved this unique feat, Hanh Tran is one of only three to win their bracelets in different disciplines. The other two were J.P. Kelly and Phil Hellmuth.
Timur Margolin is the latest to "do the double" and win in Vegas and Europe in the same year. There are still events to come here at King's Casino in Rozvadov.
| Name | WSOP Event | Payout | WSOP Europe Event | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanh Tran | $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | $117,282 | €550 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Max | € 59,625 |
| Timur Margolin | $2,500 No Limit Hold'em | $507,724 | €1,100 No Limit Hold'em Monster Stack | € 134,407 |
Near Misses
There have been a number of people who have come close to joining this select few group of players. Last year Chris Ferguson finished second in a WSOP bracelet event, before taking down the WSOPE €1,650 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better for €39,289 and his sixth WSOP gold bracelet.
In 2013, Noah Schwartz also finished runner-up in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha bracelet event in Las Vegas, before winning Event #6: €3,250 Mixed-Max Pot-Limit Omaha for €104,580 at the Casino Barrière d'Enghien-les-Bains.