Greg Merson Wins WSOP 2012 Main Event!

24 year old poker pro Greg Merson from Maryland became the 2012 World poker champion at 6 ‘o’ clock in the morning on Wednesday 31st October (Halloween!) following an almost record-breaking 18 hour long session at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas.

Not only did Merson take down the Main Event, he won the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year race too, edging out the legendary Phil Hellmuth! He fought his way through a total of 6,598 entrants in the fifth largest poker tournament the world has seen to take home the famous diamond encrusted gold and platinum bracelet. Not the first bracelet for Greg Merson this year though – he also walked away with a gold in July having taken down the $10k Buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Merson’s victory also marks the first time an American player has won the WSOP main event since 2009.

“I’ve played a lot of long cash games in my career, which helps you prepare for something like this, but this whole stage is something you can’t ever really prepare for, I couldn’t feel better for everyone who I’m sharing this victory with” commented an exhausted but ecstatic Greg Merson.

To date, Merson now has two wins under his belt, two appearances at final tables, and six cashes at the World Series of Poker.