2015 WSOP Quick Recaps: Events 11-15

There were definitely some great stories in Events 11-15 of the 2015 WSOP, including one guy winning a gold bracelet on vacation, a chess grandmaster taking down a WSOP tourney, and a famed pro finally getting his first bracelet. That said, let's get straight to recaps of WSOP Events 11-15.

2015 WSOP Event #11 - Vacationer William Kakon wins $1.5k Limit Hold'em

William Kakon's definition of being "on vacation" involves playing big-time tournaments in the WSOP. This year was no exception as he traveled to Vegas once again, notching his first-ever WSOP victory in a $1,500 Limit Hold'em tourney. Kakon, a top-ranked real estate broker from Miami, beat out a 660-player field to win the $196,055 first-place payout. In addition to being an incredible real estate agent, the Morocco native owns a healthcare business and has lived in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Casablanca (Morocco).

2015 WSOP Event #12 - Idan Raviv wins First 2015 Bracelet for Israel

Israeli players have done quite well at the WSOP in recent years, and Idan Raviv added to this by winning a $1,500 Six-Handed NLHE tournament. Raviv collected a $457,007 top prize after outlasting a sizable field of 1,651 players. The 24-year-old is an aspiring poker pro who's had some decent WSOP cashes in previous years. However, this is by far his biggest win, and it's the first victory of the 2015 WSOP for Israel.

2015 WSOP Event #13 - Chess Grandmaster Konstantin Maslak wins in Poker

Normally Konstantin Maslak does his winning on the chess board. However, the Russian chess grandmaster recently took time out to win a $2,500 Omaha/7 Card Stud Hi-Lo event along with $269,612. This was certainly no easy win because Maslak survived a grueling three-handed battle, then staved off elimination several times against his heads-up opponent, Israel's Hani Awa ($166,583). Nevertheless, Maslak came through with the win and his first gold bracelet.

2015 WSOP Event #14 - Barry Huttler wins All-Florida Battle

Barry Huttler and Benjamin Zamani had plenty to talk about as they played heads-up in this $1,500 NLHE Shootout event. Both are from Florida and both were seeking their first-ever gold bracelet. In the end, it was Huttler taking the bracelet along with $283,546, while Zamani earned $174,771."I think [a bracelet] is what most people play poker for," said Huttler. "I'm speechless, really […] I've had a lot of chances to close out some big tournaments and have failed." On an interesting side note, Dennis Phillips, third-place finisher in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, also took third in this tourney too ($113,265).

2015 WSOP Event #15 - Shaun Deeb Finally wins First Bracelet

It's been a long time coming, but famed poker pro Shaun Deeb finally won his first gold bracelet. He topped a 128-player field in this $10k PL Hold'em Championship to grab the $318,857 top prize. Deeb, who excels at both online and live poker, discussed how winning a bracelet is a dream come true. "This is the biggest stage of all, where it’s at in poker, and where you have to win to prove yourself," said the 29-year-old. "I wanted to cross this off my bucket list for quite some time, and I finally took it down." Interestingly enough, Deeb beat Paul Volpe ($197,048) in heads-up play, meaning the latter has now finished second in both Event #10 and #15, just days apart from each other.