2015 WSOP Quick Recaps: Events 6-10

One of the most-exciting things about the World Series of Poker is seeing well-known pros pick up more bracelet wins. And in the span of Events 6-10 at the 2015 WSOP, there were three such players who added another gold bracelet to their resume. That said, let's discuss who these three pros were along with two players who picked up their first-ever WSOP victory.

2015 WSOP Event #6 - John Reading wins $1k Hyper Hold'em

This year saw the introduction of "Hyper Hold'em," where blind levels are only 20 minutes, as opposed to the standard 60-minute levels. This meant that the original field of 1,436 players was cut down pretty quickly with players trying to grab a piece of the $1.3 million prize pool. John Reading collected the largest share of this prize pool, as he took first and received $252,068, compared to the $155,876 runner-up payout for Ireland's Marc MacDonnell. Following his victory, Reading admitted that he ran good, but also said that his experience with online hyper tournaments helped him immensely.

2015 WSOP Event #7 - Déjà vu for $10k 2-7 Triple Draw Champ Tuan Le

Given the variance of poker tournaments, it's not very often that somebody wins the same exact WSOP tourney two years in a row. The last time it happened was in 2009, when Thang Luu won $1.5k Omaha Hi/Lo tourneys in back-to-back years. Now Tuan Le becomes the latest player to pull off this feat, since he won the $10k 2-7 Triple Draw tournament this year and last. This time around, he beat a 109-player field and earned $322,756 along with his third-career gold bracelet. Phil Galfond (4th, $90k) and Rep Porter (6th, $46.8k) also did well in this event.

2015 WSOP Event #8 - Paul Michaelis, First International Player to win

Austria's Paul Michaelis broke the streak of American victories at the 2015 WSOP by winning this $1,500 PLO event. Michaelis, who was born in German and now lives in Vienna, beat out a 639-player field to collect the $189,818 top prize. "I was running insane basically," the university student said. "I had a straight flush against a nut flush, I had a couple sets. My bluffs worked out. Everything worked perfectly actually." Interestingly enough, this is only Michaelis' second-ever WSOP cash, but it turned out to be a big one.

2015 WSOP Event #9 - Max Pescatori breaks own Italian WSOP Bracelet Record

Coming into the 2015 WSOP, Max Pescatori had already won more bracelets than any other Italian player with two. And he furthered his record by topping a 462-player field in this $1,500 Razz event, which netted him a third gold bracelet and $155,947. The last time that Pescatori won a bracelet was in 2008, so he was excited to end the drought. "It's been a while," he said, "This is very sweet, that’s for sure." With this $156k cash, the 'Italian Pirate' now has over $3.7 million in live tournament winnings.

2015 WSOP Event #10 - Keith Lehr wins First Bracelet in 12 Years

Back in 2003, at the beginning of the Poker Boom, Keith Lehr notched his first WSOP victory in a $3k PL Hold'em event. 12 years later, Lehr was finally able to add a second bracelet to his resume by winning the $10k Heads-up NLHE tournament. 'Lehr Jet' won seven heads-up matches in total, outlasting a 143-player field to earn the $334,430 top payout. "It's nice to be back and get a win this time," said Lehr. "As I get older, I realize it’s a kid's game. Winning is never easy, especially because it's so tough now." In the end, Lehr faced Paul Volpe, in what was expected to be a long, drawn-out match; however, Lehr beat his final opponent in just 45 minutes.