2023 WSOP Day 10: Isaac Haxton Wins His First WSOP Bracelet

Two first-time bracelet winners were crowned on Day 10 at the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

Isaac Haxton showcased his skills in the highly competitive $25,000 High Roller, while Rafael Reis tops the 2,454-player field in the $1,500 6-max event.

Read on to learn more about these events and others in progress in our daily WSOP recap.

Isaac Haxton Breaks the Curse and Wins His First WSOP Bracelet

301 entries in Event #16: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed is a record-breaking field for such a buy-in that attracted only the best players in the world, and among the poker superstars, one player stood out from the rest. It was Isaac Haxton who beat Ryan O’Donnell in a heads-up match to secure himself his first-ever World Series of Poker bracelet and $1,698,215 first-place prize!

Haxton, who has accumulated an impressive array of poker victories in his career, had long been regarded as one of the best players yet to claim a coveted bracelet. However, if there was ever a year for him to “break the curse,” it would be this one, considering his almost historic hot tournament run.

Just this year alone, he recorded over $7 million in the live tournament winning, starting in January with the PokerGO Cup Finale with a $598,000 win, only a few days later crushing the $100,000 Super High Roller opening event at the PCA for $1,082,230 and then one-upping it with a closing $100,000 PCA tournament for $1,555,360 money prize. He crossed $5 million in 2023 with a win at the U.S. Poker Open for 432,000 and took down the €25,000 High Roller in Monte Carlo earlier in May.

According to TheHendonMob, he now sits in 12^th place on the all-time money list with $37.5 million, needing $1.3 million more to overtake Fedor Holz and Phil Ivey and cross the top 10 mark. What better time to accomplish that feat than in the Year of Ike Haxton?

Event #16: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed Final Table Results

Rafael Reis Secures First Bracelet Victory in Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em

With the support of an exhilarating rail that electrified the atmosphere at Horseshoe Casino, Brazilian Rafael Reis triumphed in Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed NLHE, securing an impressive money prize of $465,501.

The action-packet 6-Handed tournament attracted 2,454 players and created a $3,276,090 prize pool. France’s Sarah Herzali had a massive chip lead going into the final day, as she had nearly 20% of all the chips in play but finished in third place.

Having previously reached the WSOP final table two years ago and narrowly missing out on the bracelet with a 3rd place finish in the $1,500 Monster Stack, Rafael Reis entered the final table as confident as ever. In a comfortable and commanding fashion, he beat Daniel Barriocanal in a heads-up battle, solidifying his well-deserved victory.

“I am feeling like I had a mission, and I accomplished my mission,” Reis said in his post-win interview with PokerNews. “Last time that I was here, I was [at the final table], and I got third. This time I felt super comfortable.” 

“I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I have more experience now. I was feeling really confident. I texted my friends that today is a bracelet today. Come and rail me, follow me on social media. Today was a bracelet day and I was very confident. It wasn’t easy.”

Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results

Photos courtesy of WSOP/PokerNews.