Key Highlights And Records That Were Set At The 2023 WSOP

Summary:

• Several records were created in the 2023 WSOP, including the biggest Main Event ever
• Ian Matakis emerged as the winner of the 2023 WSOP POY which surprised plenty of poker fans
• Mike Holtz set a new record for bracelet cashes while Phil Hellmuth won his record-extending 17th bracelet

With the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) live festival now done and dusted, it’s time to take a look at the key highlights from the US poker series and the records it created, including the biggest Main Event field in the festival’s long and rich history.

The 2023 WSOP was also marked with surprises, such as Ian Matakis winning the Player of the Year race.

Ian Matakis Captures 2023 WSOP POY Title

Matakis is no stranger to the WSOP as he has been participating in the series since 2019, based on his Hendon Mob record. He was already an accomplished player before entering this year’s festival, however, he wasn’t considered a frontrunner in the race, with the competition usually overshadowed by consistent POY chasers, including Shaun Deeb and Daniel Negreanu.

But Matakis topped them all in the latest edition of the WSOP, accumulating 5,203 points throughout the festival to claim the 2023 WSOP POY crown. All in all, he recorded 22 cashes, including a bracelet win online on WSOP.com.

Deeb finished second with 4,276 points, followed by Chris Brewer (3rd), Josh Arieh (4th), and Jesse Lonis (5th). Completing the top 10 were Michael Rodrigues (6th), Chad Eveslage (7th), Ben Yu (8th), Phil Hellmuth (9th), and Yuval Bronshtein (10th).

Mike Holtz Creates New WSOP Cashes Record

After a successful 2023 WSOP campaign, Mike Holtz now holds the record for the most bracelet event cashes in a single series with 25, 13 of which he won at the live festival in Las Vegas.

That record was previously held by Negreanu and Chris Ferguson with 23 cashes apiece.

Holtz ended up in 14th place in the 2023 WSOP POY race but he is poised to win the WSOP.com POY title.

Other highlights in the 2023 WSOP include Phil Hellmuth extending his bracelet record. The “Poker Brat” has proven he still got it after winning his 17th bracelet in Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty which also came with a top prize of $803,818.

Generating the biggest buzz in the poker world this summer is the record-breaking 2023 WSOP Main Event. The tournament attracted a mammoth field of 10,043 entries, making it the largest WSOP Main Event in history.