Chasing a WSOP gold bracelet is the dream of just about every serious poker player, but stacking five of them? That's a whole different game, one reserved for the true greats. Since the first World Series of Poker shuffled up back in 1970, only 41 players had ever managed to claim five bracelets... until now.
Brad Ruben just became number 42 in that exclusive club, locking up his fifth bracelet at the 2025 WSOP, held at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. He outlasted a tough field of 532 players in Event #12: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw, walking away with the $138,080 first-place prize and another piece of poker history.
Even more impressive? Ruben joins an ultra-elite crew, just eleven players, who've managed to bag five bracelets within a five-year run. That's territory shared with names like Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, and Doyle Brunson. Legends of the game. And now, Ruben sits among them.
2025 WSOP Event #12: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
- Buy-in: $1,5000
- Date: June 1 to June 3, 2025
- Entries: 532
- Prize: 1st Place $138,080
Final Day Action
The third and final day of play saw just five contenders return to battle it out for the top prize from a $706,230 pool. Han Liu entered Day 3 as the chip boss, but that lead didn't last long. Early in the session, Ruben made a gutsy hero call with just a pair of fours, right on the money, which pulled him nearly even with Liu at the top of the counts.
On the other end of the spectrum, five-time bracelet winner Brian Yoon came in as the short stack and never found much traction. Though he managed one double-up, his run ended in fifth after Jun Weng completed a smooth nine-low draw that left Yoon stone dead, holding a ten.
After Yoon's exit, the action slowed significantly. With deep stacks all around, each player sitting behind over 100 bigs, the tempo shifted to a more tactical pace. Liu and Ruben traded the chip lead several times, while Weng and Yueqi Zhu gradually lost ground. Liu dialed up the aggression, consistently applying pressure with well-timed bets. By the time he sent Weng to the rail in fourth, Liu had built a commanding stack, holding more than half the chips in play.
Ruben kept his momentum going, knocking out Zhu in third with a pat ten that held up. Still, as heads-up play began, Liu maintained a nearly 2:1 lead, setting the stage for a steep uphill climb for Ruben.
Early in the duel, Ruben chipped away, taking down a string of small pots. Then came back-to-back payoffs, first with a jack-low, then a ten-low, that flipped the script and gave him the chip lead. Liu answered with a value bet holding a jack-low of his own, reclaiming the lead briefly, before the hand that would change everything.
In a four-bet pot, Ruben stood pat while Liu drew one. Liu shoved, trying to sell strength with a bluff after pairing his six. Ruben didn't hesitate. He snap-called with a pat eighty-six, leaving Liu crippled with just over ten big blinds.
The end came shortly after. Liu committed his remaining stack with a ten-low, only to see Ruben table a nine-low to seal the deal. The two, longtime mixed game rivals from Texas, exchanged a respectful handshake before Ruben turned to his rail to soak in the win.
Winner's Reaction
Ruben said with an emotional tone:
"I'm very blessed. I mean, I love all the mixed games so to win another bracelet in another variant is a blessing. I'm honored, and I have a lot of people to thank. First, God, just having a strong connection with him has helped me through some difficult times. And also my girlfriend Sunny, we've been together for a little over two and a half years. She's been very supportive of me and I love her very much. Another thing is this sweater is important to me. It's been very lucky for me, but also it's the color of mental health awareness. I'm very passionate about that and want to get a message out: Whatever people are going through, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm happy to talk to anyone, at anytime, about whatever."
When asked what's been the key factor behind his WSOP success over the years, Ruben credited his advantage in the less commonly played game variants.
"My wins are in variants where players don't have much experience, so I feel that me being a more experienced player helps. I obviously ran well, I'm 5-0 heads-up so there's obviously some favorable card distribution there.
I want to compete for the most bracelets this decade" Ruben continued. I think Ausmus has five and a bunch of people have four. So that's a goal of mine that keeps me going. I've loved the WSOP ever since I was a teenager and I'm very passionate about it."
2025 WSOP Event #12: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw - Final Table Results
|
Place
|
Player
|
Country
|
Prize
|
|
1
|
Brad Ruben
|
USA
|
$130,080
|
|
2
|
Han Liu
|
USA
|
$90,569
|
|
3
|
Yueqi Zhu
|
China
|
$60,738
|
|
4
|
Jun Weng
|
China
|
$41,654
|
|
5
|
Brian Yoon
|
USA
|
$29,228
|
|
6
|
Tyler Phillips
|
USA
|
$20,994
|
|
7
|
Eric Moum
|
USA
|
$15,446
|
Source: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025/06/brad-ruben-wins-wsop-bracelet-48731.htm
