As the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) gets underway in Las Vegas from May 26 to July 15, another 100 WSOP bracelets will be up for grabs across nearly two months of action. The WSOP Europe festival already concluded earlier this year, while WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas still awaits later this year in December, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for poker’s elite to finally capture the game’s most prestigious prize.
Yet despite extraordinary careers, some of poker’s biggest names are still searching for their first bracelet. From the highest-earning tournament crushers in history to legendary online specialists and players who have built incredible records through consistency, deep runs, and final table appearances, these are some of the best poker players still without a WSOP bracelet.
- Read more: 2026 World Series of Poker Full Schedule
- Read more: WSOP’s New Patch Policy Sparks Backlash As Patrick Leonard Questions Branding Crackdown
- Read more: WSOP Dealer Ratings: Transparency or Trouble?
Steve O’Dwyer: The highest-earning player without gold
By The Hendon Mob-linked all-time-money leaderboard, Steve O’Dwyer is the highest-earning player without a WSOP gold bracelet, with $47,031,130 in lifetime live tournament earnings. Despite 16 WSOP-series cashes live and 6 online, and with a fifth-place finish in 2015 at WSOP Europe, O’Dwyer has never finished first in a WSOP bracelet event. A key factor in his absence from the bracelet winners’ list is that, in recent years, O’Dwyer has largely avoided Las Vegas and the summer WSOP, focusing instead on high-roller tours in Europe and Asia, so his limited bracelet opportunities skew the record more than his ability does.
Steve O’Dwyer Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | WSOP Europe €550 No Limit Hold’em – The Oktoberfest #2 | 5 | €43,409 |
| 2011 | WSOP Europe €3,200 No Limit Hold’em Shootout | 6 | €36,357 |
| 2012 | WSOP Europe €51,000 No Limit Hold’em – Majestic Roller | 7 | €130,000 |
| 2020 | WSOP Online $300 Monster Stack No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed | 7 | $18,323 |
| 2009 | WSOP $10,000 World Championship Heads-Up | 8 | $92,580 |
Christoph Vogelsang: Elite results without WSOP gold
Christoph Vogelsang sits at $45,948,989 in lifetime earnings, another one to surpass the $40 million mark without winning a WSOP bracelet. More than $10 million of those earnings have come from WSOP events alone, yet the elusive bracelet still remains out of reach. His résumé includes a $6 million Super High Roller Bowl victory and several other seven-figure scores, while his WSOP record features 38 cashes, a runner-up finish in the 2022 $25,000 Heads-Up Championship where he fell to Dan Smith in the final, and three third-place finishes, which shows how close he has already come.
Christoph Vogelsang Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | WSOP $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – Heads-Up Championship | 2 | $315,029 |
| 2014 | WSOP $1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – The Big One for One Drop | 3 | $4,480,001 |
| 2019 | WSOP Europe €250,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller | 3 | €1,185,161 |
| 2024 | WSOP $50,000 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller | 3 | $957,104 |
| 2019 | WSOP Europe €100,000 No Limit Hold’em – Diamond High Roller | 4 | €633,336 |
Sean Winter: Modern high-roller consistency
Sean Winter has $38,201,010 in career live earnings, along with 48 WSOP-series cashes and a second-place finish in 2018. His results across U.S. Poker Open and Triton-style events have made him one of the most respected high-stakes tournament players of his era, but he still has not converted a WSOP run into a bracelet win. That mix of volume, toughness, and near misses makes him one of the most likely names on this list to change status soon.
Sean Winter Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | WSOP $50,000 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller | 2 | $1,020,253 |
| 2022 | WSOP $3,000 Pot Limit Omaha – 6-Handed | 3 | $156,401 |
| 2023 | WSOP $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller 6-Handed | 3 | $518,106 |
| 2023 | WSOP $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – Heads-Up Championship | 3 | $192,513 |
| 2022 | WSOP $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Short Deck – 6-Handed | 4 | $88,168 |
Patrik Antonius: Hall of Famer, still bracelet-less
Patrik Antonius has $32,466,694 in lifetime live earnings on the Hendon Mob all-time money list, despite never winning a WSOP gold bracelet. His resume includes seven seven-figure scores, a third-place WSOP finish in 2007, and induction into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2024. Given his longevity and stature, Antonius remains one of the most striking names still missing from the WSOP bracelet winners’ roll.
- Read more: Patrik Antonius Enters the Hall
Patrik Antonius Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | WSOP $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha | 3 | $311,394 |
| 2008 | WSOP $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold’em | 7 | $124,080 |
| 2024 | WSOP Paradise $100,000 + 3,000 Pot Limit Omaha – Super High Roller (Bracelet Event #3) | 7 | $354,440 |
| 2025 | WSOP Paradise $125,000 + 6,250 No Limit Hold’em – Triton 7-Handed (Bracelet Event #8) | 8 | $415,000 |
| 2006 | WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. | 9 | $205,920 |
Niklas Astedt: Online dominance, live breakthrough
Niklas Astedt might have one of the lower live tournament earnings totals on this list with $9,086,935, but that should not fool anyone. The Swedish sensation, better known online under the nickname “Lena900,” is widely considered one of the greatest online tournament players of all time. Astedt has won 12 SCOOP and 11 WCOOP titles, making him one of the most decorated online players in poker history.
Despite his dominance online and his growing success on the live circuit, he still has not captured a WSOP bracelet. His biggest live result came with a third-place finish in the 2024 WSOP Main Event worth $4 million, while his closest brush with a bracelet came during the 2020 WSOP Online series, where he finished runner-up to Roberto Romanello.
- Read more: WSOP 2024: Astedt Leads Final Three in 2024 Main Event
- Read more: WSOP 2024: Jonathan Tomayo is the 2024 Main Event Champ
Niklas Astedt Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | WSOP Online $1,500 No Limit Hold’em | 2 | $156,905 |
| 2024 | WSOP $10,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event World Championship | 3 | $4,000,000 |
| 2023 | WSOP Europe €10,000 Pot Limit Omaha – High Roller | 4 | €31,331 |
| 2021 | WSOP Online $400 Pot Limit Omaha – PLOSSUS ONLINE | 5 | $35,065 |
| 2026 | WSOP Europe €20,800 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller 8-Max | 5 | €245,000 |
Ben Tollerene: Online legend still chasing gold
Ben Tollerene has accumulated $36,665,618 in live tournament earnings, with more than $8 million of that coming from WSOP events alone. His first WSOP cash dates back to 2009, but the closest he has come to capturing poker’s most prestigious prize has been in recent years. Tollerene now has 20 WSOP cashes and seven final table appearances, including two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes over the last two years alone, which is about as close as a player can come to winning a bracelet without actually getting one.
Online, Tollerene is better known under the nickname “Ben86,” one of the most respected high-stakes online players of his era. He built his reputation battling in some of the toughest games online, particularly in Pot Limit Omaha, and is widely regarded as one of the sharpest high-stakes cash-game specialists in poker.
Ben Tollerene Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | WSOP $250,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller | 2 | $3,537,135 |
| 2024 | WSOP Paradise $100,000 + 3,000 Pot Limit Omaha – Super High Roller | 2 | $1,577,660 |
| 2024 | WSOP Paradise $50,000 + 2,000 Pot Limit Omaha – Championship | 3 | $746,790 |
| 2025 | WSOP $50,000 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller – 8-Handed | 3 | $914,634 |
| 2011 | WSOP $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Six Handed Championship | 7 | $99,493 |
Punnat Punsri: GPI Player of the Year without WSOP gold
Punnat Punsri has established himself as one of the best Asian poker players in the world, piling up $35,722,088 in lifetime tournament earnings. His résumé includes an incredible 11 seven-figure scores earned across major poker stops around the globe. In 2025, Punsri’s stellar run was recognized with the GPI Player of the Year Award, cementing his status among poker’s elite.
Despite all that success, the WSOP bracelet still eludes him. Punsri has recorded 47 WSOP cashes, nine final tables, and close to $5 million in WSOP earnings. His closest brush with gold came recently at the 2026 WSOP Europe, where he finished runner-up in the GGMillion$ High Roller after falling heads-up to Christian Pedersen.
Punnat Punsri Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | WSOP Europe €8,400 No Limit Hold’em – GGMillion$ High Roller | 2 | €400,000 |
| 2024 | WSOP $5,000 No Limit Hold’em – 8-Handed | 2 | $523,648 |
| 2022 | WSOP $1,979 No Limit Hold’em – Poker Hall of Fame Bounty | 2 | $170,615 |
| 2022 | WSOP $50,000 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller 8-Handed | 3 | $593,481 |
| 2025 | WSOP $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha – 8-Handed | 3 | $146,266 |
Maria Ho: One of the most accomplished players without one
Maria Ho has more than $5.5 million in live tournament earnings and sits sixth on the Women’s All-Time Money List, but her WSOP credentials are even more impressive, with more than 111 cashes and nine final tables. She also has a runner-up finish from 2011, which places her among the most accomplished WSOP performers still without a bracelet. Because she has combined longevity, visibility, and repeated deep runs, Ho remains one of the most compelling names in any discussion of the best poker players without a WSOP gold bracelet.
Maria Ho Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | WSOP $5,000 No Limit Hold’em | 2 | $540,020 |
| 2023 | WSOP Paradise $1,650 No Limit Hold’em – Mystery Millions | 3 | $200,000 |
| 2016 | WSOP $3,000 No Limit Hold’em Shootout | 4 | $87,487 |
| 2019 | WSOP $5,000 No Limit Hold’em | 5 | $91,211 |
| 2022 | WSOP $7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super Turbo Bounty | 5 | $131,655 |
Dan Shak: One of the WSOP’s most consistent performers
Dan Shak has accumulated $14,481,152 in live tournament earnings and remains one of the most accomplished WSOP regulars without a bracelet. His 108 WSOP cashes are among the highest totals ever for a player still searching for their first piece of WSOP gold. Shak first came painfully close to a bracelet back in 2010 with a runner-up finish in a Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event, and the near misses continued in 2023 when he added two more second-place finishes to his résumé.
Top 5 Dan Shak WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | WSOP $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8 | 2 | $202,142 |
| 2023 | WSOP $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship | 2 | $192,479 |
| 2023 | WSOP Paradise $25,000 + 1,000 Pot Limit Omaha – High Roller | 2 | $537,900 |
| 2021 | WSOP $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Short Deck | 3 | $82,678 |
| 2021 | WSOP Online $333 No Limit Hold’em ONLINE | 4 | $25,850 |
Matt Glantz
Matt Glantz has earned $9,594,072 in live tournaments, with roughly half of that coming from WSOP events alone. While he has captured three WSOP Circuit rings during his career, the elusive WSOP bracelet still remains missing from his résumé. And it is certainly not due to a lack of opportunities, as Glantz has reached 20 WSOP final tables, the most of any player without ever winning a bracelet.
One of the most memorable moments of his career came in 2022, when he famously pulled the first-ever $1,000,000 Mystery Bounty prize at the WSOP,
Matt Glantz Top 5 WSOP Cashes
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | WSOP $3,000 No Limit Hold’em | 2 | $364,620 |
| 2008 | WSOP $10,000 World Championship 8-Game | 3 | $184,992 |
| 2016 | WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship | 3 | $175,754 |
| 2019 | WSOP $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship – 6-Handed | 3 | $139,126 |
| 2025 | WSOP $500 No Limit Hold’em – Colossus | 3 | $273,260 |
Who Would You Add?
This list focuses on some of the most accomplished and highest-earning players who have not yet won a WSOP gold bracelet, but it is far from the only possible ranking. Plenty of other outstanding players could reasonably be included depending on whether the emphasis is placed on lifetime earnings, WSOP volume, peak performance, online pedigree, or overall influence on the game.
That is part of what makes the topic so interesting. Poker has no shortage of elite players with extraordinary resumes and no bracelets, which means any top-10 list will always leave out a few deserving names. Which player would be the first addition or the top choice on this list?
