Poker Hall of Famer overcomes massive deficit, claims 7th WSOP title

Brian Rast overcame a massive chip deficit to capture his seventh career World Series of Poker victory.

The Poker Hall of Fame member won the $10,000 Razz Championship on Thursday at Horseshoe Las Vegas, defeating Andrew Yeh during heads-up play to claim the $306,644 top prize. Rast broke down in tears after the victory.

“I feel like no one ever deserves to win a tournament because it’s so crazy what has to happen to win,” Rast told reporters afterward. “I was very short at least twice, if not three times. I really liked my mindset on this one. I was just telling myself, even before the final table, ‘Just focus on your play. If you bust at this point, no matter what happens, you have a great life, you’re doing well, playing good poker,’ and that’s all I can control.”

Rast faced a three-to-one chip disadvantage when heads-up action was halted late Wednesday and resumed on Day 4. He was down to one big bet after losing an early pot to Yeh on Thursday and survived two all-in situations before rallying to win.

Yeh won $204,423 for second place.

“I was down to nothing so many times,” Rast said. “That was the longest I’ve ever played heads-up.”

Rast, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2023, is the 14th player in WSOP history with seven bracelets, which are awarded for tournament victories. He is the third player this summer to reach the milestone, joining Benny Glaser and Nick Schulman.

This was Rast’s first WSOP bracelet in a limit format and pushed his career live tournament earnings over $28.35 million, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.