# Greg Merson

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Greg_Merson
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Greg_Merson.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Merson
> Source revision: 1335203018
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

American poker player (born 1987)

Gregory Merson Merson in 2015 Nickname(s) gregy20723 (Twitter, PokerStars & Full Tilt Poker) Born (1987-12-08) December 8, 1987 (age 38) Washington, D.C., U.S. World Series of Poker Bracelets 2 Final tables 4 Money finishes 20 Highest WSOP Main Event finish Winner, 2012 World Poker Tour Final table 1 Money finishes 3 European Poker Tour Money finishes 2 Information last updated on 2018-07-18.

**Gregory Merson** (born December 8, 1987) is an American professional [poker](/source/Poker) player. Merson is best known as the winner of the Main Event at the [2012 World Series of Poker](/source/2012_World_Series_of_Poker) (WSOP). During the same year, he also won a [WSOP bracelet](/source/World_Series_of_Poker_bracelet) in the $10,000 Six Handed [No-Limit Hold'em](/source/Texas_Hold'em) World Championship.[1] Largely as a result of these two championships, he was the 2012 [WSOP Player of the Year](/source/WSOP_Player_of_the_Year). He is an online [shorthanded](/source/Shorthanded_(poker)) [cash game](/source/Cash_game) poker professional.[2][3]

## World Series of Poker

His first [World Series of Poker](/source/World_Series_of_Poker) (WSOP) [in the money](/source/In_the_money_(poker)) finish was at the [2009 World Series of Poker](/source/2009_World_Series_of_Poker) Main Event where, he finished 639th in a field of 6,494 entries for a $21,365 payday.[4] He earned his first bracelet at the 2012 474-player $10,000 six-handed [Texas hold'em](/source/Texas_hold'em) World Championship.[1] The win set a record for the shortest day of poker in the history of the WSOP, when it was extended to a fourth day and he won on the second hand of the day, according to [ESPN](/source/ESPN).[2] Other sources report that he won on the first hand of Day 4.[1][5] On Day 3 of the event he started in 12th place out of 27 contestants.[1]

At the 2012 WSOP, Merson finished in the money in three shorthanded (four- and six-handed) No Limit Hold 'em events prior to the main event.[6] In addition to his bracelet, he finished 5th in the 750-person $2,500 four-handed event for a prize of $70,280[7] and 21st in the 924-person $3,000 six-handed event for a prize of $16,850.[8]

When the [blinds](/source/Blind_(poker)) were 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante earlier in the 2012 Main Event, Merson was down to 50,000 chips,[9] meaning he nearly had to settle for a $52,718 payday and an approximate 150th-place finish.[10] On Day 7, he began in 12th place of 27 remaining entrants, but was the chip leader when the field was narrowed to 12 players.[11] He finished the day third in chips out of nine.[12][13] As a result, he was the leader in the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year race following the main Las Vegas set of events.[13] However, following the [2012 World Series of Poker Europe](/source/2012_World_Series_of_Poker_Europe), he trailed a few players such as [Antonio Esfandiari](/source/Antonio_Esfandiari) and leader [Phil Hellmuth](/source/Phil_Hellmuth), but remained the only player with a chance to overtake Hellmuth.[14] In the early morning of October 30, Merson became one of three to go to the final day of the WSOP 2012 Main Event, alongside Jesse Sylvia and Jacob Balsiger. Merson held a large chip lead heading into the final day, with over 46 percent of chips in play among the final three.[15][16] Merson prevailed as the WSOP 2012 Main Event champion (the first player to do so after having won another gold bracelet earlier in that WSOP since [Chris Ferguson](/source/Chris_Ferguson) in [2000](/source/2000_World_Series_of_Poker)), defeating Jesse Sylvia in a heads-up battle.[17][18] With this victory, Greg Merson ended up winning the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year.[19]

World Series of Poker results Year Cashes Final Tables Bracelets 2009 1 0 0 2011 1 0 0 2012 4 2 2 2013 1 0 0 2014 3 0 0 2015 4 2 0 2016 2 0 0 2018 4 0 0

World Series of Poker bracelets Year Tournament Prize (US$) 2012 $10,000 No Limit Texas hold 'em - Six Handed $1,136,197 2012 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $8,531,853

## Other events

Prior to his 2012 bracelet wins, his biggest payout in any tournament came when he owned a 5% stake in a player who succeeded at a [PokerStars Caribbean Adventure](/source/PokerStars_Caribbean_Adventure), earning himself $75,000.[2] Merson also has played online at both [PokerStars](/source/PokerStars) and [Full Tilt Poker](/source/Full_Tilt_Poker) under the name gregy20723. His best personal tournament result was a 2nd-place finish in the 1,564-person $200 + $15 July 25, 2010 PokerStars Sunday Second Chance event where he earned $40,664.[20] As of August 2014, Merson's live tournament winnings exceed $10,900,000.[21]

## Personal

Merson started playing poker with neighborhood friends in 2003. He attended the [University of Maryland](/source/University_of_Maryland) for two and a half [semesters](/source/Semester) before dropping out to play poker. At first, he was not successful, so he attended [community college](/source/Community_college). He eventually tried again and became a successful short-handed cash game specialist. He resided in Laurel, Maryland until [Black Friday](/source/Black_Friday_(poker)), when he established residence in [Toronto](/source/Toronto). He also briefly lived in [Atlantic City, New Jersey](/source/Atlantic_City%2C_New_Jersey). His mother's name is Donna and he has a brother.[3][22]

Merson overcame both [marijuana](/source/Marijuana) and [cocaine](/source/Cocaine) addictions before winning the World Series of Poker.[23][24] He told author [Paul Stenning](/source/Paul_Stenning), "When I was 17 I became addicted to drugs. I lost nearly 30 pounds in five months using cocaine during my freshman year of college." Merson checked himself into rehab on August 8, 2007. He was sober for three and a half years, but began using again after this. According to Merson he finally became sober for good on December 10, 2011.[25]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-43rdSOPe57_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-43rdSOPe57_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-43rdSOPe57_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-43rdSOPe57_1-3) ["43rd Annual World Series of Poker: Event #57: No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed"](http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/updates.asp?grid=887&tid=12157). *WSOP.com*. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. July 6, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GMw$iE5_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GMw$iE5_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-GMw$iE5_2-2) [Wise, Gary](/source/Gary_Wise) (July 8, 2012). ["Greg Merson wins $1.1M in Event 57"](https://www.espn.com/poker/story/_/id/8141174/wsop-2012-greg-merson-wins-11-million-six-handed-no-limit-hold-em-event-57). *[ESPN.com](/source/ESPN.com)*. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-W2E#WPGM_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-W2E#WPGM_3-1) ["WSOP 2012 Event #57 Winner Profile - Gregory Merson"](http://www.pokerplayernewspaper.com/content/wsop-2012-event-57-winner-profile-gregory-merson-12266). *[Poker Player](/source/Poker_Player)*. July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["2009 40th Annual World Series of Poker: World Championship NL Texas Hold'em (Event 57)"](http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/results.asp?grid=607&tid=7283). *WSOP.com*. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. November 9, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Fast, Erik (July 6, 2012). ["Greg Merson Wins World Series of Poker $10,000 Six-Max No-Limit Hold'Em: Captures $1.1 Million and First Bracelet After Playing One Hand On Day 4"](http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/13666-greg-merson-wins-world-series-of-poker-10-000-six-max-no-limit-hold-em). *[Card Player](/source/Card_Player)*. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Greg Merson"](http://www.wsop.com/players/playerProfile.asp?playerID=38984). *WSOP.com*. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["43rd Annual World Series of Poker: Event #28: No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed"](http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/results.asp?grid=887&tid=12128). Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. June 16, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["43rd Annual World Series of Poker: Event #23: No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed"](http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/results.asp?grid=887&tid=12123). Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. June 13, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["43rd Annual World Series of Poker: Event #61: No-Limit Hold'em Main Event (page 6)"](http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/updates.asp?tid=12161&grid=887&dayof=2562&rr=5&curpage=6). Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. July 14, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Rodriguez, Julio (July 16, 2012). ["Greg Merson -- A Chip And A Chair Success Story: Merson Having An Incredible Summer, Looking For Second Bracelet"](http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/13735-greg-merson-a-chip-and-a-chair-success-story). *[Card Player](/source/Card_Player)*. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Stutz, Howard (July 17, 2012). ["Momentum propels Merson at World Series of Poker"](http://www.lvrj.com/business/momentum-propels-merson-at-wsop-162682396.html). *[Las Vegas Review-Journal](/source/Las_Vegas_Review-Journal)*. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Pempus, Brian (July 17, 2012). ["Greg Merson Becoming A 'Legend' As World Series Of Poker Main Event Reaches Final Table: High-Stakes Cash Game Pro Eying Second Bracelet Of Summer"](http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/13738-greg-merson-becoming-a-legend-as-world-series-of-poker-main-event-reaches-final-table). *[Card Player](/source/Card_Player)*. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-JSltmeft_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-JSltmeft_13-1) Feldman, Andrew (July 17, 2012). ["Jesse Sylvia leads the main event final table"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120718031814/http://espn.go.com/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/8172868/wsop-2012-jesse-sylvia-leads-main-event-final-table). [ESPN](/source/ESPN). Archived from [the original](http://espn.go.com/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/8172868/wsop-2012-jesse-sylvia-leads-main-event-final-table) on July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Stutz, Howard (October 5, 2012). ["Hellmuth gets record 13th bracelet by winning WSOP Europe event"](http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/stutz/Phil_Hellmuth_captures_record_13th_bracelet_winning_the_WSOP_Europe_Main_Event_.html?ref=351). *[Las Vegas Review-Journal](/source/Las_Vegas_Review-Journal)*. Retrieved October 7, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Merson, Sylvia and Balsiger Three-Handed for the Gold (Day 8)"](http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/updates.asp?rr=5&grid=887&tid=12161&dayof=2802). *WSOP.com*. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. October 30, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Feldman, Andrew (October 30, 2012). ["Live final table blog: The final three"](http://espn.go.com/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/8574582/2012-wsop-live-coverage-2012-wsop-main-event-final-table). [ESPN](/source/ESPN). Retrieved November 5, 2012.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Merson, Sylvia and Balsiger Three-Handed for the Gold (Day 9)"](http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/updates.asp?rr=5&grid=887&tid=12161&dayof=2803). *WSOP.com*. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. October 31, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["Greg Merson Wins 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event"](http://www.pokernews.com/news/2012/10/greg-merson-wins-2012-world-series-of-poker-main-event-13705.htm). *[Poker News](/source/Poker_News)*. October 31, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Feldman, Andrew (October 30, 2012). ["Greg Merson emerges as a superstar"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121031215615/http://espn.go.com/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/8576244/2012-wsop-greg-merson-emerges-superstar). [ESPN](/source/ESPN). Archived from [the original](http://espn.go.com/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/8576244/2012-wsop-greg-merson-emerges-superstar) on October 31, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["PokerStars: Sunday Second Chance: Jul 25, '10: No-limit Hold'em"](http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-tournaments/online/547714). *[Card Player](/source/Card_Player)*. July 25, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Gregory Merson's profile on The Hendon Mob"](http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=123610). *[The Hendon Mob Poker Database](/source/The_Hendon_Mob_Poker_Database)*. Retrieved March 22, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-PwntopfGM_22-0)** Helfand, Zach (July 13, 2012). ["Poker winnings not the only prize for Greg Merson"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/2012/07/13/poker-winnings-not-the-only-prize-for-greg-merson/). *[Baltimore Sun](/source/Baltimore_Sun)*. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Rosenwald, Michael S. (October 31, 2012). ["Maryland's Greg Merson wins World Series of Poker, overcoming addiction, others' doubts"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/marylands-greg-merson-wins-world-series-of-poker-overcoming-addiction-and-doubt/2012/10/31/c4a24fe2-238c-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_story.html). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. Retrieved November 5, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Clarke, Elaina (October 28, 2012). ["Passion for poker 'saved my life,' Greg Merson says: Commitment to the game helps former Reservoir, Maryland student overcome addiction, land spot at WSOP final table"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/2012/10/28/passion-for-poker-saved-my-life-greg-merson-says/). *[The Baltimore Sun](/source/The_Baltimore_Sun)*. Retrieved November 5, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** [Paul Stenning](/source/Paul_Stenning) (November 24, 2013). Success – By Those Who've Made It. Pg.59. In Flight Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1628475869](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1628475869).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Greg Merson](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Greg_Merson).

- [Official website](http://gregmersonpoker.com)

- [Hendon Mob profile](http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=123610)

- [BLUFF profile](https://web.archive.org/web/20120718044119/http://www.bluffmagazine.com/players/gregory-merson/38984/player-profile.asp)

- [Card Player profile](http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/76014-gregory-merson)

- [Global Poker Index profile](https://www.globalpokerindex.com/tag/greg-merson/)

- [PokerNews profile](https://www.pokernews.com/poker-players/gregory-merson/)

- [WSOP profile](http://www.wsop.com/players/playerProfile.asp?playerID=38984)

- [WPT profile](https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/greg-merson/)

v t e World Series of Poker – Main Event champions 1970: Moss 1971: Moss 1972: Preston 1973: Pearson 1974: Moss 1975: Roberts 1976: Brunson 1977: Brunson 1978: Baldwin 1979: Fowler 1980: Ungar 1981: Ungar 1982: Straus 1983: McEvoy 1984: Keller 1985: Smith 1986: Johnston 1987: Chan 1988: Chan 1989: Hellmuth 1990: Matloubi 1991: Daugherty 1992: Dastmalchi 1993: Bechtel 1994: Hamilton 1995: Harrington 1996: Seed 1997: Ungar 1998: S. Nguyen 1999: Furlong 2000: Ferguson 2001: Mortensen 2002: Varkonyi 2003: Moneymaker 2004: Raymer 2005: Hachem 2006: Gold 2007: Yang 2008: Eastgate 2009: Cada 2010: Duhamel 2011: Heinz 2012: Merson 2013: Riess 2014: Jacobson 2015: McKeehen 2016: Q. Nguyen 2017: Blumstein 2018: Cynn 2019: Ensan 2020: Salas 2021: Aldemir 2022: Jørstad 2023: Weinman 2024: Tamayo 2025: Mizrachi

v t e 2010s WSOP bracelet winners Note: number in brackets represents the number of bracelets earned in that year 2010/ 2010 E Daniel Alaei Harold Angle Richard Ashby David "Bakes" Baker Praz Bansi John Barch Chris Bell Tomer Berda James Bord Dutch Boyd Eric Buchman Shawn Busse Yan Chen Michael Chow Aadam Daya James Dempsey Jason DeWitt Jonathan Duhamel Mike Ellis Sigurd Eskeland Sam Farha Peter Gelencser Steven Gee Ian Gordon Dean Hamrick Gus Hansen William Haydon Vanessa Hellebuyck Phil Ivey Steve Jelinek Frank Kassela (2) Matt Keikoan Dan Kelly Steven Kelly Chance Kornuth Valdemar Kwaysser Phil Laak Pascal LeFrancois Michael Linn Jeff Lisandro Ayaz Mahmood Matt Matros Michael Mizrachi Scott Montgomery Men Nguyen Jeffrey Papola Hoai Pham Carter Phillips Konstantin Puchkov Miguel Proulx Jesse Rockowitz Scott Shelley Gavin Smith Brendan Taylor Jeffrey Tebben Joshua Tieman Luis Velador Marcel Vonk David Warga Simon Watt Ryan Welch 2011/ 2011 E Owais Ahmed André Akkari Hasan Anter Andrew Badecker Francesco Barbaro Allen Bari Sam Barnhart Steve Billirakis Nick Binger Tyler Bonkowski Kirk Caldwell Jake Cody David Diaz Sean Drake Joe Ebanks Elio Fox Andy Frankenberger Sean Getzwiller Kenneth Griffin Bertrand Grospellier Foster Hays Pius Heinz Andrew Hinrichsen James Hess Guillaume Humbert Dan Idema Matt Jarvis John Juanda Eugene Katchalov Geffrey Klein Oleksii Kovalchuk Mikhail Lakhitov Ben Lamb Chris Lee Amir Lehavot Maxim Lykov Leonard Martin Matt Matros Jason Mercier Michael Mizrachi John Monnette Elie Payan Justin Pechie Matt Perrins Athanasios Polychronopoulos Rep Porter Mark Radoja Brian Rast (2) Eric Rodawig Mitch Schock David Singontiko Jason Somerville Fabrice Soulier Sam Stein Aaron Steury Antonin Teisseire Arkadiy Tsinis Chris Viox Tristan Wade Harrison Wilder Marsha Wolak Darren Woods Viacheslav Zhukov 2012/ 2012 E Timothy Adams Jonathan Aguiar David Arsht David "Bakes" Baker David "ODB" Baker Ronnie Bardah Andy Bloch Joe Cassidy Aubin Cazals Simon Charette Francisco Da Costa Santos Yen Dang Antonio Esfandiari (2) Ryan Eriquezzo Leif Force Andy Frankenberger Adam Friedman Michael Gathy Clifford Goldkind Brent Hanks Roger Hairabedian Brian Hastings Phil Hellmuth (2) Greg Hobson Kenny Hsiung Jan-Peter Jachtmann Will Jaffe Nick Jivkov Tomas Junek Naoya Kihara Oleksii Kovalchuk Steven Loube Henry Lu Imed Ben Mahmoud Matt Matros Brian Meinders Craig McCorkell Greg Merson (2) Michael Mizrachi John Monnette Dominik Nitsche Dung Nguyen Randy Ohel Greg Ostrander Rocco Palumbo Carter Phillips Giovanni Rasodoni Ylon Schwartz Allyn Jaffrey Shulman Ashkan Razavi Chiab Saechao Brandon Schaefer Benjamin Scholl Nick Schulman Austin Scott Vanessa Selbst Max Steinberg Herbert Tapscott Chris Tryba Vincent Van Der Fluit Peter Vilandos Joey Weissman Neil Willerson Larry Wright Cory Zeidman Viacheslav Zhukov 2013/ 2013 AP/ 2013 E Daniel Alaei Matthew Ashton Jeremy Ausmus John Beauprez Levi Berger Kristen Bicknell Barny Boatman Bryan Campanello Dana Castaneda Benny Chen David Chiu James Collopy Chris Dombrowski Jason Duval Eli Elezra Martin Finger Danny Fuhs Michael Gathy Jackie Glazier Anthony Gregg Mike Gorodinsky Jarred Graham Steve Gross Isaac Hagerling Jared Hamby Roger Hairabedian Corey Harrison Loni Harwood Jonathan Hilton Chad Holloway Dan Idema Phil Ivey Henrik Johansson Marco Johnson Cliff Josephy Davidi Kitai Aaron Lim Kenneth Lind Erick Lindgren Jeff Madsen Michael Malm Jesse Martin Adrián Mateos Mike Matusow Calen McNeil Simeon Naydenov Daniel Negreanu (2) Justin Oliver Taylor Paur Matt Perrins Bryan Piccioli Josh Pollock Athanasios Polychronopoulos Trevor Pope Sandeep Pulusani Mark Radoja Ryan Riess Lev Rofman Tom Schneider (2) Noah Schwartz Brett Shaffer Vladimir Shchemelev Darko Stojanovic Steve Sung Charles Sylvestre Norbert Szecsi Jonathan Taylor Nikolaus Teichert Ben Volpe Matt Waxman Brent Wheeler Brandon Wong Brian Yoon 2014/ 2014 AP Calvin Anderson Alex Antonios Alex Bilokur Alex Bolotin Justin Bonomo Dutch Boyd Luke Brabin Eric Buchman Todd Bui Joe Cada Scott Calcagno Kyle Cartwright Dan Colman George Danzer (3) Scott Davies Sean Dempsey Jonathan Dimmig Michael Drummond Igor Dubinskyy Kevin Eyster Ted Forrest Ted Gillis Will Givens Matt Grapenthien Tommy Hang Dan Heimiller John Hennigan Sam Higgs Phil Hui Phil Ivey Martin Jacobson Salman Jaddi Jared Jaffee John Kabbaj Mike Kachan Dan Kelly Bryn Kenney Kory Kilpatrick Davidi Kitai Gregory Kolo Nick Kost Florian Langmann Tuan Le Mike Leah Jeff Lisandro Jay Loo Jesse McEuen Pierre Milan David Miscikowski Robert Mizrachi Jordan Morgan Asi Moshe Dominik Nitsche (2) David Olson Brock Parker Brandon Paster Tyler Patterson Hugo Pingray Doug Polk Andrew Rennhack Roland Reparejo Vanessa Selbst Brandon Shack-Harris Brett Shaffer Jeff Smith Davide Suriano Paul Volpe Christopher Wallace Pat Walsh Steven Wolansky Brian Yoon Rory Young Haixia Zhang 2015/ 2015 E Daniel Alaei Jon Andlovec Adrian Apmann Makarios Avramidis Travis Baker Andrew Barber Brandon Barnette Connor Berkowitz Andre Boyer Adrian Buckley Shaun Deeb Upeshka De Silva Quinn Do Jonathan Duhamel (2) Jack Duong Eli Elezra Matthew Elsby Dietrich Fast Vasili Firsau Carol Fuchs John Gale Phil Galfond Cord Garcia Arash Ghaneian Benny Glaser Mike Gorodinsky Sam Greenwood Richard Gryko Loni Harwood Brian Hastings (2) Ryan Hefter Phil Hellmuth Paul Hoefer Barry Hutter Dan Idema Young Ji William Kakon Byron Kaverman Alex Komaromi Tuan Le Keith Lehr Justin Liberto Alex Lindop Ivan Luca Kevin MacPhee (2) Jeff Madsen Konstantin Maslak Joe McKeehen Jason Mercier Paul Michaelis Robert Mizrachi Takahiro Nakai Thiago Nishijima Matt O'Donnell Max Pescatori (2) Alexander Petersen Nick Petrangelo Christian Pham Idan Raviv John Reading Gerald Ringe Jacquelyn Scott Perry Shiao Anthony Spinella Jeff Tomlinson Aaron Wallace Michael Wang Brandon Wittmeyer Corrie Wunstel Ben Yu Benjamin Zamani Anthony Zinno 2016 Hani Awad Lawrence Berg Chase Bianchi Kristen Bicknell Kyle Bowker Mike Cordell Johnnie Craig Ryan D'Angelo George Danzer Shaun Deeb Ray Dehkharghani Jason DeWitt Yue Du Tony Dunst Peter Eichhardt Said El-Yousfi Ryan Fee Michael Gagliano Cesar Garcia Jean Gaspard Michael Gathy Benny Glaser (2) John Hennigan Fedor Holz Ian Johns (2) Marco Johnson Kyle Julius Ben Keeline Courtney Kennedy Loren Klein Martin Kozlov Jens Kyllönen Ryan Laplante Allan Le Danny Le Hung Le Rafael Lebron Calvin Lee Andrew Lichtenberger Clayton Maguire Ankush Mandavia Adrián Mateos Phillip McAllister Jason Mercier (2) Robert Mizrachi James Moore Qui Nguyen David Nowakowski Viatcheslav Ortynskiy Alan Percal David Peters Doug Polk Rep Porter David Prociak Brian Rast Christopher Sand Brandon Shack-Harris Sam Soverel Corey Thompson Mitchell Towner Michael Tureniec Safiya Umerova Christopher Vitch Paul Volpe Steven Wolansky Jiaqi Xu Andrey Zaichenko Alexander Ziskin 2017/ 2017 E David Bach (2) Scott Blumstein Liv Boeree Ernest Bohn Chris Bolek Christopher Brammer Brian Brubaker Shane Buchwald James Calderaro Luis Calvo Thomas Cannuli Mohsin Charania Upeshka De Silva Dieter Dechant Rulah Divine Niall Farrell Chris Ferguson Christopher Frank Nathan Gamble Harrison Gimbel Jason Gola Tyler Groth Albert Hoekendijk Bryan Hollis Nipun Java (2) Martin Kabrhel Nadar Kakhmazov Frank Kassela Andreas Klatt Loren Klein Chris Klodnicki Tom Koral Norberto Korn Igor Kurganov Jens Lakemeier Sebastian Langrock Tommy Le Frank Maggio Pablo Mariz Anthony Marquez Jesse Martin Adrián Mateos Heidi May Ben Maya Joe McKeehen Theodore McQuilkin Joseph Mitchell John Monnette James Moore Chris Moorman Adrian Moreno Abe Mosseri Dominik Nitsche James Obst Rifat Palevic Alexandru Papazian David Pham Doug Polk Thomas Pomponio John Racener Gaurav Raina Thomas Reynolds Marti Roca de Torres Joseph Di Rosa Rojas Artur Rudziankov Matthew Schreiber Vladimir Shchemelev Oleksandr Shcherbak Max Silver David Singer Elior Sion Smith Sirisakorn Matous Skorepa Tyler Smith Aditya Sushant Christopher Vitch Ron Ware Mike Wattel Bryce Yockey Brian Yoon Ben Yu Sean Yu Dmitry Yurasov Benjamin Zamani Lukas Zaskodny Shai Zurr 2018/ 2018 E Michael Addamo (2) Steve Albini Yaser Al-Keliddar Calvin Anderson Tim Andrew Eric Baldwin Ryan Bambrick Johannes Becker Jean-Robert Bellande Yaniv Birman Scott Bohlman Justin Bonomo (2) Farhintaj Bonyadi David Brookshire Joe Cada (2) Joey Couden John Cynn Matthew Davis Jessica Dawley Shaun Deeb (2) Ognyan Dimov Benjamin Dobson Roberly Felicio Elio Fox Adam Friedman Phil Galfond Mykhailo Gutyi Galen Hall Jeremy Harkin Brian Hastings Phil Hellmuth John Hennigan Jordan Hufty Anderson Ireland Martin Kabrhel Ronald Keijzer Arne Kern Loren Klein Chance Kornuth Jay Kwon Preston Lee Ryan Leng Philip Long Nikita Luther Timur Margolin (2) Julien Martini Dan Matsuzuki Matthew Mendez Michael Mizrachi Benjamin Moon Asi Moshe Robert Nehorayan Tommy Nguyen Daniel Ospina Giuseppe Pantaleo Robert Peacock Jeremy Perrin Nick Petrangelo Jordan Polk Mario Prats Brian Rast William Reymond Tamir Segal Nicholas Seiken Scott Seiver Warren Sheaves Jack Sinclair Filippos Stavrakis Norbert Szecsi Mike Takayama Longsheng Tan Denis Timofeev Ryan Tosoc Hanh Tran (2) Anson Tsang Craig Varnell Diogo Veiga Paul Volpe Guoliang Wei Jeremy Wien Gal Yifrach Ben Yu Andrey Zhigalov Yueqi Zhu 2019/ 2019 E Brandon Adams Anuj Agarwal Rick Alvarado James Anderson Brett Apter David "ODB" Baker Nicholas Baris Isaac Baron Jim Bechtel Michael Blake Renat Bohdanov Ismael Bojang Rami Boukai Yuval Bronshtein Shawn Buchanan Kahle Burns (2) Robert Campbell (2) Thomas Cazayous James Chen Joseph Cheong Stephen Chidwick Scott Clements Stephanie Dao Daniel Dayan Upeshka De Silva Ivan Deyra Andrew Donabedian Dash Dudley (2) Yuri Dzivielevski Eli Elezra Ari Engel Hossein Ensan Alex Epstein Susan Faber Tomas Fara Femi Fashakin Joe Foresman Jorden Fox Adam Friedman Ohad Geiger Kevin Gerhart Jason Gooch John Gorsuch Brian Green Bertrand Grospellier Nicholas Haynes Ben Heath Juha Helppi John Hennigan Besim Hot Phil Hui Abhinav Iyer Vangelis Kaimakamis Jiyoung Kim Loren Klein Maximilian Klostermeier Alexandros Kolonias Roman Korenev Yong Kwon David Lambard Jonas Lauck Chin Wei Lim Dan Lupo Howard Mash Kainalu McCue-Unciano Derek McMaster Robert Mitchell Michael Mizrachi Aristeidis Moschonas Asi Moshe (2) Greg Mueller Frankie O'Dell Jerry Odeen Daniel Park Sejin Park Taylor Paur Jeremy Pekarek Shankar Pillai Josh Pollock Tomas Ribeiro Jeremy Saderne Espen Sandvik Nick Schulman Luke Schwartz Scott Seiver Carl Shaw Stephen Song Santiago Soriano Murilo Souza Alan Sternberg Denis Strebkov Daniel Strelitz Sean Swingruber Danny Tang Keith Tilston Siamak Tooran Joao Vieira Barak Wisbrod Daniel Zack Luis Zedan Anthony Zinno Anatolii Zyrin 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

v t e Winners of the World Series of Poker Player of the Year Award Daniel Negreanu (2004) Allen Cunningham (2005) Jeff Madsen (2006) Tom Schneider (2007) Erick Lindgren (2008) Jeff Lisandro (2009) Frank Kassela (2010) Ben Lamb (2011 & 2011 E) Greg Merson (2012 & 2012 E) Daniel Negreanu (2013, 2013 AP & 2013 E) George Danzer (2014 & 2014 AP) Mike Gorodinsky (2015 & 2015 E) Jason Mercier (2016) Chris Ferguson (2017 & 2017 E) Shaun Deeb (2018 & 2018 E) Robert Campbell (2019 & 2019 E) Josh Arieh (2021) Daniel Zack (2022) Ian Matakis (2023) Scott Seiver (2024) The 2005 WSOP bracelet

v t e Winners of the Card Player Player of the Year Award Men Nguyen (1997) T. J. Cloutier (1998) Tony Ma (1999) David Pham (2000) Men Nguyen (2001) T. J. Cloutier (2002) Men Nguyen (2003) Daniel Negreanu (2004) Men Nguyen (2005) Michael Mizrachi (2006) David Pham (2007) John Phan (2008) Eric Baldwin (2009) Tom Marchese (2010) Ben Lamb (2011) Greg Merson (2012) Daniel Negreanu (2013) Daniel Colman (2014) Anthony Zinno (2015) David Peters (2016) Adrián Mateos (2017) Jake Schindler (2018) Stephen Chidwick (2019) Ali Imsirovic (2021) Stephen Chidwick (2022) Bin Weng (2023) Adrián Mateos (2024)

v t e Team Ivey Poker Current members Phil Ivey Cole South Patrik Antonius Jennifer Harman Dan Smith Andrew Lichtenberger Jonathan Jaffe Aaron Jones Alex Bolotin Allen Kessler Balazs Botond Cherish Andrews Christian Harder Dan Shak David Peters Gillian Epp Giuseppe Pantaleo Griffin Benger James Dempsey John Eames Jonathan Tamayo Josh Brikis Justin Pechie Kevin Vandersmissen Lucille Cailly Matias Gabrenja Mathew Frankland Mike Leah Nicolas Cardyn Ronnie Bardah Rupert Elder Toby Lewis Former members Greg Merson Company Ivey League

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Greg Merson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Merson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Merson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.