Ray Dehkharghani Wins 2016 World Series of Poker $10,000 Razz Championship

The final table of the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in razz championship event drew a lot of attention this year, and not just because of the talented line up of players. The poker world’s eyes were on this event because Jason Mercier came into the final day with the chip lead, just days after winning his fourth career gold bracelet, and had a chance to win his second WSOP title of the summer just days later. Mercier has massive side bets on winning multiple bracelets this summer, including the chance to win $1.8 million from Vanessa Selbst should he win three bracelets this year. In the end Mercier fell just short, with high-stakes cash game regular Ray Dehkharghani defeating him heads-up to secure his first WSOP title and the top prize of $273,338.

“It means a tremendous amount to win this gold bracelet," said the 45-year-old poker pro after coming out on top. "The best players, they are generally spending their time playing in high-stakes cash games. That being said, we do follow what goes on in the tournaments, especially when one of the winners sits down with us to play. But the reality is, it’s meant a lot to me for a long time. My goal this summer was to win a gold bracelet. I only play 2 to 3 tournaments a year. My mission was to win a bracelet and now I’ve won a bracelet, so I feel very fortunate.”

The final day began with Mercier in lead of a stacked final table of eight that included Card Player contributor Bart Hanson (7th – $34,521), 2010 WSOP main event runner-up John Racener (6th – $44,712) and three-time bracelet winner Brian Hastings (4th – $82,078).

In the end it came down to a heads-up showdown between Mercier and Dehkharghani, with the latter holding a 3-to-1 chip lead to start. Mercier was able to mount a quick comeback and overtake the lead briefly, but Dehkharghani turned the tables again just as rapidly and pretty much never looked back.

By the time the final hand arose Mercier had only two big bets in his stack. Mercier was dealt the (7-5)4 and completed on third street. Dehkharghani called with the (8-6)9. Mercier hit a jack on fourth street and Dehkharghani paired his nines. Mercier bet and Dehkharghani called. Fifth street brought Mercier a five and Dehkharghani a ten. Mercier bet and Dehkharghani mulled over his options before rasing, putting Mercier all in. Mercier made the call and the two flipped up their hole cards. Mercier caught a king on sixth street and Dehkharghani picked up a seven to make a ten low. Mercier was drawing dead and stood to shake hands before seventh street was even dealt.

Their final boards looked as follows:

Mercier: (7-5)4-J-5-K-x
Dehkharghani: (8-6)9-9-10-7-x

Mercier was eliminated just one spot away from his second bracelet of the summer and his fifth career WSOP title.

“When he lost his chip lead, it was really clear the stress really set in and affected him,” said Dehkharghani. "It wasn’t a matter of my capitalizing on that, but I do believe the weight of (the side bets) affected him negatively in the match. It was palpable.”

There are still 49 tournaments left in the 2016 WSOP for Mercier to try to win, but in the end the $10,000 razz championship title was earned by Ray Dehkharghani.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded in this event:

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2016 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

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