Brian Rast Wins 2018 World Series of Poker $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball Event

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Brian Rast has joined the likes of Bobby Baldwin, Puggy Pearson, Amarillo Slim and other legends of poker as a four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner. Rast defeated a field of 95 entries to win the 2018 WSOP $10,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven lowball championship. Rast outlasted a stacked final table that included the likes of Doyle Brunson, John Hennigan and Mike Wattel to emerge with his latest WSOP title and the $259,670.

“I only play against the best players in the world anymore,” Rast told WSOP reporters when asked about competing against the top players in the game. “I don’t really play any small cash games or even small buy-in tournaments anymore … So, I mean, a lot of the people who are playing those games there, the big, big cash games are the best players in the world … Those are the situations I’m in.”

In addition to the money and the hardware, Rast also earned 540 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his second final table finish of the year, and it was enough to move into 370th place in the Player of the Year rankings, which are presented in 2018 by Global Poker.

Rast entered the final day of this event in fourth chip position with 11 players remaining. He knocked out four-time bracelet winner John Hennigan in seventh place ($32,796) to cross the million-chip mark. The next player eliminated was another legend of the game in Doyle Brunson. Before entering this event Brunson took to Twitter to say that would likely be the last World Series of Poker event he ever played. The 10-time bracelet winner and two-time WSOP main event champion recently announced that he was planning on retiring from poker following this summer to spend more time with his wife Louise, who is in poor health. Brunson was knocked out of this event in sixth place, taking home $43,963 in what may well be his last event at the WSOP.

“He’s played the highest stakes for 60 years,” Rast said in regards to Brunson’s status in the poker world. “Longer than anyone and I think that’s what really he is legendary for.”

Following Brunson’s elimination, Italy’s Dario Sammartino busted Shawn Sheikhan in fifth place ($59,669) to take the lead. Rast then surpassed him by knocking out James Alexander in fourth place ($81,986) and then sent Sammartino packing, shoving all-in from the small blind with a pat J-9-8-6-2 and beating the Italian poker pro’s 9-5-4-3 draw when he hit a pair of threes. Sammartino took home $114,023 for his deep run.

With that Rast took a more than a 3.5-to-1 lead into heads-up play against two-time bracelet winner Mike Wattel. Wattel fought hard, but was not able to even things up. In the final hand Rast raised to 170,000 from the button and Wattel moved all-in for 1,270,000. Rast thought it over before making the cal. Both players stood pat and Wattel revealed the 10-7-6-4-2. Rast rolled over his superior 9-8-7-6-2 to earn the pot, sending Wattel to the rail as the runner-up finisher with $160,489.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points at the final table:

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2018 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

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