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Brian Rast is an American professional poker player, born in Denver, Colorado, in November 1981, who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2023. A long-time player in the biggest cash games in Las Vegas, he has won seven World Series of Poker bracelets, including the $50,000 Poker Players Championship three times, and the inaugural $500,000 Super High Roller Bowl in 2015 for $7,525,000, the largest score of his career. [1][2][4][6]
Brian Rast: key facts
| Full name | Brian Everett Rast [4] |
|---|---|
| Country | United States [1] |
| Born | November 1981, Denver, Colorado [4] |
| Lives in | Las Vegas, Nevada [7] |
| Known for | High-stakes cash games and mixed games; three Poker Players Championship titles |
| Poker Hall of Fame | Inducted 2023 [3] |
| WSOP bracelets | 7 (121 WSOP cashes, 29 final tables) [2] |
| Major titles | WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship 2011, 2016 and 2023; WPT Five Diamond $100,000 High Roller 2013; Super High Roller Bowl 2015 [2][6] |
| Live tournament earnings | $29,817,349 as of October 5, 2026 [1] |
Early life: from Poway to Stanford
Rast was born in Denver and raised in Poway, California, a suburb of San Diego. He was the Class of 2000 valedictorian at Poway High School and went on to Stanford University. [4]
He first played poker in his junior year at a college poker club started by a friend. That summer he bought a couple of books and began playing cash games: limit hold’em live, starting at the $3/$6 game at Barona Casino near San Diego, and no-limit online, under the screen name “tsarrast”. He made about $20,000 that summer and quit a temporary job within five weeks. He later left Stanford without graduating, by which time he had a bankroll of around $100,000. [4]
Beginning in poker
Online, Rast finished third in a PokerStars Sunday Million for $73,490 and third in the Full Tilt Poker FTOPS III Main Event for $114,203. He then moved to Las Vegas, where he became close friends with Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari. [4] His first WSOP cash came in 2005. [1]
In January 2010, on a trip to Brazil with Laak, he met Juliana, who became his wife; they married in 2011. [4][1] In 2015 he launched a training venture, Zen Poker Mentoring. [4]
Playing style
WSOP.com has described Rast as a cash game player rather than a tournament professional: he is a regular in the “Bobby’s Room” games and in the nosebleed big-bet mixed games in Las Vegas. He started out as a No-Limit Hold’em player and learned mixed games after the largest big-bet games began to dry up. [8] His bracelets reflect that range: titles in Pot-Limit Hold’em, No-Limit Hold’em, 2-7 Single Draw, Razz and the multi-game Poker Players Championship. [2] PokerNews has described him as one of the best mixed game players. [10]
Greatest achievements
WSOP bracelets
| Year | Event | Entries | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship | 128 | $1,720,328 | [5] |
| 2023 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship | 99 | $1,324,747 | [10] |
| 2016 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship | 91 | $1,296,097 | [7] |
| 2021 | $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em | 997 | $474,102 | [9] |
| 2025 | $10,000 Razz Championship | 134 | $306,644 | [11] |
| 2018 | $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship | 95 | $259,670 | [8] |
| 2011 | $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em | 765 | $227,232 | [2] |
His first bracelet came in June 2011, when he beat Allen Kessler heads-up in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em. [1] Weeks later he won the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship, a mixed-game event played over five days, coming back from a 5-to-1 chip deficit against Phil Hellmuth heads-up. He was the only player to win more than one bracelet at the 2011 WSOP. [5]
In 2016 he won the event again, overturning a 4 to 1 chip deficit against Justin Bonomo, and became the second player after Michael Mizrachi to win it twice. [7] His 2018 title in $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw came at a final table that included Doyle Brunson, who had announced it would be his last WSOP event and finished sixth. [8]
In 2023 he beat Talal Shakerchi heads-up in five hands to win a third Poker Players Championship, becoming the 19th player in WSOP history to win six bracelets and, with Mizrachi, one of two players to win the event three times. [10] His seventh bracelet came in the 2025 $10,000 Razz Championship, where he came back from a short stack against Andrew Yeh on an unscheduled fourth day. [11]
Other major results
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $500,000 Super High Roller Bowl (43 entrants) | 1st | $7,525,000 | [6] |
| 2012 | WSOP $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop | 6th | $1,621,333 | [1] |
| 2024 | WSOP $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed) | 2nd | $1,497,824 | [1] |
| 2013 | WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic $100,000 High Roller | 1st | just under $1.1 million | [6] |
| 2025 | WSOP $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. | 2nd | $586,539 | [1] |
| 2024 | WSOP $10,000 Main Event | 24th | $350,000 | [1] |
The inaugural Super High Roller Bowl in July 2015 had a $21.5 million prize pool. Rast beat Scott Seiver heads-up, with ace-nine against pocket fives in the final hand, for his fourth seven-figure score, a result that moved him to 11th on the all-time money list at the time. [6] His later Pot-Limit Omaha runner-up finish in 2024 was worth $1,497,824. [1]
World Series of Poker record
His WSOP.com profile lists seven bracelets, 121 cashes, 29 final tables and $13,331,689 in WSOP earnings. [2]
Poker Hall of Fame, 2023
On July 13, 2023, the WSOP announced Rast as the 2023 Poker Hall of Fame inductee. The announcement credited him as the only player to have cashed more than $1 million in tournaments for seven years in a row. WSOP Vice President Jack Effel said: “Brian Rast is one of the best poker players we’ve ever seen.” [3] PokerNews notes that he was inducted one year after becoming eligible at age 40. [1]
In his own words
- “It’s not just tournament results that will place me in history; it’s also playing in the biggest limits. I will play anything for any amount of money.” After his second Poker Players Championship, 2016. [7]
- “I only play against the best players in the world anymore.” After his 2018 bracelet. [8]
- “I turn 40 in a couple of weeks and it was on my mind to make the Poker Hall of Fame. I think I have a pretty good claim.” After his fifth bracelet, 2021. [9]
- “I’m going to keep playing. And for me, the World Series of Poker has kind of become my favourite thing.” After his third Poker Players Championship, 2023. [10]
- “Just immense gratitude. I feel like no one ever deserves to win a tournament because it’s so crazy what has to happen to win.” After his seventh bracelet, 2025. [11]
Iconic hands and moments
A Champion is Crowned: the 2015 Super High Roller Bowl
Run it Back with Brian Rast (PokerGO)
Brian Rast on Poker After Dark
FAQ about Brian Rast
How old is Brian Rast?
Brian Rast was born in November 1981, so he was 44 years old as of October 5, 2026. [4]
Where is Brian Rast from?
He is American. He was born in Denver, Colorado, grew up in Poway, California, and lives in Las Vegas. [4][7]
What is Brian Rast’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $29,817,349 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. Much of his career has been spent in high-stakes cash games, whose results are not published. [1]
How many WSOP bracelets does Brian Rast have?
Seven, won between 2011 and 2025, according to his WSOP.com profile. [2]
How many times has Brian Rast won the Poker Players Championship?
Three times, in 2011, 2016 and 2023. He and Michael Mizrachi are the only players to have won it three times. [10]
Is Brian Rast in the Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. He was inducted in 2023. [3]
What is Brian Rast’s biggest tournament win?
The inaugural $500,000 Super High Roller Bowl in July 2015, worth $7,525,000. [6]
Has Brian Rast won the WSOP Main Event?
No. None of his seven bracelets came in the Main Event. In 2024 he finished 24th in the Main Event for $350,000. [2][1]
Related Poker Legends
Read more about Phil Hellmuth, his heads-up opponent in the 2011 Poker Players Championship, Doyle Brunson, who played his last WSOP event at Rast’s 2018 final table, and Erik Seidel, who also reached the final table of the 2015 Super High Roller Bowl.
Sources
- PokerNews, Brian Rast player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Brian Rast player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Brian Rast Officially Named 2023 Poker Hall of Fame Inductee, July 13, 2023.
- PokerNews, Life in the Rast Lane: Brian Rast’s Incredible Poker Journey, March 2015.
- WSOP.com, Rast Wins 2nd Gold Bracelet, Hellmuth Denied 12th in Poker Players Championship, July 7, 2011.
- PokerNews, Brian Rast Wins Inaugural $500,000 Super High Roller Bowl for $7,525,000, July 5, 2015.
- WSOP.com, Brian Rast Wins Third WSOP Gold Bracelet and 2016 Poker Players Championship, July 5, 2016.
- WSOP.com, Brian Rast Wins $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, June 13, 2018.
- PokerNews, Brian Rast Wins Fifth Bracelet; Sets Sights on Poker Hall of Fame, October 2021.
- PokerNews, Brian Rast Wins $50,000 Poker Players Championship For the Third Time ($1,324,747), June 2023.
- WSOP.com, Brian Rast Wins $10,000 Razz Championship and 7th WSOP Bracelet, June 20, 2025.
Last verified: October 5, 2026. Figures that change over time, such as career earnings, are given with the date they were checked.
