The Best Players Without a WSOP Bracelet

Every year at the World Series of Poker in Vegas, the Bahamas, and Europe, over a hundred bracelets are contested. If you count the online events, that number increases by an order of magnitude. For many players, these titles represent the ultimate tournament trophies and definitive proof of their ability to crush the toughest opponents. However, there are elite players who have yet to capture a single piece of WSOP gold. With the help of FunFarm founder Fyodor Truntsev, we have compiled several of these stories. 

Christoph Vogelsang

Photo: Regina Cortina

Christoph Vogelsang is a three-time Triton Poker Series champion and one of the most controversial players of the modern era. He sits second on Germany's All Time Money List and is in the top 20 worldwide, with over $47,000,000 in live tournament earnings and 13 seven-figure scores throughout his career. Despite this, he is frequently criticised for his slow pace of play and his habit of wearing clothing that conceals his face. Critics argue Vogelsang uses these tactics to tilts his opponents and prevent them from picking up tells. Naturally, the high roller rejects these accusations. 

Nevertheless, there are no doubts about Vogelsang's elite skill and success. Yet, the German has one glaring piece of unfinished business — winning a World Series of Poker bracelet. Christoph made a massive statement upon his very first appearance at the WSOP. In 2014, he finished third in the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop, pocketing $4,480,001. Since then, he has taken numerous shots at the title. Vogelsang has cashed 44 times at the WSOP and reached ten final tables. 

Photo: Spenser Sembrat

On several occasions, Vogelsang was just steps away from World Series glory. He finished third in the €250,000 Super High Roller at WSOP Europe in Rozvadov in 2019, and third in the $50,000 High Roller in Las Vegas in 2024. The German came closest to a bracelet in 2022, falling to Dan Smith in the heads-up final of the Championship event, settled for a modest (by his standards) $315,029 for runner-up. 

Steve O'Dwyer

Photo: Danny Maxwell

Steve O'Dwyer's career is packed with victories, including Triton, World Poker Tour, and European Poker Tour titles. His live tournament performances have earned him over $47,000,000, placing him 16th on the global All Time Money List, just slightly ahead of Vogelsang in 17th. Yet, even in his stacked trophy cabinet, a WSOP bracelet is visibly missing.

The reason for O'Dwyer's lack of a World Series title is quite straightforward. Although Steve was born in the USA, he has long resided in Ireland and prefers playing tournaments closer to home. In the late 2000s and mid-2010s, he was a regular at the WSOP in Las Vegas, but he has not made the trip in years. His last live cash at the World Series came in 2018, when he finished 13th in the €95,000 Super High Roller at WSOP Europe in the Czech Republic. Since then, O'Dwyer has only booked a handful of cashes in the series' online events. 

Photo: Danny Maxwell

O'Dwyer's best WSOP runs are marked by two final tables. The American regular first made a final table back in 2009 in Vegas, finishing eighth in the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship for $92,580. In 2015, O'Dwyer took fifth place in the €550 No-Limit Hold'em The Oktoberfest at the WSOP Europe festival in Berlin, which earned him $48,904. 

Maria Ho

Photo: Hayley Hochstetler

The polar opposite of O'Dwyer would be Maria Ho. The American pro, who is a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, has been a constant fixture at the World Series since 2007. Over this time, Ho has secured 115 cashes. On top of that, she has held the honour of being the last woman standing in the WSOP Main Event four times — a unique achievement in its own right.

Maria Ho has ten WSOP final table appearances under her belt, never finishing lower than sixth place in any of them. In 2011, Ho was on the verge of victory, reaching heads-up in the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em before falling to Allen Bari. That run secured her career-best cash of $540,020. In December 2023, Ho almost repeated that success, bowing out in third place at the NLH Mystery Millions event at WSOP Paradise, taking home $200,000. 

Photo: WSOP.com

In 2025, Maria Ho missed the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas for the first time in 16 years, citing other commitments. At the time, she stated that she missed playing the WSOP but had prioritized other goals. This year, the pro returned to the series in Vegas, but strictly in a commentary role. 

Jonathan Jaffe 

Photo: Danny Maxwell

Jonathan Jaffe is a multiple WPT winner, Triton Poker champion, and one of the world's elite heads-up specialists. He built his reputation online before bursting onto the live tournament scene in the late 2000s. In November 2008, the American earned $670,636 for a runner-up finish in the No-Limit Hold'em event at the WPT Finals. Over the years, Jaffe has earned a reputation as a player who combines fierce aggression with a deep understanding of GTO and highly precise live reads. 

At the World Series of Poker, Jonathan Jaffe has earned $6,500,000 of his $22,952,800 career total. The American reg has cashed 37 times at the WSOP and made nine final tables, agonizingly finishing in fourth place four times. The first of these occurred in 2008 in the Heads-Up Championship, and the most recent was in December 2025, where he booked a career-best score of $2,860,000 in the $250,000 NLH Triton Invitational at WSOP Paradise.

Photo: Regina Cortina

Jaffe went one spot further in October 2021, taking third in the $5,000 6-Handed NLH event. The American fell just short of his compatriots Galen Hall and Scott Ball. Since then, Jaffe has not managed to get any closer to a WSOP bracelet.

Juan Pardo Dominguez

Photo: Danny Maxwell

Juan Pardo is one of Spain's most successful and recognisable poker players. With $17,000,000 in earnings, he sits third on his country's All Time Money List, trailing only WSOP champions Adrian Mateos and Sergio Aido. However, the majority of Pardo's live trophies have been won on the EPT circuit and in high rollers in Vegas outside of the WSOP. 

Pardo made his name online playing under the moniker