The WSOP is now awaiting the final table of the main event, taking place, this year in October. This is a great time to look back at the biggest winners of this year’s World Series of Poker.

Number 4: Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth collects WSOP bracelets like other people collect rubber bands. You do not like him? You do not like what he says? What the heck? He has 12 Bracelets in his sack. You think he’s pompous? 12 bracelets. The rest of the poker world points the finger at him? 12 bracelets! No matter what you and the rest of the world think, the controversial pro just keeps winning and expanding his leadership. This year he won the coveted bracelets in event 18 and he is the only one of the big players, who has managed to secure a first place. This is undoubtedly enough to make him a winner in our eyes.

Number 3: Antonio Esfandiari

You’ve heard it for sure: Esfandiari is the winner of the mega poker event The Big One for One Drop. The tournament had an unprecedented buy-in of one million dollars and an insane first prize of $ 18.3 million. Esfandiari  beat 47 other players and took home the prize. This immediately placed him at the top of the leaderboard of the world class poker.

Number 2: Greg Merson

If you are asking, “Greg – who”, then this only proves that you have not followed the main event of this year’s World Series of Poker. Greg Merson is the newcomer and big winner of the 2012 WSOP. Before this year’s tournament, he had never earned more than $ 22,000 in a live tournament – he was a pure online player – but that’s all changed. He sat at the final table in Event 28 and won $ 1,136,197 then he won a bracelet in Event 57, and then – to top it all he now sits at the final table of the Main Event with the third-highest chip stack. As a player of the year we will hear a lot from him when he participates in the WSOP Europe in October and of course taking part in the final table of the WSOP itself

1st: A lot of unknown players

This is a trend that has gained momentum in the last few years. New comers overshadow the big names. This year there isn’t a single known, professional poker player in the November 9  table. Merson has managed to gain a reputation in this year’s tournament and James Balsiger could become the youngest WSOP champion ever, but otherwise the eight Americans and one Hungarian are blank slates. This may not be as exciting for the viewers but for poker players it is a proof that you don’t have to be a big name professional to win big money at the tables.