It took until Event #25, but Chan got there first, taking down the $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em on June 26. Brunson tied him just four days later, capturing the $5,000 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold 'Em. Hellmuth may have gotten there third a year later, but he would be the sole member of the triumvirate to reach eleven (2007) and beyond (two more in 2012, including one in Europe, and one each in 2015, 2018, and 2021).1
Hellmuth won the $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em on July 25, 2006, the $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em on June 11, 2007, the $2,500 Seven-Card Razz on June 10, 2012, the WSOP Europe Main Event on October 4, 2012, the $10,000 Seven-Card Razz Championship on June 7, 2015, the $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em on July 11, 2018, and the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball on October 17. 2021.
You can watch an animated rendition of the history of the WSOP Bracelet Race.
| Rank | Player | Bracelets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Hellmuth | 17 |
| 2 | Phil Ivey | 11 |
| 3 | Doyle Brunson | 10 |
| 3 | Erik Seidel | 10 |
| 3 | Johnny Chan | 10 |
| 6 | Johnny Moss | 9 |
| 7 | Billy Baxter | 7 |
| 7 | Daniel Negreanu | 7 |
| 7 | John Hennigan | 7 |
| 7 | Men Nguyen | 7 |
| 7 | Scott Seiver | 7 |
All bracelets are counted for this table.2
Bracelets include women's events (began in 1977), team events (1979-1983 and since 2016), seniors events (2001), WSOP Europe events (2007), the U.S. National Championship (2011), and WSOP Asia-Pacific events (2013).
Fourteen players have won exactly six bracelets, 18 players have five, and 34 have four.
Kristen Foxen (nee Bicknell) leads all women with five bracelets, four in open events. Three women have three bracelets: Vanessa Selbst (the first to win three open events -- 2008, 2012, & 2014), Barbara Enright (1986 Ladies, 1994 Ladies, & 1996 open), and Nani Dollison (2000 Ladies, 2001 open, & 2001 Ladies).
Jennifer Harman became the first woman to win multiple open events by taking the $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw in 2000 and the $5,000 Limit Hold 'Em in 2002.3
Vera Richmond was the first woman to win an open event, the $1,000 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw in 1982. Her father was Abraham Lincoln "Al" Neiman, who co-founded Neiman Marcus in 1907 with his wife and brother-in-law.
| Bracelets | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Jeff Lisandro | Australia (living in Italy) |
| 5 | Benny Glaser | England |
| 5 | Kristen Foxen | Canada |
| 5 | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil |
| 4 | Adrian Mateos | Spain |
| 4 | Asi Moshe | Israel |
| 4 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany |
| 4 | George Danzer | Germany |
| 4 | Georgios Sotiropoulos | Greece |
| 4 | Julien Martini | France |
| 4 | Max Pescatori | Italy |
| 4 | Michael Addamo | Australia |
| 4 | Michael Gathy | Belgium |
Many players born in other countries moved to the United States before they won their first WSOP bracelet. It's possible that some of these players have retained dual citizenship, but in any case their native countries can still take credit for raising them.
| Bracelets | Player | Born |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Johnny Chan | China |
| 7 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada |
| 7 | Men Nguyen | Vietnam |
| 5 | David Chiu | China |
| 5 | Eli Elezra | Israel |
| 5 | John Juanda | Indonesia |
| 5 | Scotty Nguyen | Vietnam |
| 4 | Farzad Bonyadi | Iran |
| 4 | Mike Gorodinsky | Russia |
Particularly murky are the first three years of the WSOP. Johnny Moss was voted the overall winner in 1970 and gets a bracelet. Puggy Pearson, Bill Boyd, Jimmy Casella, and Moss won banquet awards in 1971 and are considered bracelets, while other awards in both 1970 and 1972 are not. You can read more about alternate bracelet counts and their historical implications.